diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index d58e2f7cab..bcda8a64d0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ jobs:
 
     - name: Setup Rust
       run: |
-        rustup update stable
+        rustup install nightly
         rustup target add thumbv7em-none-eabihf
         cargo install cbindgen
 
diff --git a/src/rustemu/Cargo.toml b/src/rustemu/Cargo.toml
index 52063f09ce..ed8afed3fe 100644
--- a/src/rustemu/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src/rustemu/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,9 +4,13 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
 publish = false
 
+[profile.dev]
+panic = "abort"
+
 [profile.release]
 opt-level = 'z' # turn on maximum optimizations. We only have 64kB
 lto = true      # Link-time-optimizations for further size reduction
+panic = "abort"
 
 [lib]
 crate-type = ["staticlib"]
diff --git a/src/test/Makefile b/src/test/Makefile
index b431ef3e3e..056611e30f 100644
--- a/src/test/Makefile
+++ b/src/test/Makefile
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ RUSTEMU_INCLUDE_DIR := $(RUSTEMU_DIR)/include/
 RUSTEMU_TARGET_DIR  := $(RUSTEMU_DIR)/target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release
 RUSTEMU_HEADER      := $(RUSTEMU_INCLUDE_DIR)/rustemu.h
 RUSTEMU_LIBRARY     := $(RUSTEMU_TARGET_DIR)/librustemu.a
-RUSTEMU_SRC         := $(shell find $(RUSTEMU_DIR)/src -name '*.rs')
+RUSTEMU_SOURCES         := $(shell find $(RUSTEMU_DIR)/src -name '*.rs')
 
 include $(ROOT)/make/system-id.mk
 include $(ROOT)/make/targets_list.mk
@@ -678,11 +678,11 @@ $(OBJECT_DIR)/gtest_main.a : $(OBJECT_DIR)/gtest-all.o $(OBJECT_DIR)/gtest_main.
 -include $(OBJECT_DIR)/gtest-all.d \
          $(OBJECT_DIR)/gtest_main.d
 
-$(RUSTEMU_LIBRARY): $(RUSTEMU_SRC)
-	cd $(ROOT)/src/rustemu && cargo build --release
+$(RUSTEMU_LIBRARY): $(RUSTEMU_SOURCES)
+	cd $(ROOT)/src/rustemu && cargo +nightly build --release
 
 $(RUSTEMU_HEADER): $(RUSTEMU_LIBRARY)
-	cd $(ROOT)/src/rustemu && cbindgen --lang c -o $(PWD)/$(RUSTEMU_HEADER)
+	cd $(ROOT)/src/rustemu && cbindgen --lang c++ -o $(PWD)/$(RUSTEMU_HEADER)
 
 # includes in test dir must override includes in user dir, unless the user
 # specifies a list of endorsed directories in ${target}_INCLUDE_DIRS.