diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7b5c407..f76858e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # $Id$
 #
 
-VERSION?=5.4
+VERSION?=$(shell git describe --abbrev=6 HEAD)
 TAGVERSION=$(shell echo $(VERSION) | sed 's/\./_/g')
 BALL_TAR_GZ=UMLGraph-$(VERSION).tar.gz
 ZIPBALL=UMLGraph-$(VERSION).zip
@@ -41,9 +41,6 @@ all: $(JARFILE)
 
 tarball: $(BALL_TAR_GZ)
 
-src/org/umlgraph/doclet/Version.java: Makefile
-	ant -DVERSION="$(VERSION)" version
-
 $(BALL_TAR_GZ): $(JARFILE) docs Makefile
 	-cmd /c rd /s/q $(DISTDIR)
 	mkdir $(DISTDIR)
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index d08c9da..8764c8f 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,14 @@
 	<mkdir dir="${javadoc}"/>
 </target>
 
+
 <target name="version">
+	<exec executable="git"
+		outputproperty="VERSION">
+		<arg value="describe"/>
+		<arg value="--abbrev=6"/>
+		<arg value="HEAD"/>
+	</exec>
 	<echo>Version is ${VERSION}</echo>
 	<echo file="src/org/umlgraph/doclet/Version.java">/* Automatically generated file */
 package org.umlgraph.doclet;
@@ -33,7 +40,7 @@ class Version { public static String VERSION = "${VERSION}";}
 	</echo>
 </target>
 
-<target name="compile" depends="init"
+<target name="compile" depends="init,version"
 	description="compile the source, build library " >
 	<javac srcdir="${src}" destdir="${build}" debug="true" deprecation="true" >
 		<compilerarg value="-Xlint"/>