diff --git a/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml b/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml
index 73174e80f9..c38e359f50 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           mkdir build
           cd build
-          cmake -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON -DENABLE_ARES=ON -DCURL_ZSTD=ON -DCURL_USE_LIBSSH=ON -DCURL_USE_GSSAPI=ON ..
+          cmake -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON -DENABLE_ARES=ON -DCURL_ZSTD=ON -DCURL_USE_LIBSSH=ON -DCURL_USE_GSSAPI=ON ..
 
       - name: 'build'
         run: make -C build
diff --git a/CMake/PickyWarnings.cmake b/CMake/PickyWarnings.cmake
index d82bbb1d6a..3510d77a73 100644
--- a/CMake/PickyWarnings.cmake
+++ b/CMake/PickyWarnings.cmake
@@ -25,7 +25,10 @@ include(CheckCCompilerFlag)
 
 unset(WPICKY)
 
-if(CURL_WERROR AND CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC AND NOT CMAKE_C_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_LESS 5.0)
+if(CURL_WERROR AND
+   CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC AND
+   NOT CMAKE_C_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_LESS 5.0 AND
+   NOT CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.23.0)  # check_symbol_exists() incompatible with GCC -pedantic-errors in earlier CMake versions
   set(WPICKY "${WPICKY} -pedantic-errors")
 endif()