diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index 67b1bca..e8a6c44 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 
-// TODO TODO
+// Must match the version in build.zig.zon
+const totp_version: std.SemanticVersion = .{ .major = 0, .minor = 1, .patch = 0, .pre = "dev" };
 
 // Although this function looks imperative, note that its job is to
 // declaratively construct a build graph that will be executed by an external
 // runner.
 pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
+    const version = getVersion(b);
+    const options = b.addOptions();
+    options.addOption(std.SemanticVersion, "version", version);
+
     // Standard target options allows the person running `zig build` to choose
     // what target to build for. Here we do not override the defaults, which
     // means any target is allowed, and the default is native. Other options
@@ -37,6 +42,7 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
         .target = target,
         .optimize = optimize,
     });
+    exe.root_module.addOptions("config", options);
 
     // This declares intent for the executable to be installed into the
     // standard location when the user invokes the "install" step (the default
@@ -91,3 +97,51 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
     test_step.dependOn(&run_lib_unit_tests.step);
     test_step.dependOn(&run_exe_unit_tests.step);
 }
+
+fn getVersion(b: *std.Build) std.SemanticVersion {
+    // if this is a release version , aka this is not a pre-release or build version,
+    // then use the specified version
+    if (totp_version.pre == null and totp_version.build == null) return totp_version;
+
+    // for pre-release version we use the git version
+    const args: []const []const u8 = &.{ "git", "-C", b.pathFromRoot("."), "describe", "--match", "*.*.*", "--tags" };
+    var out_code: u8 = undefined;
+    const output_untrimmed = b.runAllowFail(args, &out_code, .Ignore) catch |err| {
+        std.log.warn(
+            \\ failed to run git describe: {}
+        , .{err});
+        return totp_version;
+    };
+
+    const output_trimmed = std.mem.trim(u8, output_untrimmed, " \r\n");
+    switch (std.mem.count(u8, output_trimmed, "-")) {
+        0 => {
+            // release version, e.g. 1.0.0
+            if (!std.mem.eql(u8, output_trimmed, b.fmt("{}", .{totp_version}))) {
+                std.debug.panic("the version in build.zig and build.zig.zon must match the tag in git", .{});
+            }
+            return totp_version;
+        },
+        2 => {
+            // development version, e.g. 1.0.0-7-64es356
+            var iter = std.mem.splitScalar(u8, output_trimmed, '-');
+            const tag = iter.first();
+            const commits_since_tag = iter.next().?;
+            const commit_hash = iter.next().?;
+
+            const v: std.SemanticVersion = std.SemanticVersion.parse(tag) catch unreachable;
+
+            return .{
+                .major = v.major,
+                .minor = v.minor,
+                .patch = v.patch,
+                .pre = b.fmt("dev.{s}", .{commits_since_tag}),
+                .build = commit_hash[1..],
+            };
+        },
+        else => {
+            std.debug.print("unexpected output of git describe: '{s}'\n", .{output_untrimmed});
+            std.process.exit(1);
+        },
+    }
+}
diff --git a/build.zig.zon b/build.zig.zon
index da98033..c16b3c3 100644
--- a/build.zig.zon
+++ b/build.zig.zon
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
     .name = "zig-totp",
     // This is a [Semantic Version](https://semver.org/).
     // In a future version of Zig it will be used for package deduplication.
-    .version = "0.0.0",
+    .version = "0.1.0-dev",
 
     // This field is optional.
     // This is currently advisory only; Zig does not yet do anything
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index 0130e20..3f093c0 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ const expect = testing.expect;
 const ArrayList = std.ArrayList;
 const Base32 = @import("base32.zig").Base32;
 const Base32Error = @import("base32.zig").Base32Error;
+const options = @import("config");
 
 // otpauth://totp/AWS+Dev?secret=47STA47VFCMMLLWOLHWO3KY7MYNC36MLCDTHOLIYKJCTTSSAMKVM7YA3VWT2AJEP&digits=6&icon=Amazon
 // otpauth://totp/Gitea%20%28git.lucares.de%29:andi?algorithm=SHA1&digits=6&issuer=Gitea&period=30&secret=MSP53Q672UJMSCLQVRCJKMMZKK7MWSMYFL77OQ24JBM65RZWY7F2Y45FMTNLYM36
@@ -49,7 +50,9 @@ fn mainInternal() !void {
 
     const arg: Args = try parseArgs(allocator, args);
     //print("parsed Args: {?any}\n", arg);
-    if (arg.list) {
+    if (arg.print_version) {
+        try std.io.getStdOut().writer().print("{}", .{options.version});
+    } else if (arg.list) {
         const names = try executeGetList(allocator, arg.config_location);
 
         for (0..names.items.len) |i| {
@@ -85,12 +88,13 @@ fn printHelp() void {
         \\                              eval "$(zig-totp --bash)"
         \\                         to your ~/.bashrc 
         \\  --config [path]        The path to a config file (default is $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/zig-totp or $HOME/.zig-totp).
-        \\ 
+        \\  --version              Print the version number 
+        \\
     ;
     std.debug.print("{s}", .{msg});
 }
 
-const Args = struct { list: bool, show: ?[]const u8, config_location: []const u8, validateAuthenticator: ?[]const u8, validateCode: ?[]const u8 };
+const Args = struct { list: bool, show: ?[]const u8, config_location: []const u8, validateAuthenticator: ?[]const u8, validateCode: ?[]const u8, print_version: bool };
 
 const OtpAuthUrl = struct { name: []const u8, secretEncoded: []const u8, url: []const u8, period: u32, digits: u4, algorithm: []const u8 };
 
@@ -186,7 +190,7 @@ fn zeroPad(allocator: Allocator, digits: u4, x: anytype) ![]u8 {
 const ArgumentError = error{ InvalidOtpAuthUrl, UnknownParameter, MissingConfigLocation, AuthenticatorNotFound, MissingAuthenticatorParam, FailedToOpenConfigFile, TooManyParsinErrors };
 
 fn parseArgs(allocator: Allocator, args: []const []const u8) !Args {
-    var result = Args{ .list = false, .show = null, .config_location = try configLocation(allocator), .validateAuthenticator = null, .validateCode = null };
+    var result = Args{ .list = false, .show = null, .config_location = try configLocation(allocator), .validateAuthenticator = null, .validateCode = null, .print_version = false };
     var i: u17 = 1;
     while (i < args.len) : (i += 1) {
         const arg = args[i];
@@ -220,6 +224,8 @@ fn parseArgs(allocator: Allocator, args: []const []const u8) !Args {
                 return error.MissingConfigLocation;
             }
             result.config_location = args[i];
+        } else if (eql(u8, "--version", arg)) {
+            result.print_version = true;
         } else if (eql(u8, "list", arg)) {
             result.list = true;
         } else if (eql(u8, "show", arg)) {