diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 54f3a3f9f..e31dbdd86 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -55,18 +55,16 @@ SET(FISH_SRCS
 # Header files are just globbed.
 FILE(GLOB FISH_HEADERS src/*.h)
 
-# git_version_gen.sh creates FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE if it does not exist, and updates it
-# only if it is out-of-date.
-execute_process(
-    COMMAND "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/build_tools/cmake_git_version_gen.sh"
-    OUTPUT_VARIABLE FISH_BUILD_VERSION)
+# Set up the version target.
+# This creates the file FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE which is only modified if necessary.
+ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND(OUTPUT "FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE"
+                   DEPENDS CHECK-FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE)
 
-message(STATUS "FISH_BUILD_VERSION: ${FISH_BUILD_VERSION}")
+ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET("CHECK-FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE"
+                  COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/build_tools/git_version_gen.sh)
+
+SET(FBVF "FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE")
 
-# Set up fish-build-version.h
-configure_file("${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/fish_build_version.h.in"
-    "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/include/fish_build_version.h")
-include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/include)
 
 # Set up config.h
 INCLUDE(cmake/ConfigureChecks.cmake)
@@ -77,8 +75,8 @@ INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
 
 # Set up standard directories.
 INCLUDE(GNUInstallDirs)
-ADD_DEFINITIONS(-DCMAKE
-                -D_UNICODE=1
+ADD_DEFINITIONS(-D_UNICODE=1
+                -DFISH_BUILD_VERSION="${FISH_BUILD_VERSION}"
                 -DLOCALEDIR="${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LOCALEDIR}"
                 -DPREFIX=L"${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}"
                 -DDATADIR=L"${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_DATADIR}"
diff --git a/build_tools/cmake_git_version_gen.sh b/build_tools/cmake_git_version_gen.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 0233c2513..000000000
--- a/build_tools/cmake_git_version_gen.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-# Originally from the git sources (GIT-VERSION-GEN)
-# Presumably (C) Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
-# Reused under GPL v2.0
-# Modified for fish by David Adam <zanchey@ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au>
-
-# Obtain directory containing this script in POSIX-compatible manner
-# See https://stackoverflow.com/a/43919044/17027 (public domain)
-a="/$0"; a="${a%/*}"; a="${a:-.}"; a="${a#/}/"; BASEDIR=$(cd "$a"; pwd)
-# Find the fish git directory as two levels up from this directory.
-GIT_DIR=$(dirname "$a")
-
-DEF_VER=unknown
-
-# First see if there is a version file (included in release tarballs),
-# then try git-describe, then default.
-if test -f version
-then
-	VN=$(cat version) || VN="$DEF_VER"
-elif ! VN=$(git -C "$GIT_DIR" describe --always --dirty 2>/dev/null); then
-	VN="$DEF_VER"
-fi
-
-echo -n "$VN"
diff --git a/cmake/Install.cmake b/cmake/Install.cmake
index c492c0fe6..6166d626d 100644
--- a/cmake/Install.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Install.cmake
@@ -109,10 +109,11 @@ FISH_CREATE_DIRS(${rel_datadir}/pkgconfig ${extra_completionsdir}
 
 # @echo "Installing pkgconfig file"
 # $v $(INSTALL) -m 644 fish.pc $(DESTDIR)$(datadir)/pkgconfig
-
-# main CMakeFiles.txt sets ${FISH_BUILD_VERSION}, not ${fish_build_version}
-set(fish_build_version ${FISH_BUILD_VERSION})
-CONFIGURE_FILE(fish.pc.in fish.pc)
+CONFIGURE_FILE(fish.pc.in fish.pc.noversion)
+ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND(OUTPUT fish.pc
+  COMMAND awk -v `cat ${FBVF}` '/^Version:/ {$$0=$$0 FISH_BUILD_VERSION} 1' fish.pc.noversion  > fish.pc
+  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+  DEPENDS ${FBVF} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/fish.pc.noversion)
 
 INSTALL(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/fish.pc
         DESTINATION ${rel_datadir}/pkgconfig)
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ INSTALL(FILES ${MANUALS} DESTINATION ${mandir}/man1/ OPTIONAL)
 INSTALL(FILES share/lynx.lss DESTINATION ${rel_datadir}/fish/)
 
 # Group install targets into a InstallTargets folder
-SET_PROPERTY(TARGET 
+SET_PROPERTY(TARGET CHECK-FISH-BUILD-VERSION-FILE
                     test_invocation test_fishscript
                     test_prep tests_buildroot_target
                     build_lexicon_filter
diff --git a/src/fish_build_version.h.in b/src/fish_build_version.h.in
deleted file mode 100644
index c555ff2bb..000000000
--- a/src/fish_build_version.h.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-#pragma once
-
-//to be filled in by cmake
-#define FISH_BUILD_VERSION "@FISH_BUILD_VERSION@"
diff --git a/src/fish_version.h b/src/fish_version.h
index a0a28207e..419c83d56 100644
--- a/src/fish_version.h
+++ b/src/fish_version.h
@@ -1,5 +1,2 @@
 // Prototype for version receiver.
-#ifdef CMAKE
-#include <fish_build_version.h>
-#endif
 const char *get_fish_version();