diff --git a/src/libfetchers/path.cc b/src/libfetchers/path.cc
index 59e228e97..2d5d7d58d 100644
--- a/src/libfetchers/path.cc
+++ b/src/libfetchers/path.cc
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #include "fetchers.hh"
 #include "store-api.hh"
+#include <filesystem>
+#include "archive.hh"
 
 namespace nix::fetchers {
 
@@ -80,8 +82,9 @@ struct PathInputScheme : InputScheme
         // nothing to do
     }
 
-    std::pair<StorePath, Input> fetch(ref<Store> store, const Input & input) override
+    std::pair<StorePath, Input> fetch(ref<Store> store, const Input & _input) override
     {
+        Input input(_input);
         std::string absPath;
         auto path = getStrAttr(input.attrs, "path");
 
@@ -111,9 +114,15 @@ struct PathInputScheme : InputScheme
         if (storePath)
             store->addTempRoot(*storePath);
 
-        if (!storePath || storePath->name() != "source" || !store->isValidPath(*storePath))
+        time_t mtime = 0;
+        if (!storePath || storePath->name() != "source" || !store->isValidPath(*storePath)) {
             // FIXME: try to substitute storePath.
-            storePath = store->addToStore("source", absPath);
+            auto src = sinkToSource([&](Sink & sink) {
+                mtime = dumpPathAndGetMtime(absPath, sink, defaultPathFilter);
+            });
+            storePath = store->addToStoreFromDump(*src, "source");
+        }
+        input.attrs.insert_or_assign("lastModified", uint64_t(mtime));
 
         return {std::move(*storePath), input};
     }
diff --git a/src/libutil/archive.cc b/src/libutil/archive.cc
index eda004756..30b471af5 100644
--- a/src/libutil/archive.cc
+++ b/src/libutil/archive.cc
@@ -64,11 +64,12 @@ static void dumpContents(const Path & path, off_t size,
 }
 
 
-static void dump(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
+static time_t dump(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
 {
     checkInterrupt();
 
     auto st = lstat(path);
+    time_t result = st.st_mtime;
 
     sink << "(";
 
@@ -103,7 +104,10 @@ static void dump(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
         for (auto & i : unhacked)
             if (filter(path + "/" + i.first)) {
                 sink << "entry" << "(" << "name" << i.first << "node";
-                dump(path + "/" + i.second, sink, filter);
+                auto tmp_mtime = dump(path + "/" + i.second, sink, filter);
+                if (tmp_mtime > result) {
+                    result = tmp_mtime;
+                }
                 sink << ")";
             }
     }
@@ -114,13 +118,20 @@ static void dump(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
     else throw Error("file '%1%' has an unsupported type", path);
 
     sink << ")";
+
+    return result;
 }
 
 
-void dumpPath(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
+time_t dumpPathAndGetMtime(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
 {
     sink << narVersionMagic1;
-    dump(path, sink, filter);
+    return dump(path, sink, filter);
+}
+
+void dumpPath(const Path & path, Sink & sink, PathFilter & filter)
+{
+    dumpPathAndGetMtime(path, sink, filter);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/libutil/archive.hh b/src/libutil/archive.hh
index fca351605..79ce08df0 100644
--- a/src/libutil/archive.hh
+++ b/src/libutil/archive.hh
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ namespace nix {
 void dumpPath(const Path & path, Sink & sink,
     PathFilter & filter = defaultPathFilter);
 
+/* Same as `void dumpPath()`, but returns the last modified date of the path */
+time_t dumpPathAndGetMtime(const Path & path, Sink & sink,
+    PathFilter & filter = defaultPathFilter);
+
 void dumpString(std::string_view s, Sink & sink);
 
 /* FIXME: fix this API, it sucks. */