diff --git a/src/backend/metal/runtime/metal_module.mm b/src/backend/metal/runtime/metal_module.mm
index a283c27fd8c2..d062d6aacd4c 100644
--- a/src/backend/metal/runtime/metal_module.mm
+++ b/src/backend/metal/runtime/metal_module.mm
@@ -64,6 +64,25 @@ static bool MetalDeviceSupportsMetal4(id<MTLDevice> device) {
   return false;
 }
 
+// Highest MSL version below 4.0 that the running OS compiles.  MSL 3.0
+// (macOS 13 / iOS 16) adds device atomic<float>; MSL 3.1 (macOS 14 / iOS 17)
+// adds bfloat, which the Metal codegen emits for bfloat16.
+static MTLLanguageVersion MetalDefaultLanguageVersion() {
+#if (defined(__MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED) && __MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 140000) || \
+    (defined(__IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED) && __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 170000)
+  if (@available(macOS 14.0, iOS 17.0, *)) {
+    return MTLLanguageVersion3_1;
+  }
+#endif
+#if (defined(__MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED) && __MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 130000) || \
+    (defined(__IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED) && __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 160000)
+  if (@available(macOS 13.0, iOS 16.0, *)) {
+    return MTLLanguageVersion3_0;
+  }
+#endif
+  return MTLLanguageVersion2_3;
+}
+
 // Module to support thread-safe multi-GPU execution.
 // The runtime will contain a per-device module table
 // The modules will be lazily loaded
@@ -138,7 +157,7 @@ int GetPropertyMask() const final {
 
     if (fmt_ == "metal") {
       MTLCompileOptions* opts = [[MTLCompileOptions alloc] init];
-      MTLLanguageVersion language_version = MTLLanguageVersion2_3;
+      MTLLanguageVersion language_version = MetalDefaultLanguageVersion();
 #if defined(TVM_METAL_HAS_MSL_4_0)
       if (MetalDeviceSupportsMetal4(w->devices[device_id])) {
         language_version = MTLLanguageVersion4_0;
diff --git a/tests/python/codegen/test_target_codegen_metal.py b/tests/python/codegen/test_target_codegen_metal.py
index 36c053e3a99b..687782af2cbd 100644
--- a/tests/python/codegen/test_target_codegen_metal.py
+++ b/tests/python/codegen/test_target_codegen_metal.py
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 # KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
 # specific language governing permissions and limitations
 # under the License.
+import platform
+
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
 import tvm_ffi
@@ -651,5 +653,49 @@ def run_and_check():
     tvm.testing.run_with_gpu_lock(run_and_check)
 
 
+def _macos_major_version():
+    version = platform.mac_ver()[0]
+    return int(version.split(".")[0]) if version else 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.gpu
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not env.has_metal(), reason="need metal")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(_macos_major_version() < 14, reason="MSL 3.1 requires macOS 14")
+def test_metal_source_compiled_with_msl_3_1():
+    """Textual MSL is compiled with MSL 3.1 or newer, so `bfloat` is available."""
+    n = 32
+
+    @I.ir_module
+    class Module:
+        @T.prim_func
+        def main(A: T.Tensor((n,), "float32"), B: T.Tensor((n,), "float32")):
+            T.func_attr({"tirx.noalias": True})
+            for i in T.thread_binding(n, thread="threadIdx.x"):
+                B[i] = A[i] + T.float32(1.0)
+
+    def msl_version_callback(src, target):
+        # Report the MSL version the runtime compiled with, and use `bfloat`,
+        # which MSL 2.3 does not define.
+        new_src = src.replace("1.000000e+00f", "((float)__METAL_VERSION__ + (float)bfloat(1.0f))")
+        assert new_src != src
+        return (new_src, "metal")
+
+    tvm.register_global_func("tvm_callback_metal_compile", msl_version_callback, override=True)
+    try:
+        f = tvm.compile(Module, target="metal")
+    finally:
+        tvm_ffi.registry.remove_global_func("tvm_callback_metal_compile")
+
+    def run_and_check():
+        dev = tvm.metal(0)
+        a = tvm.runtime.tensor(np.zeros(n, dtype="float32"), dev)
+        b = tvm.runtime.empty((n,), "float32", dev)
+        f(a, b)
+        # __METAL_VERSION__ is 310 for MSL 3.1.
+        assert int(b.numpy()[0]) >= 311
+
+    tvm.testing.run_with_gpu_lock(run_and_check)
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     tvm.testing.main()