diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/default.nix
index cf84a064b54f0..84fe61584547a 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/default.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   blockdiag,
   buildPythonPackage,
   fetchFromGitHub,
-  nose,
   pytestCheckHook,
   pythonOlder,
   setuptools,
@@ -23,17 +22,13 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
     hash = "sha256-WmprkHOgvlsOIg8H77P7fzEqxGnj6xaL7Df7urRkg3o=";
   };
 
+  patches = [ ./fix_test_generate.patch ];
+
   build-system = [ setuptools ];
 
   propagatedBuildInputs = [ blockdiag ];
 
-  # tests rely on nose
-  doCheck = pythonOlder "3.12";
-
-  nativeCheckInputs = [
-    nose
-    pytestCheckHook
-  ];
+  nativeCheckInputs = [ pytestCheckHook ];
 
   pytestFlagsArray = [ "src/actdiag/tests/" ];
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/fix_test_generate.patch b/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/fix_test_generate.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..95dbf5887268d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/actdiag/fix_test_generate.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+diff --git a/src/actdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py b/src/actdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
+index c5ee3d5..a74a151 100644
+--- a/src/actdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
++++ b/src/actdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
+@@ -16,16 +16,6 @@
+ import os
+ 
+ from blockdiag.tests.test_generate_diagram import (get_diagram_files,
+-                                                   testcase_generator)
++                                                   test_generate_with_separate)
+ 
+-import actdiag.command
+ 
+-
+-def test_generate():
+-    mainfunc = actdiag.command.main
+-    basepath = os.path.dirname(__file__)
+-    files = get_diagram_files(basepath)
+-    options = []
+-
+-    for testcase in testcase_generator(basepath, mainfunc, files, options):
+-        yield testcase
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/blockdiag/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/blockdiag/default.nix
index 8b43fd2c90656..7acdf490acb40 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/blockdiag/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/blockdiag/default.nix
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
   ephem,
   fetchFromGitHub,
   fetchpatch,
+  fetchpatch2,
   funcparserlib,
   pillow,
-  nose,
   pytestCheckHook,
   pythonOlder,
   reportlab,
@@ -36,8 +36,21 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
       url = "https://github.com/blockdiag/blockdiag/commit/20d780cad84e7b010066cb55f848477957870165.patch";
       hash = "sha256-t1zWFzAsLL2EUa0nD4Eui4Y5AhAZLRmp/yC9QpzzeUA=";
     })
+    # https://github.com/blockdiag/blockdiag/pull/175
+    (fetchpatch2 {
+      name = "migrate-to-pytest.patch";
+      url = "https://github.com/blockdiag/blockdiag/commit/4f4f726252084f17ecc6c524592222af09d37da4.patch";
+      hash = "sha256-OkfKJwJtb2DJRXE/8thYnisTFwcfstUFTTJHdM/qBzg=";
+    })
   ];
 
+  postPatch = ''
+    # requires network access the url-based icon
+    # and path-based icon is set to debian logo (/usr/share/pixmaps/debian-logo.png)
+    rm src/blockdiag/tests/diagrams/node_icon.diag
+    # note: this is a postPatch as `seqdiag` uses them directly
+  '';
+
   build-system = [ setuptools ];
 
   dependencies = [
@@ -48,12 +61,8 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
     webcolors
   ];
 
-  # tests rely on nose
-  doCheck = pythonOlder "3.12";
-
   nativeCheckInputs = [
     ephem
-    nose
     pytestCheckHook
   ];
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/default.nix
index dc2fd74fbef56..6196910595cbf 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/default.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   blockdiag,
   fetchFromGitHub,
   buildPythonPackage,
-  nose,
   pytestCheckHook,
   setuptools,
   pythonOlder,
@@ -23,17 +22,13 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
     hash = "sha256-uKrdkXpL5YBr953sRsHknYg+2/WwrZmyDf8BMA2+0tU=";
   };
 
+  patches = [ ./fix_test_generate.patch ];
+
   build-system = [ setuptools ];
 
   dependencies = [ blockdiag ];
 
-  # tests rely on nose
-  doCheck = pythonOlder "3.12";
-
-  nativeCheckInputs = [
-    nose
-    pytestCheckHook
-  ];
+  nativeCheckInputs = [ pytestCheckHook ];
 
   pytestFlagsArray = [ "src/nwdiag/tests/" ];
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/fix_test_generate.patch b/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/fix_test_generate.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..c05b5be45c1dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/nwdiag/fix_test_generate.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+diff --git a/src/nwdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py b/src/nwdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
+index 2065208..ac9b096 100644
+--- a/src/nwdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
++++ b/src/nwdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
+@@ -16,16 +16,4 @@
+ import os
+ 
+ from blockdiag.tests.test_generate_diagram import (get_diagram_files,
+-                                                   testcase_generator)
+-
+-import nwdiag.command
+-
+-
+-def test_generate():
+-    mainfunc = nwdiag.command.main
+-    basepath = os.path.dirname(__file__)
+-    files = get_diagram_files(basepath)
+-    options = []
+-
+-    for testcase in testcase_generator(basepath, mainfunc, files, options):
+-        yield testcase
++                                                   test_generate_with_separate)
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/default.nix
index 79d575a9fa516..754ef870f8656 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/default.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   blockdiag,
   buildPythonPackage,
   fetchFromGitHub,
-  nose,
   pytestCheckHook,
   pythonOlder,
   setuptools,
@@ -27,14 +26,9 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
 
   dependencies = [ blockdiag ];
 
-  # tests rely on nose
-  doCheck = pythonOlder "3.12";
-
-  nativeCheckInputs = [
-    nose
-    pytestCheckHook
-  ];
+  patches = [ ./fix_test_generate.patch ];
 
+  nativeCheckInputs = [ pytestCheckHook ];
   pytestFlagsArray = [ "src/seqdiag/tests/" ];
 
   pythonImportsCheck = [ "seqdiag" ];
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/fix_test_generate.patch b/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/fix_test_generate.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..d96c1308e6ed7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/seqdiag/fix_test_generate.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+diff --git a/src/seqdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py b/src/seqdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
+index cdd340f..a1dd2d4 100644
+--- a/src/seqdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
++++ b/src/seqdiag/tests/test_generate_diagram.py
+@@ -13,19 +13,5 @@
+ #  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ #  limitations under the License.
+ 
+-import os
+-
+ from blockdiag.tests.test_generate_diagram import (get_diagram_files,
+-                                                   testcase_generator)
+-
+-import seqdiag.command
+-
+-
+-def test_generate():
+-    mainfunc = seqdiag.command.main
+-    basepath = os.path.dirname(__file__)
+-    files = get_diagram_files(basepath)
+-    options = []
+-
+-    for testcase in testcase_generator(basepath, mainfunc, files, options):
+-        yield testcase
++                                                   test_generate_with_separate)