diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 61bd06ba2..087262459 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 $(shell $(CURDIR)/scripts/git-hooks-init.sh)
-REBAR_VERSION = 3.14.3-emqx-8
 REBAR = $(CURDIR)/rebar3
 BUILD = $(CURDIR)/build
 SCRIPTS = $(CURDIR)/scripts
@@ -31,7 +30,7 @@ all: $(REBAR) $(PROFILES)
 .PHONY: ensure-rebar3
 ensure-rebar3:
 	@$(SCRIPTS)/fail-on-old-otp-version.escript
-	@$(SCRIPTS)/ensure-rebar3.sh $(REBAR_VERSION)
+	@$(SCRIPTS)/ensure-rebar3.sh
 
 $(REBAR): ensure-rebar3
 
diff --git a/scripts/ensure-rebar3.sh b/scripts/ensure-rebar3.sh
index e19af1283..414e9113e 100755
--- a/scripts/ensure-rebar3.sh
+++ b/scripts/ensure-rebar3.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
-VERSION="$1"
+VERSION="3.14.3-emqx-8"
 
 # ensure dir
 cd -P -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.."
@@ -10,9 +10,14 @@ cd -P -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.."
 DOWNLOAD_URL='https://github.com/emqx/rebar3/releases/download'
 
 download() {
+    echo "downloading rebar3 ${VERSION}"
     curl -f -L "${DOWNLOAD_URL}/${VERSION}/rebar3" -o ./rebar3
 }
 
+version_gte() {
+    test "$(printf '%s\n' "$1" "$2" | sort -V | head -n 1)" = "$2"
+}
+
 # get the version number from the second line of the escript
 # because command `rebar3 -v` tries to load rebar.config
 # which is slow and may print some logs
@@ -20,6 +25,13 @@ version() {
     head -n 2 ./rebar3 | tail -n 1 | tr ' ' '\n' | grep -E '^.+-emqx-.+'
 }
 
+if version_gte "${OTP_VSN}" "24.0"; then
+    ## rebar3 tag 3.18.0-emqx-1 is compiled using otp24.1.5.
+    ## we have to use an otp24-compiled rebar3 because the defination of record #application{}
+    ## in systools.hrl is changed in otp24.
+    VERSION="3.18.0-emqx-1"
+fi
+
 if [ -f 'rebar3' ] && [ "$(version)" = "$VERSION" ]; then
     exit 0
 fi