diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index c13ccae66b..aea5e1acf2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -7,13 +7,45 @@ on:
     - cron: '30 22 * * *'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
-env:
-  TAG_NAME: latest
-
 jobs:
+  preflight:
+    name: Preflight
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      should_build: ${{ steps.gate.outputs.should_build }}
+      head_sha:     ${{ steps.gate.outputs.head_sha }}
+      short_sha:    ${{ steps.gate.outputs.short_sha }}
+      build_id:     ${{ steps.gate.outputs.build_id }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - id: gate
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          HEAD=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
+          SHORT=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
+          BUILD_ID="nightly-$(date -u +%Y%m%d)-${SHORT}"
+          PREV=$(gh release view nightly --json body -q .body 2>/dev/null \
+                  | sed -n 's/^sha=//p' | head -1 || true)
+          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "schedule" ] && [ "$PREV" = "$HEAD" ]; then
+            echo "Skip: HEAD ($HEAD) already published as the latest nightly."
+            echo "should_build=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "Build: $BUILD_ID (event=${{ github.event_name }}, prev=$PREV)"
+            echo "should_build=true"  >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+          echo "head_sha=$HEAD"   >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "short_sha=$SHORT" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "build_id=$BUILD_ID" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
   buildroot:
     name: Firmware
+    needs: preflight
+    if: needs.preflight.outputs.should_build == 'true'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      BUILD_ID:  ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.build_id }}
+      BUILD_SHA: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.head_sha }}
 
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -244,11 +276,38 @@ jobs:
       - name: Verify kernel modules
         run: sh .github/scripts/check_target_modules.sh
 
-      - name: Upload firmware
+      - name: Upload firmware (dated)
+        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
+        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
+        with:
+          tag_name: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.build_id }}
+          prerelease: true
+          body: |
+            sha=${{ needs.preflight.outputs.head_sha }}
+            short=${{ needs.preflight.outputs.short_sha }}
+            built_at=${{ github.run_started_at }}
+          files: |
+            ${{env.NORFW}}
+            ${{env.NANDFW}}
+
+      - name: Upload firmware (rolling nightly)
+        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
+        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
+        with:
+          tag_name: nightly
+          body: |
+            sha=${{ needs.preflight.outputs.head_sha }}
+            short=${{ needs.preflight.outputs.short_sha }}
+            built_at=${{ github.run_started_at }}
+          files: |
+            ${{env.NORFW}}
+            ${{env.NANDFW}}
+
+      - name: Upload firmware (latest — legacy alias)
         if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
         uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
         with:
-          tag_name: ${{env.TAG_NAME}}
+          tag_name: latest
           files: |
             ${{env.NORFW}}
             ${{env.NANDFW}}
@@ -256,7 +315,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Send binary
         if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && env.NORFW
         run: |
-          TG_MSG="Commit: ${GIT_HASH}\nBranch: ${GIT_BRANCH}\nTag: ${TAG_NAME}\nTime: ${TIME}\n\n"
+          TG_MSG="Build: ${BUILD_ID}\nCommit: ${GIT_HASH}\nBranch: ${GIT_BRANCH}\nTime: ${TIME}\n\n"
           TG_ICON="\xE2\x9C\x85 GitHub Actions"
           TG_HEADER=$(echo -e ${TG_MSG}${TG_ICON})
           TG_TOKEN=${{secrets.TELEGRAM_TOKEN_BOT_OPENIPC}}
diff --git a/general/scripts/rootfs_script.sh b/general/scripts/rootfs_script.sh
index f7c3869dbe..147cb97f10 100755
--- a/general/scripts/rootfs_script.sh
+++ b/general/scripts/rootfs_script.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ FILE=${TARGET_DIR}/usr/lib/os-release
 echo OPENIPC_VERSION=${DATE:0:1}.${DATE:1} >> ${FILE}
 date +GITHUB_VERSION="\"${GIT_BRANCH-local}+${GIT_HASH-build}, %Y-%m-%d"\" >> ${FILE}
 echo BUILD_OPTION=${OPENIPC_VARIANT} >> ${FILE}
+echo BUILD_ID=${BUILD_ID:-local-$(date -u +%Y%m%d)-${GIT_HASH-build}} >> ${FILE}
+echo BUILD_SHA=${BUILD_SHA:-${GIT_HASH-build}} >> ${FILE}
 date +TIME_STAMP=%s >> ${FILE}
 
 CONF="USES_GLIBC=y|OSDRV_T30=y|OSDRV_V85X=y|LIBV4L=y|MAVLINK_ROUTER=y|RUBYFPV=y|ONYXFPV=y|WIFIBROADCAST=y|WIFIBROADCAST_NG=y|AUDIO_PROCESSING_OPENIPC=y"