diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 493a1c5..cd1ab35 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ lint:
     - mkdir -p /go/src/gitlab.com/signald/signald-go
     - cp -r * /go/src/gitlab.com/signald/signald-go
   script:
-    - (git checkout "${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH}" && git pull)|| true
-    - VERSION="$(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)-$(git rev-list $(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)..HEAD --count)-$(git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD)"
+    - (git checkout "${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH}" && git pull) || true
+    - VERSION="$(./version.sh)"
     - echo "building ${VERSION}"
     - cd /go/src/gitlab.com/signald/signald-go
     - go build -o "${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/signaldctl" --ldflags "-X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Version=${VERSION} -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Branch=${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH} -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Commit=${CI_COMMIT_SHA}" ./cmd/signaldctl
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@ lint:
     - apt-get update
     - apt-get install -y -t buster-backports git-buildpackage dh-golang bash-completion golang-any golang-github-spf13-cobra-dev golang-github-spf13-viper-dev
     - apt-get install -y ./*.deb && rm -vf *.deb
-    - (git checkout "${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH}" && git pull)|| true
+    - (git checkout "${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH}" && git pull) || true
     - go run ./cmd/signaldctl doc -o man
     - go run ./cmd/signaldctl completion bash > debian/package.bash-completion
     - ls *.1 > debian/manpages
-    - gbp dch --ignore-branch --debian-tag="%(version)s" --git-author --new-version="$(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)+git$(date +%Y-%m-%d)r$(git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD).$(git rev-list $(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)..HEAD --count)"
+    - gbp dch --ignore-branch --debian-tag="%(version)s" --git-author --new-version="$(./version.sh)"
     - dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc -b
     - mv ../*.deb .
   needs:
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ build:cross-compile:
     - cp -r * /go/src/gitlab.com/signald/signald-go
   script:
     - (git checkout "${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH}" && git pull)|| true
-    - VERSION="$(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)-$(git rev-list $(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)..HEAD --count)-$(git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD)"
+    - VERSION="$(./version.sh)"
     - echo "building ${VERSION}"
     - cd /go/src/gitlab.com/signald/signald-go
     - go build -o "${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/signaldctl-${GOOS}-${GOARCH}" --ldflags "-X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Version=${VERSION} -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Branch=${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH} -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Commit=${CI_COMMIT_SHA}" ./cmd/signaldctl
@@ -162,4 +162,5 @@ signald.org:
   trigger: signald/signald.org
   rules:
     - if: '$CI_PROJECT_NAMESPACE == "signald" && $CI_COMMIT_REF_PROTECTED == "true"'
-      when: on_success
\ No newline at end of file
+      when: on_success
+      
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 84f33d5..824a46c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 signaldctl: signald/client-protocol cmd/signaldctl
-	go build -ldflags '-X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Version=$(shell git describe) -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Branch=$(shell git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Commit=$(shell git rev-parse HEAD)' -o signaldctl ./cmd/signaldctl
+	go build -ldflags '-X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Version=$(./version.sh) -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Branch=$(shell git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) -X gitlab.com/signald/signald-go/cmd/signaldctl/common.Commit=$(shell git rev-parse HEAD)' -o signaldctl ./cmd/signaldctl
 
 protocol.json:
 	signald --dump-protocol | jq . > protocol.json
diff --git a/version.sh b/version.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ff69408
--- /dev/null
+++ b/version.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+echo $(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)-$(git rev-list $(git describe --abbrev=0 HEAD)..HEAD --count)-$(git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD)
\ No newline at end of file