diff --git a/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/camlp4-git.patch b/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/camlp4-git.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..24d2e362dfac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/camlp4-git.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
+index d040f4c..cc1a8f5 100644
+--- a/Makefile.in
++++ b/Makefile.in
+@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ pkg_extlib	= @OCAML_PKG_extlib@
+ enable_coverage = @enable_coverage@
+ 
+ OCAMLCFLAGS	= -g
+-OCAMLCPACKAGES	=
++OCAMLCPACKAGES	= -package camlp4
+ OCAMLCLIBS	= -linkpkg
+ OCAMLOPTFLAGS	= $(OCAMLCFLAGS)
+ OCAMLOPTPACKAGES = $(OCAMLCPACKAGES)
+@@ -110,12 +110,13 @@ bitstring_persistent.cmi: bitstring_persistent.mli
+ 	  -I +camlp4 -pp camlp4of -c $<
+ 
+ pa_bitstring.cmo: pa_bitstring.ml bitstring.cma bitstring_persistent.cma
+-	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlc bitstring.cma -I +camlp4 dynlink.cma camlp4lib.cma \
++	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlc $(OCAMLCPACKAGES) \
++          bitstring.cma -I +camlp4 dynlink.cma camlp4lib.cma \
+ 	  -pp camlp4of -c $< -o $@
+ 
+ bitstring-objinfo: bitstring_objinfo.cmo bitstring.cma bitstring_persistent.cma
+ 	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlc -I +camlp4 unix.cma dynlink.cma camlp4lib.cma \
+-	  $(OCAMLCFLAGS) $(OCAMLCLIBS) \
++	  $(OCAMLCFLAGS) $(OCAMLCLIBS) $(OCAMLCPACKAGES) \
+ 	  bitstring.cma bitstring_persistent.cma \
+ 	  $< -o $@
+ 
+@@ -158,12 +159,13 @@ tests/test.bmpp: create_test_pattern
+ 
+ create_test_pattern: create_test_pattern.cmo
+ 	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlc $(OCAMLCFLAGS) -pp camlp4of \
+-	  unix.cma -I +camlp4 dynlink.cma camlp4lib.cma \
++	  unix.cma -I `ocamlfind query camlp4` dynlink.cma camlp4lib.cma \
+ 	  $(OCAMLCLIBS) \
+ 	  -I . bitstring.cma bitstring_persistent.cma $< -o $@
+ 
+ create_test_pattern.cmo: create_test_pattern.ml
+ 	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlc $(OCAMLCFLAGS) -pp camlp4of \
++	  $(OCAMLCPACKAGES) \
+ 	  unix.cma -I +camlp4 \
+ 	  -I . -c $< -o $@
+ 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/default.nix b/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2dc1b515c033
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+{stdenv, fetchgit, buildOcaml, time, autoconf, automake}:
+
+buildOcaml rec {
+  name = "bitstring";
+  version = "f1673f8"; 
+  src = fetchgit {
+    url = "https://code.google.com/p/bitstring/";
+    rev = "f1673f8";
+    sha256 = "1lh97qf1b7mq64pxkphr2w91ri5hfwg58cpjb2xd8a453c9jylw4";
+  };
+
+  patches = [ ./camlp4-git.patch ./meta.patch ./srcdir.patch ];
+
+  buildInputs = [time autoconf automake];
+  doCheck = true;
+
+  createFindlibDestdir = true;
+  hasSharedObjects = true;
+
+  preConfigure = "./bootstrap";
+
+  meta = with stdenv.lib; {
+    description = "This library adds Erlang-style bitstrings and matching over bitstrings as a syntax extension and library for OCaml";
+    homepage = http://code.google.com/p/bitstring/;
+    license = licenses.lgpl21Plus;
+    maintainers = [ maintainers.maurer ];
+  };
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index f694349f9a3d..11f2783eabf9 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -4976,7 +4976,13 @@ in
 
     bolt = callPackage ../development/ocaml-modules/bolt { };
 
-    bitstring = callPackage ../development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/2.0.4.nix { };
+    bitstring_2_0_4 = callPackage ../development/ocaml-modules/bitstring/2.0.4.nix { };
+    bitstring_git   = callPackage ../development/ocaml-modules/bitstring { };
+
+    bitstring =
+      if lib.versionOlder "4.02" ocaml_version
+      then bitstring_git
+      else bitstring_2_0_4;
 
     camlidl = callPackage ../development/tools/ocaml/camlidl { };