diff --git a/build.rs b/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcc19c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+use std::env;
+use std::process::Command;
+use std::str;
+
+fn main() {
+    let compiler = match rustc_version() {
+        Some(compiler) => compiler,
+        None => return,
+    };
+
+    if compiler.nightly {
+        println!("cargo:rustc-cfg=backtrace");
+    }
+}
+
+struct Compiler {
+    nightly: bool,
+}
+
+fn rustc_version() -> Option<Compiler> {
+    let rustc = match env::var_os("RUSTC") {
+        Some(rustc) => rustc,
+        None => return None,
+    };
+
+    let output = match Command::new(rustc).arg("--version").output() {
+        Ok(output) => output,
+        Err(_) => return None,
+    };
+
+    let version = match str::from_utf8(&output.stdout) {
+        Ok(version) => version,
+        Err(_) => return None,
+    };
+
+    Some(Compiler {
+        nightly: version.contains("nightly") || version.contains("dev"),
+    })
+}
diff --git a/src/context.rs b/src/context.rs
index 74b3790..49bc54d 100644
--- a/src/context.rs
+++ b/src/context.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-use std::backtrace::Backtrace;
+use crate::Error;
 use std::error::Error as StdError;
 use std::fmt::{self, Debug, Display};
 
-use crate::Error;
+#[cfg(backtrace)]
+use std::backtrace::Backtrace;
 
 /// Provides the `context` method for `Result`.
 pub trait Context<T, E> {
@@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ where
     E: StdError + 'static,
     C: Display,
 {
+    #[cfg(backtrace)]
     fn backtrace(&self) -> Option<&Backtrace> {
         self.error.backtrace()
     }
@@ -102,6 +104,7 @@ impl<C> StdError for ContextError<Error, C>
 where
     C: Display,
 {
+    #[cfg(backtrace)]
     fn backtrace(&self) -> Option<&Backtrace> {
         Some(self.error.backtrace())
     }
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index 211cc3e..dba442f 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 use crate::context::ContextError;
 use std::any::TypeId;
-use std::backtrace::{Backtrace, BacktraceStatus};
 use std::error::Error as StdError;
 use std::fmt::{self, Debug, Display};
 use std::mem;
 use std::ops::{Deref, DerefMut};
 use std::ptr;
 
+#[cfg(backtrace)]
+use std::backtrace::{Backtrace, BacktraceStatus};
+
 /// The `Error` type, a wrapper around a dynamic error type.
 ///
 /// `Error` functions a lot like `Box<dyn std::error::Error>`, with these
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ impl Error {
     where
         E: StdError + Send + Sync + 'static,
     {
+        #[cfg(backtrace)]
         let backtrace = match error.backtrace() {
             Some(_) => None,
             None => Some(Backtrace::capture()),
@@ -59,6 +62,7 @@ impl Error {
             let inner = Box::new(ErrorImpl {
                 vtable,
                 type_id,
+                #[cfg(backtrace)]
                 backtrace,
                 error,
             });
@@ -90,6 +94,12 @@ impl Error {
     }
 
     /// Get the backtrace for this Error.
+    ///
+    /// Backtraces are only available on the nightly channel. Tracking issue:
+    /// [rust-lang/rust#53487][tracking].
+    ///
+    /// [tracking]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/53487
+    #[cfg(backtrace)]
     pub fn backtrace(&self) -> &Backtrace {
         // NB: this unwrap can only fail if the underlying error's backtrace
         // method is nondeterministic, which would only happen in maliciously
@@ -197,18 +207,21 @@ impl Debug for Error {
             }
         }
 
-        let backtrace = self.backtrace();
-        match backtrace.status() {
-            BacktraceStatus::Captured => {
-                writeln!(f, "\n{}", backtrace)?;
+        #[cfg(backtrace)]
+        {
+            let backtrace = self.backtrace();
+            match backtrace.status() {
+                BacktraceStatus::Captured => {
+                    writeln!(f, "\n{}", backtrace)?;
+                }
+                BacktraceStatus::Disabled => {
+                    writeln!(
+                        f,
+                        "\nbacktrace disabled; run with RUST_LIB_BACKTRACE=1 environment variable to display a backtrace"
+                    )?;
+                }
+                _ => {}
             }
-            BacktraceStatus::Disabled => {
-                writeln!(
-                    f,
-                    "\nbacktrace disabled; run with RUST_LIB_BACKTRACE=1 environment variable to display a backtrace"
-                )?;
-            }
-            _ => {}
         }
 
         Ok(())
@@ -235,6 +248,7 @@ impl Drop for Error {
 struct ErrorImpl<E> {
     vtable: *const (),
     type_id: TypeId,
+    #[cfg(backtrace)]
     backtrace: Option<Backtrace>,
     error: E,
 }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 0eda037..5bf2070 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#![feature(backtrace)]
+#![cfg_attr(backtrace, feature(backtrace))]
 
 mod context;
 mod error;