diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 017b0994b..9ed458301 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@ endif()
 list(INSERT CMAKE_MODULE_PATH 0
 	${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/CMake
 	)
-if(EXISTS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.git)
+
+if (VERSION)
+	add_definitions(-DSWAY_VERSION=\"${VERSION}\")
+else()
 	execute_process(
 		COMMAND git describe --always --tags
 		OUTPUT_VARIABLE GIT_COMMIT_HASH
@@ -33,14 +36,11 @@ if(EXISTS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.git)
 		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
 		WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
 		)
+
+	string(TIMESTAMP CURRENT_DATE "%Y-%m-%d" UTC)
+	add_definitions("-DSWAY_VERSION=\"${GIT_COMMIT_HASH} (${CURRENT_DATE}, branch \\\"${GIT_BRANCH}\\\")\"")
 endif()
 
-add_definitions(-DSWAY_GIT_VERSION=\"${GIT_COMMIT_HASH}\")
-add_definitions(-DSWAY_GIT_BRANCH=\"${GIT_BRANCH}\")
-
-string(TIMESTAMP CURRENT_DATE "%Y-%m-%d" UTC)
-add_definitions(-DSWAY_VERSION_DATE=\"${CURRENT_DATE}\")
-
 option(enable-swaylock "Enables the swaylock utility" YES)
 option(enable-swaybg "Enables the wallpaper utility" YES)
 option(enable-swaybar "Enables the swaybar utility" YES)
diff --git a/sway/ipc-json.c b/sway/ipc-json.c
index 4c4484e8a..512144a4a 100644
--- a/sway/ipc-json.c
+++ b/sway/ipc-json.c
@@ -306,39 +306,16 @@ json_object *ipc_json_describe_input(struct libinput_device *device) {
 }
 
 json_object *ipc_json_get_version() {
+	int major = 0, minor = 0, patch = 0;
 	json_object *version = json_object_new_object();
 
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-	char *full_version = calloc(strlen(SWAY_GIT_VERSION) + strlen(SWAY_GIT_BRANCH) + strlen(SWAY_VERSION_DATE) + 20, 1);
-	if (!full_version) {
-		json_object_object_add(version, "human_readable",
-				json_object_new_string("Allocating version string failed"));
-		// TODO: it's stupid that we allocate this in the first place
-		json_object_object_add(version, "major", json_object_new_int(0));
-		json_object_object_add(version, "minor", json_object_new_int(0));
-		json_object_object_add(version, "patch", json_object_new_int(0));
-		return version;
-	}
-	strcat(full_version, SWAY_GIT_VERSION);
-	strcat(full_version, " (");
-	strcat(full_version, SWAY_VERSION_DATE);
-	strcat(full_version, ", branch \"");
-	strcat(full_version, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-	strcat(full_version, "\")");
+	sscanf(SWAY_VERSION, "%u.%u.%u", &major, &minor, &patch);
 
-	json_object_object_add(version, "human_readable", json_object_new_string(full_version));
+	json_object_object_add(version, "human_readable", json_object_new_string(SWAY_VERSION));
 	json_object_object_add(version, "variant", json_object_new_string("sway"));
-	// Todo once we actually release a version
-	json_object_object_add(version, "major", json_object_new_int(0));
-	json_object_object_add(version, "minor", json_object_new_int(0));
-	json_object_object_add(version, "patch", json_object_new_int(1));
-	free(full_version);
-#else
-	json_object_object_add(version, "human_readable", json_object_new_string("version not found"));
-	json_object_object_add(version, "major", json_object_new_int(0));
-	json_object_object_add(version, "minor", json_object_new_int(0));
-	json_object_object_add(version, "patch", json_object_new_int(0));
-#endif
+	json_object_object_add(version, "major", json_object_new_int(major));
+	json_object_object_add(version, "minor", json_object_new_int(minor));
+	json_object_object_add(version, "patch", json_object_new_int(patch));
 
 	return version;
 }
diff --git a/sway/main.c b/sway/main.c
index 39bf225e4..b9549b127 100644
--- a/sway/main.c
+++ b/sway/main.c
@@ -267,11 +267,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			debug = 1;
 			break;
 		case 'v': // version
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-			fprintf(stdout, "sway version %s (%s, branch \"%s\")\n", SWAY_GIT_VERSION, SWAY_VERSION_DATE, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-#else
-			fprintf(stdout, "version not detected\n");
-#endif
+			fprintf(stdout, "sway version " SWAY_VERSION "\n");
 			exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 			break;
 		case 'V': // verbose
@@ -378,9 +374,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	// prevent ipc from crashing sway
 	signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_IGN);
 
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-	sway_log(L_INFO, "Starting sway version %s (%s, branch \"%s\")\n", SWAY_GIT_VERSION, SWAY_VERSION_DATE, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-#endif
+	sway_log(L_INFO, "Starting sway version " SWAY_VERSION "\n");
 
 	init_layout();
 
diff --git a/swaybar/main.c b/swaybar/main.c
index a21687431..0abd07551 100644
--- a/swaybar/main.c
+++ b/swaybar/main.c
@@ -63,11 +63,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			bar_id = strdup(optarg);
 			break;
 		case 'v':
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-			fprintf(stdout, "sway version %s (%s, branch \"%s\")\n", SWAY_GIT_VERSION, SWAY_VERSION_DATE, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-#else
-			fprintf(stdout, "version not detected\n");
-#endif
+			fprintf(stdout, "sway version " SWAY_VERSION "\n");
 			exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 			break;
 		case 'd': // Debug
diff --git a/swaygrab/main.c b/swaygrab/main.c
index 3b8c5651e..f901d3188 100644
--- a/swaygrab/main.c
+++ b/swaygrab/main.c
@@ -201,11 +201,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			framerate = atoi(optarg);
 			break;
 		case 'v':
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-			fprintf(stdout, "sway version %s (%s, branch \"%s\")\n", SWAY_GIT_VERSION, SWAY_VERSION_DATE, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-#else
-			fprintf(stdout, "version not detected\n");
-#endif
+			fprintf(stdout, "sway version " SWAY_VERSION "\n");
 			exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 			break;
 		default:
diff --git a/swaylock/main.c b/swaylock/main.c
index 9b33aab92..475924091 100644
--- a/swaylock/main.c
+++ b/swaylock/main.c
@@ -451,11 +451,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			socket_path = optarg;
 			break;
 		case 'v':
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-			fprintf(stdout, "swaylock version %s (%s, branch \"%s\")\n", SWAY_GIT_VERSION, SWAY_VERSION_DATE, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-#else
-			fprintf(stdout, "version not detected\n");
-#endif
+			fprintf(stdout, "swaylock version " SWAY_VERSION "\n");
 			exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 			break;
 		case 'u':
diff --git a/swaymsg/main.c b/swaymsg/main.c
index 2d2b0f607..efd0ec25c 100644
--- a/swaymsg/main.c
+++ b/swaymsg/main.c
@@ -230,11 +230,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			cmdtype = strdup(optarg);
 			break;
 		case 'v':
-#if defined SWAY_GIT_VERSION && defined SWAY_GIT_BRANCH && defined SWAY_VERSION_DATE
-			fprintf(stdout, "sway version %s (%s, branch \"%s\")\n", SWAY_GIT_VERSION, SWAY_VERSION_DATE, SWAY_GIT_BRANCH);
-#else
-			fprintf(stdout, "version not detected\n");
-#endif
+			fprintf(stdout, "sway version " SWAY_VERSION "\n");
 			exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 			break;
 		default: