diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly.yml b/.github/workflows/nightly.yml
index fa42816ad..17f7495d7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly.yml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
           cabal v2-build --dependencies-only
     - name: Build
       run: |
-          cabal v2-install
+          cabal v2-install -fnightly
           strip $HOME/.cabal/bin/pandoc
     - name: Install artifact
       run: |
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
           for /f %%a in ('powershell -Command "Get-Date -format yyyy-MM-dd"') do set THEDATE=%%a
           set ARTIFACTS=%CD%\nightly-windows\pandoc-nightly-windows-%THEDATE%
           mkdir %ARTIFACTS%
-          stack build pandoc
+          stack build --flag pandoc:nightly --flag pandoc:embed_data_files pandoc
           forfiles /P .\.stack-work\install /M pandoc*.exe /S /C "cmd /C copy @path %%ARTIFACTS%%"
           copy COPYRIGHT %ARTIFACTS%
           ren %ARTIFACTS%\COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT.txt
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ jobs:
       run: |
           export ARTIFACTS=nightly-macos/pandoc-nightly-macos-$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
           mkdir -p ${ARTIFACTS}
-          stack build pandoc
+          stack build --flag pandoc:nightly --flag pandoc:embed_data_files pandoc
           for f in $(find .stack-work/install -name 'pandoc*' -perm +001 -type f); do cp $f ${ARTIFACTS}/; done
           mv ${ARTIFACTS}/pandoc ${ARTIFACTS}/pandoc
           cp COPYRIGHT ${ARTIFACTS}/
diff --git a/pandoc.cabal b/pandoc.cabal
index 6b4c0b8ad..d1d04e36a 100644
--- a/pandoc.cabal
+++ b/pandoc.cabal
@@ -428,6 +428,10 @@ flag trypandoc
   Description:   Build trypandoc cgi executable.
   Default:       False
 
+flag nightly
+  Description:   Add '-nightly-COMPILEDATE' to the output of '--version'.
+  Default:       False
+
 common common-options
   default-language: Haskell2010
   build-depends:    base         >= 4.12 && < 5
@@ -531,6 +535,9 @@ library
                  zlib                  >= 0.5      && < 0.7
   if !os(windows)
     build-depends:  unix >= 2.4 && < 2.8
+  if flag(nightly)
+    cpp-options:    -DNIGHTLY
+    build-depends:  template-haskell
   if flag(lua53)
     build-depends:  hslua >= 2.1 && < 2.2,
                     hslua-aeson >= 2.1 && < 2.3
diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/App/CommandLineOptions.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/App/CommandLineOptions.hs
index ffb7c5eb8..2db1fe53c 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/App/CommandLineOptions.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/App/CommandLineOptions.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE CPP                 #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell     #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE LambdaCase          #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE TupleSections       #-}
@@ -71,6 +72,21 @@ import qualified Data.Map as M
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import qualified Text.Pandoc.UTF8 as UTF8
 
+#ifdef NIGHTLY
+import qualified Language.Haskell.TH as TH
+import Data.Time
+#endif
+
+#ifdef NIGHTLY
+versionSuffix :: String
+versionSuffix = "-nightly-" ++
+  $(TH.stringE =<<
+    TH.runIO (formatTime defaultTimeLocale "%F" <$> Data.Time.getCurrentTime))
+#else
+versionSuffix :: String
+versionSuffix = ""
+#endif
+
 parseOptions :: [OptDescr (Opt -> IO Opt)] -> Opt -> IO Opt
 parseOptions options' defaults = do
   rawArgs <- map UTF8.decodeArg <$> getArgs
@@ -954,7 +970,7 @@ options =
                        peek top
                      UTF8.hPutStrLn stdout
                       $ T.pack
-                      $ prg ++ " " ++ T.unpack pandocVersion ++
+                      $ prg ++ " " ++ T.unpack pandocVersion ++ versionSuffix ++
                         compileInfo ++ "\nScripting engine: " ++ luaVersion ++
                         "\nUser data directory: " ++ defaultDatadir ++
                         ('\n':copyrightMessage)