diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c3629e64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+node_modules
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/.gitignore b/tools/nightly-builder/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c3629e64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+node_modules
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/build-required.js b/tools/nightly-builder/build-required.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1096a9d93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/build-required.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+"use strict"
+
+const strftime     = require('strftime').timezone(0)
+    , after        = require('after')
+    , latestBuild  = require('./latest-build')
+    , latestCommit = require('./latest-commit')
+
+const dateFormat = '%Y%m%d'
+
+
+function timeString () {
+  return strftime(dateFormat)
+}
+
+
+function buildRequired (type, callback) {
+  let done = after(2, onData)
+    , build
+    , commit
+
+  function onData (err) {
+    if (err)
+      return callback(err)
+
+    let buildCommit = build.commit.substr(0, 10)
+      , buildDate   = strftime(dateFormat, build.date)
+      , nowDate     = timeString()
+
+    commit = commit.substr(0, 10)
+
+    if (buildCommit != commit) // only need to compare commit
+      return callback(null, { type: type, commit: commit, date: nowDate })
+
+    return callback()
+  }
+
+  latestBuild(type, function (err, data) {
+    build = data
+    done(err)
+  })
+
+  latestCommit(type, function (err, data) {
+    commit = data
+    done(err)
+  })
+}
+
+
+module.exports = buildRequired
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/latest-build.js b/tools/nightly-builder/latest-build.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ec70e6a02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/latest-build.js
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+"use strict"
+
+const jsonist = require('jsonist')
+
+const indexUrl = 'https://iojs.org/download/{type}/index.json'
+
+
+function latestBuild (type, callback) {
+  let url = indexUrl.replace(/\{type\}/, type)
+
+  function onGet (err, data) {
+    if (err)
+      return callback(err)
+
+    let i = -1
+
+    while (data[++i]) {
+      let m      = data[i].version.match(/nightly(20\d\d)(\d\d)(\d\d)(\w{10,})/)
+        , date   = new Date(m && `${m[1]}-${m[2]}-${m[3]}` || data[i].date)
+        , commit = m && m[4]
+
+      if (m && commit) {
+        return callback(null, {
+            version : data[i].version
+          , date    : date
+          , commit  : commit
+        })
+      }
+    }
+
+    return callback(new Error(`no latest version for "${type}"`))
+  }
+
+  jsonist.get(url, onGet)
+}
+
+
+module.exports = latestBuild
+
+latestBuild('nightly', function (err, data) {
+  if (err)
+    throw err
+
+  console.log('data', data)
+})
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/latest-commit.js b/tools/nightly-builder/latest-commit.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b68f1c698
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/latest-commit.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"use strict"
+
+const ghrepos = require('ghrepos')
+
+const typeRefs = {
+          'nightly'      : 'heads/master'
+        , 'next-nightly' : 'heads/next'
+      }
+
+
+function latestCommit (type, callback) {
+  let ref = typeRefs[type]
+
+  if (!ref)
+    throw new Error(`Unknown type "${type}"`)
+
+  ghrepos.getRef(null, 'iojs', 'io.js', ref, function (err, data) {
+    if (err)
+      return callback(err)
+
+    if (!data || !data.object)
+      return callback(new Error(`Got unexpected data from GitHub: ${JSON.stringify(data)}`))
+
+    return callback(null, data.object.sha)
+  })
+}
+
+
+
+module.exports = latestCommit
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/nightly-builder.js b/tools/nightly-builder/nightly-builder.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..90af6569e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/nightly-builder.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"use strict"
+
+const argv          = require('minimist')(process.argv.slice(2))
+    , inspect       = require('util').inspect
+    , buildRequired = require('./build-required')
+    , triggerBuild  = require('./trigger-build')
+
+
+if (typeof argv.type != 'string'
+    || !/^(nightly|next-nightly)$/.test(argv.type)
+    || typeof argv.token != 'string') {
+
+  console.error('Usage: nightly-builder --type <nightly|next-nightly> --token <jenkins job token>')
+  return process.exit(1)
+}
+
+buildRequired(argv.type, function (err, data) {
+  if (err)
+    throw err
+
+  if (!data)
+    return console.log('No build required')
+
+  triggerBuild(argv.token, data, function (err) {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    console.log(`Build triggered: ${inspect(data)}`)
+  })
+})
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/package.json b/tools/nightly-builder/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..43e98352a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+  "name": "nightly-builder",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "nightly builder for io.js dist",
+  "main": "nightly-builder.js",
+  "author": "Rod Vagg <rod@vagg.org>",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "scripts": {
+    "test": "node ./test.js"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "after": "~0.8.1",
+    "bl": "~0.9.4",
+    "ghrepos": "~1.0.2",
+    "hyperquest": "~1.0.1",
+    "jsonist": "~1.0.0",
+    "minimist": "~1.1.1",
+    "strftime": "~0.9.0"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "tape": "~4.0.0"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/test.js b/tools/nightly-builder/test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a782619f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+"use strict"
+
+const test         = require('tape')
+    , latestCommit = require('./latest-commit')
+    , latestBuild  = require('./latest-build')
+
+
+test('latest-build', function (t) {
+  t.plan(14)
+  var other = null
+
+  function verify (type) {
+    return function (err, data) {
+      t.error(err, 'no error')
+      t.ok(data, 'got data')
+      let m = data.version && data.version.match(/v\d+\.\d+\.\d+-((?:next-)?nightly)20\d{6}\w{10,}/)
+      t.ok(m, `version (${data.version}) looks correct`)
+      t.equal(m && m[1], type, 'correct type')
+      t.ok(data.date < new Date(), `date (${data.date.toISOString()}) looks correct`)
+      t.ok(data.commit && data.commit.length >= 10, `commit (${data.commit}) looks right`)
+      t.notEqual(data.commit, other, 'commit not the same as other type of commit')
+      other = data.commit // who's gonna be first??      
+    }
+  }
+
+  latestBuild('nightly', verify('nightly'))
+  latestBuild('next-nightly', verify('next-nightly'))
+})
+
+
+test('latest-commit', function (t) {
+  t.plan(8)
+  var other = null
+
+  function verify (type) {
+    return function (err, sha) {
+      t.error(err, 'no error')
+      t.equal(typeof sha, 'string', 'got sha')
+      t.equal(sha.length, 40, `sha looks good (${sha})`)
+      t.notEqual(sha, other, 'sha not the same as other type of sha')
+      other = sha // who's gonna be first??
+    }
+  }
+
+  latestCommit('nightly', verify('nightly'))
+  latestCommit('next-nightly', verify('next-nightly'))
+})
diff --git a/tools/nightly-builder/trigger-build.js b/tools/nightly-builder/trigger-build.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..23d628e40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nightly-builder/trigger-build.js
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+"use strict";
+
+const hyperquest = require('hyperquest')
+    , bl         = require('bl')
+    , qs         = require('querystring')
+
+
+const urlbase      = 'https://jenkins-iojs.nodesource.com/job/iojs+release+nightly/build?token='
+    , buildUser    = 'iojs'
+    , buildProject = 'io.js'
+
+
+function triggerBuild(token, options, callback) {
+  let url  = `${urlbase}${token}`
+    , data = {
+          parameter : [
+              {
+                  name  : 'user'
+                , value : buildUser
+              }
+            , {
+                  name  : 'project'
+                , value : buildProject
+              }
+            , {
+                  name  : 'commit'
+                , value : options.commit
+              }
+            , {
+                  name  : 'datestring'
+                , value : options.date
+              }
+            , {
+                  name  : 'buildtype'
+                , value : options.type
+              }
+          ]
+      }
+    , post = qs.encode({
+          token : token
+        , json  : JSON.stringify(data)
+      })
+
+  let req = hyperquest(url, {
+      method: 'post'
+    , headers: { 'content-type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' }
+  })
+  req.end(post)
+  req.pipe(bl(callback))
+}
+
+
+module.exports = triggerBuild
\ No newline at end of file