diff --git a/.github/workflows/bake.yml b/.github/workflows/bake.yml
index 8afa20ff..48da4c2a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bake.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bake.yml
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ on:
         type: string
         default: '[]'
         description: Matrix inclusions
+      rust_nightly:
+        type: string
+        default: ${{vars.RUST_NIGHTLY || 'nightly'}}
+        description: Override nightly toolchain with more specific nightly.
       checkout:
         type: string
         default: 'HEAD'
@@ -135,6 +139,7 @@ jobs:
         CI_VERBOSE_ENV: ${{inputs.verbose_env}}
         CI_SILENT_BAKE: ${{inputs.silent_bake}}
         CI_PRINT_BAKE: ${{inputs.print_bake}}
+        rust_nightly: ${{inputs.rust_nightly}}
         git_checkout: ${{inputs.checkout}}
 
       run: |
diff --git a/docker/bake.hcl b/docker/bake.hcl
index 55476414..f8b9bf81 100644
--- a/docker/bake.hcl
+++ b/docker/bake.hcl
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ variable "install_prefix" {
 variable "rust_msrv" {
     default = "stable"
 }
+variable "rust_nightly" {
+    default = "nightly"
+}
 variable "rust_toolchains" {
     default = "[\"nightly\", \"stable\"]"
 }
@@ -1762,8 +1765,12 @@ target "rust" {
         input = elem("target:rustup", [rust_target, sys_name, sys_version, sys_target])
     }
     args = {
-        rust_toolchain = (rust_toolchain == "stable"?
-            rust_msrv: rust_toolchain
+        rust_toolchain = (
+            rust_toolchain == "stable"?
+                rust_msrv:
+            rust_toolchain == "nightly"?
+                rust_nightly:
+                rust_toolchain
         )
 
         rustup_components = join(" ", rustup_components)
diff --git a/docker/bake.sh b/docker/bake.sh
index e869c20f..52572246 100755
--- a/docker/bake.sh
+++ b/docker/bake.sh
@@ -57,11 +57,24 @@ sys_versions="${env_sys_versions:-$default_sys_versions}"
 
 docker_dir="$PWD/$BASEDIR"
 builder_name="${GITHUB_ACTOR:-owo}"
+
+# Translates 'nightly' in `rust_toolchains` to some other value. Needed for
+# github actions to pass some specific nightly. Local users can add the specific
+# nightly to the `rust_toolchains` array as intended. see bake.hcl
+rust_nightly="${rust_nightly:-nightly}"
+
+# Translates 'stable' in `rust_toolchains` to some specific toolchain. Used
+# by default for all callers to ensure the msrv is used instead of latest
+# stable. see bake.hcl
 toolchain_toml="$docker_dir/../rust-toolchain.toml"
 rust_msrv=$(grep "channel = " "$toolchain_toml" | cut -d'=' -f2 | sed 's/\s"\|"$//g')
+
+# override the source position with another ref
+git_checkout="${git_checkout:-HEAD}"
+
+# other options
 rocksdb_opt_level=3
 rocksdb_portable=1
-git_checkout="${git_checkout:-HEAD}"
 use_chef="true"
 set +a