diff --git a/variants/esp32/esp32.ini b/variants/esp32/esp32.ini
index d157ab78ae9..e05bcd39ea7 100644
--- a/variants/esp32/esp32.ini
+++ b/variants/esp32/esp32.ini
@@ -17,11 +17,26 @@ build_flags =
   -DMESHTASTIC_EXCLUDE_PAXCOUNTER=1
   -DMESHTASTIC_EXCLUDE_WEBSERVER=1
   -DMESHTASTIC_EXCLUDE_RANGETEST=1
+  ; HACK HACK HACK this is just a proof of concept ESP32+NimBLE but these
+  ; includes need to be done properly somehow
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/nimble/host/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/nimble/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/porting/nimble/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/port/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/porting/npl/freertos/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/nimble/transport/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/nimble/host/services/gap/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/esp-hci/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/nimble/host/services/gatt/include
+  -I${platformio.packages_dir}/framework-espidf/components/bt/host/nimble/nimble/nimble/host/util/include
 
 custom_sdkconfig =
   ${esp32_common.custom_sdkconfig}
+  CONFIG_BTDM_CTRL_MODE_BLE_ONLY=y
   '# CONFIG_BTDM_CTRL_MODE_BR_EDR_ONLY is not set'
   '# CONFIG_BTDM_CTRL_MODE_BTDM is not set'
+  '# CONFIG_BT_BLUEDROID_ENABLED is not set'
+  CONFIG_BT_NIMBLE_ENABLED=y
 
 ; Override lib_deps to use environmental_extra_no_bsec instead of environmental_extra
 ; BSEC library uses ~3.5KB DRAM which causes overflow on original ESP32 targets