diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-4.x/4.8/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-4.x/4.8/default.nix
index 87cec5bb3d9a..0acf5c07bbde 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-4.x/4.8/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-4.x/4.8/default.nix
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 , buildWebkit ? true
 , flashplayerFix ? false, gdk_pixbuf
 , gtkStyle ? false, libgnomeui, gtk, GConf, gnome_vfs
+, developerBuild ? false
 }:
 
 with stdenv.lib;
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
       -nomake demos -nomake examples -nomake docs
 
       -no-phonon ${if buildWebkit then "" else "-no"}-webkit ${if buildMultimedia then "" else "-no"}-multimedia -audio-backend
+      ${if developerBuild then "-developer-build" else ""}
     '';
 
   propagatedBuildInputs =