diff --git a/gnu/packages/pkg-config.scm b/gnu/packages/pkg-config.scm
index 5923395..299c7c8 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/pkg-config.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/pkg-config.scm
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
    (name "pkg-config")
    (version "0.29")
    (source (origin
-            (method url-fetch)
+            (method host-url-fetch)
             (uri (string-append
                   "http://pkgconfig.freedesktop.org/releases/pkg-config-"
                   version ".tar.gz"))
diff --git a/guix/download.scm b/guix/download.scm
index 204cfc0..32b5e4d 100644
--- a/guix/download.scm
+++ b/guix/download.scm
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
-;;; Copyright © 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
+;;; Copyright © 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
 ;;; Copyright © 2013, 2014, 2015 Andreas Enge <andreas@enge.fr>
 ;;;
 ;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-26)
   #:export (%mirrors
             url-fetch
+            host-url-fetch
             download-to-store))
 
 ;;; Commentary:
@@ -294,6 +295,12 @@ in the store."
                             ;; <https://bugs.gnu.org/18747>.)
                             #:local-build? #t)))))
 
+(define* (host-url-fetch url hash-algo hash
+                         #:optional name)
+  ;; FIXME: Check HASH, and cache downloaded stuff in ~/.cache/guix, similar
+  ;; to what 'http-fetch/cached' does.  See 'downloadFileCached' in Nix.
+  (download-to-store* url name))
+
 (define* (download-to-store store url #:optional (name (basename url))
                             #:key (log (current-error-port)) recursive?)
   "Download from URL to STORE, either under NAME or URL's basename if
@@ -314,4 +321,7 @@ the same-named parameter of 'add-to-store'."
            (and result
                 (add-to-store store name recursive? "sha256" temp)))))))
 
+(define download-to-store*
+  (store-lift download-to-store))
+
 ;;; download.scm ends here