diff --git a/nix/default.nix b/nix/default.nix
index 73fb674..a4da0ca 100644
--- a/nix/default.nix
+++ b/nix/default.nix
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
   slurp,
   hyprland-protocols,
   wayland,
+  debug ? false,
   version ? "git",
 }:
 stdenv.mkDerivation {
@@ -28,6 +29,11 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   src = ../.;
 
+  mesonBuildType =
+    if debug
+    then "debug"
+    else "release";
+
   nativeBuildInputs = [
     meson
     ninja