diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1298be99..c2871aa7 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # Try and be like autotools configure, but without autotools
 
+VERSION=0.18
+
 # Ensure that we do not inherit these from env
 STRLCPY=
 STRLCAT=
@@ -141,6 +143,7 @@ rm -f $CONFIG_H $CONFIG_MK
 echo "# Common vars used by XBPS on $OS." >$CONFIG_MK
 echo "/* $OS */" >$CONFIG_H
 
+echo "VERSION = $VERSION" >>$CONFIG_MK
 echo "TOPDIR ?=	$TOPDIR" >>$CONFIG_MK
 echo "PREFIX ?=	$PREFIX" >>$CONFIG_MK
 echo "EPREFIX ?= $EPREFIX" >>$CONFIG_MK
@@ -189,6 +192,7 @@ fi
 echo "CPPFLAGS = 	-I. -I\$(TOPDIR) -I\$(TOPDIR)/include" >>$CONFIG_MK
 echo "CPPFLAGS +=	-DHAVE_CONFIG_H" >>$CONFIG_MK
 echo "CPPFLAGS +=	-DXBPS_SYSCONF_PATH=\\\"${ETCDIR}\\\"" >>$CONFIG_MK
+echo "CPPFLAGS +=	-DXBPS_VERSION=\\\"${VERSION}\\\"" >>$CONFIG_MK
 
 if [ -n "$DEBUG" -a "$DEBUG" != no -a "$DEBUG" != false ]; then
 	echo "Building with debugging symbols."
diff --git a/data/Makefile b/data/Makefile
index 33207f25..1fc7c63b 100644
--- a/data/Makefile
+++ b/data/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 -include ../config.mk
 
-VERSION = 0.12
 PCFILE = libxbps.pc
 
 .PHONY: all
diff --git a/include/Makefile b/include/Makefile
index 2223d124..f74e0e77 100644
--- a/include/Makefile
+++ b/include/Makefile
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ INCS =	xbps_api.h
 
 .PHONY: all
 all:
+	sed -e "s|@@VERSION@@|${VERSION}|g" ${INCS}.in > ${INCS}
 
 .PHONY: install
 install:
@@ -16,3 +17,4 @@ uninstall:
 
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
+	-rm -f ${INCS}
diff --git a/include/xbps_api.h b/include/xbps_api.h.in
similarity index 99%
rename from include/xbps_api.h
rename to include/xbps_api.h.in
index bb94e68d..e109dcf0 100644
--- a/include/xbps_api.h
+++ b/include/xbps_api.h.in
@@ -57,7 +57,10 @@
 #define XBPS_PKGINDEX_VERSION	"1.5"
 
 #define XBPS_API_VERSION	"20120930"
-#define XBPS_VERSION		"0.17"
+
+#ifndef XBPS_VERSION
+ #define XBPS_VERSION		"0.17"
+#endif
 
 /**
  * @def XBPS_RELVER