diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 03cb059e6a..16314abf76 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Setup
 tmp
 test
 Build/SysConfig
-Build/SysConfig.hs
+Build/Version
 Build/InstallDesktopFile
 Build/EvilSplicer
 Build/Standalone
diff --git a/Build/BuildVersion.hs b/Build/BuildVersion.hs
index 0093f5b5b1..5ae1c4cef7 100644
--- a/Build/BuildVersion.hs
+++ b/Build/BuildVersion.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
-{- Outputs the version of git-annex that was built, for use by
- - autobuilders. Note that this includes the git rev. -}
+{- For use by autobuilders, this outputs the version of git-annex that
+ - is being built, and also updates the Build/Version file so the build
+ - will report the right version, including the current git rev. -}
+
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-tabs #-}
 
 import Build.Version
 
-main = putStr =<< getVersion
+main = do
+	ver <- getVersion
+	writeVersion ver
+	putStr ver
diff --git a/Build/Configure.hs b/Build/Configure.hs
index 31d7dcafa4..c490148f50 100644
--- a/Build/Configure.hs
+++ b/Build/Configure.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{- Checks system configuration and generates SysConfig. -}
+{- Checks system configuration and generates Build/SysConfig and Build/Version. -}
 
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-tabs #-}
 
@@ -12,15 +12,13 @@ import Utility.Env.Basic
 import qualified Git.Version
 import Utility.Directory
 
-import Control.Monad.IfElse
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Applicative
 import Prelude
 
 tests :: [TestCase]
 tests =
-	[ TestCase "version" (Config "packageversion" . StringConfig <$> getVersion)
-	, TestCase "UPGRADE_LOCATION" getUpgradeLocation
+	[ TestCase "UPGRADE_LOCATION" getUpgradeLocation
 	, TestCase "git" $ testCmd "git" "git --version >/dev/null"
 	, TestCase "git version" getGitVersion
 	, testCp "cp_a" "-a"
@@ -120,9 +118,8 @@ run ts = do
 	case v of
 		Just "Android" -> writeSysConfig $ androidConfig config
 		_ -> writeSysConfig config
+	writeVersion =<< getVersion
 	cleanup
-	whenM isReleaseBuild $
-		cabalSetup "git-annex.cabal"
 
 {- Hard codes some settings to cross-compile for Android. -}
 androidConfig :: [Config] -> [Config]
diff --git a/Build/Version.hs b/Build/Version.hs
index d39a0fe08b..69752a0897 100644
--- a/Build/Version.hs
+++ b/Build/Version.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{- Package version determination, for configure script. -}
+{- Package version determination. -}
 
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-tabs #-}
 
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import Prelude
 
 import Utility.Monad
 import Utility.Exception
-import Utility.Directory
 
 type Version = String
 
@@ -22,26 +21,28 @@ type Version = String
 isReleaseBuild :: IO Bool
 isReleaseBuild = (== Just "1") <$> catchMaybeIO (getEnv "RELEASE_BUILD")
 
-{- Version is usually based on the major version from the changelog, 
- - plus the date of the last commit, plus the git rev of that commit.
+{- Version comes from the CHANGELOG, plus the git rev of the last commit.
  - This works for autobuilds, ad-hoc builds, etc.
  -
  - If git or a git repo is not available, or something goes wrong,
- - or this is a release build, just use the version from the changelog. -}
+ - or this is a release build, just use the version from the CHANGELOG. -}
 getVersion :: IO Version
 getVersion = do
 	changelogversion <- getChangelogVersion
 	ifM (isReleaseBuild)
 		( return changelogversion
 		, catchDefaultIO changelogversion $ do
-			let major = takeWhile (/= '.') changelogversion
-			autoversion <- takeWhile (\c -> isAlphaNum c || c == '-') <$> readProcess "sh"
+			gitversion <- takeWhile (\c -> isAlphaNum c) <$> readProcess "sh"
 				[ "-c"
-				, "git log -n 1 --format=format:'%ci %h'| sed -e 's/-//g' -e 's/ .* /-g/'"
+				, "git log -n 1 --format=format:'%h'"
 				] ""
-			if null autoversion
-				then return changelogversion
-				else return $ concat [ major, ".", autoversion ]
+			return $ if null gitversion
+				then changelogversion
+				else concat
+					[ changelogversion
+					, "-g"
+					, gitversion
+					]
 		)
 	
 getChangelogVersion :: IO Version
@@ -52,20 +53,17 @@ getChangelogVersion = do
   where
 	middle = drop 1 . init
 
-{- Set up cabal file with version. -}
-cabalSetup :: FilePath -> IO ()
-cabalSetup cabalfile = do
-	version <- takeWhile (\c -> isDigit c || c == '.')
-		<$> getChangelogVersion
-	cabal <- readFile cabalfile
-	writeFile tmpcabalfile $ unlines $ 
-		map (setfield "Version" version) $
-		lines cabal
-	renameFile tmpcabalfile cabalfile
+writeVersion :: Version -> IO ()
+writeVersion = writeFile "Build/Version" . body
   where
-	tmpcabalfile = cabalfile++".tmp"
-	setfield field value s
-		| fullfield `isPrefixOf` s = fullfield ++ value
-		| otherwise = s
-	  where
-		fullfield = field ++ ": "
+	body ver = unlines $ concat
+		[ header
+		, ["packageversion :: String"]
+		, ["packageversion = \"" ++ ver ++ "\""]
+		, footer
+		]
+	header = [
+		  "{- Automatically generated. -}"
+		, ""
+		]
+	footer = []
diff --git a/BuildInfo.hs b/BuildInfo.hs
index 40aa2fdfb4..465ac372ef 100644
--- a/BuildInfo.hs
+++ b/BuildInfo.hs
@@ -12,3 +12,5 @@ module BuildInfo where
 -- This file is generated by the configure program with the results of its
 -- probing.
 #include "Build/SysConfig"
+-- This file is automatically generated from the CHANGELOG version
+#include "Build/Version"
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9f4c122c3c..c5773c5c71 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ docs: mans
 clean:
 	if [ "$(BUILDER)" != ./Setup ] && [ "$(BUILDER)" != cabal ]; then $(BUILDER) clean; fi
 	rm -rf tmp dist git-annex $(mans) configure  *.tix .hpc \
-		doc/.ikiwiki html dist tags Build/SysConfig \
+		doc/.ikiwiki html dist tags Build/SysConfig Build/Version \
 		Setup Build/InstallDesktopFile Build/EvilSplicer \
 		Build/Standalone Build/OSXMkLibs Build/LinuxMkLibs \
 		Build/DistributionUpdate Build/BuildVersion Build/MakeMans \
diff --git a/standalone/windows/build.sh b/standalone/windows/build.sh
index b0e6bdd4ff..123dc7ddf9 100755
--- a/standalone/windows/build.sh
+++ b/standalone/windows/build.sh
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ getextra rsync.exe 85cb7a4d16d274fcf8069b39042965ad26abd6aa
 #stack upgrade --git
 stack --version
 
+# Update version info for git rev being built.
+mkdir -p dist
+stack ghc --stack-yaml stack-windows.yaml --no-haddock Build/BuildVersion.hs
+./Build/BuildVersion > dist/build-version
+
 # Build git-annex
 stack setup --stack-yaml stack-windows.yaml
 stack install -j 1 --stack-yaml stack-windows.yaml --no-haddock \
@@ -73,10 +78,6 @@ withcygpreferred stack ghc --stack-yaml stack-windows.yaml --no-haddock \
 	--package nsis Build/NullSoftInstaller.hs
 ./Build/NullSoftInstaller
 
-mkdir -p dist
-stack ghc --stack-yaml stack-windows.yaml --no-haddock Build/BuildVersion.hs
-./Build/BuildVersion > dist/build-version
-
 # Test git-annex
 # The test is run in c:/WINDOWS/Temp, because running it in the autobuilder
 # directory runs afoul of Windows's short PATH_MAX.