diff --git a/vppversion/vlib_version.c b/vppversion/vlib_version.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..53e6503
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vppversion/vlib_version.c
@@ -0,0 +1,206 @@
+/*
+ *------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * vlib_version.c - generate a vlib version stamp
+ * 
+ * Copyright (c) 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates.
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at:
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ *------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <pwd.h>
+#include <vppinfra/clib.h>
+#include <vppinfra/vec.h>
+#include <vppinfra/hash.h>
+#include <vppinfra/bitmap.h>
+#include <vppinfra/fifo.h>
+#include <vppinfra/time.h>
+#include <vppinfra/mheap.h>
+#include <vppinfra/heap.h>
+#include <vppinfra/pool.h>
+#include <vppinfra/format.h>
+#include <vppinfra/error.h>
+#include <vppinfra/unix.h>
+
+typedef struct {
+  u8 * program;
+  u8 * output_filename;
+  u8 * git_branch;
+  int ofd;
+} version_main_t;
+
+version_main_t version_main;
+
+static char * fmt = 
+"#include <vlib/vlib.h>"
+"\n"
+"static char * %s_version_string = \n\"%s\";\n"
+"static char * %s_dir_string = \n\"%s\";\n"
+"static char * %s_git_branch = \n\"%s\";\n"
+"\n"
+"static clib_error_t *\n"
+"show_%s_version_command_fn (vlib_main_t * vm,\n"
+"		 unformat_input_t * input,\n"
+"		 vlib_cli_command_t * cmd)\n"
+"{\n"
+"  vlib_cli_output (vm, \"%%s\", %s_version_string);\n"
+"  if (unformat (input, \"verbose\")){\n"
+"     vlib_cli_output (vm, \"%%s\", %s_dir_string);\n"
+"     vlib_cli_output (vm, \"%%s\", %s_git_branch);\n"
+"  }\n"
+"  return 0;\n"
+"}\n"
+"\n"
+"VLIB_CLI_COMMAND (show_%s_version_command, static) = {\n"
+"  .path = \"show version %s\",\n"
+"  .short_help = \"show version information for %s\",\n"
+"  .function = show_%s_version_command_fn,\n"
+"};\n\n";
+
+static char *api_fmt = 
+"char * %s_api_get_build_directory (void) \n{\n  return \"%s\";\n}\n\n"
+"char * %s_api_get_branch (void) \n{\n  return \"%s\";\n}\n"
+"char * %s_api_get_build_date (void) \n{\n  return \"%s\";\n}";
+
+clib_error_t * 
+write_version_file (version_main_t *vm)
+{
+  u8 * pgm, * api_fns;
+  u8 * vs;
+  u8 * ts;
+  u8 * ds;
+  u8 * gb;
+  u8 * hostname = 0;
+  u8 * pathname = 0;
+  struct passwd *passwd_file_entry;
+  time_t now = time (0);
+  clib_error_t * error = 0;
+
+  /* kill the newline */
+  ts = format (0, "%s", ctime (&now));
+  ts[vec_len(ts)-1] = 0;
+
+  vec_validate (hostname, 128);
+
+  gethostname (hostname, vec_len (hostname)-1);
+  hostname[128] = 0; /* jic */
+
+  vec_validate (pathname, 256);
+  { char *rv __attribute__((unused)) = 
+      getcwd ((char *)pathname, vec_len(pathname) - 1);
+  }
+
+  passwd_file_entry = getpwuid(geteuid());
+
+  vs = format (0, "%s built by %s on %s at %s%c",
+               vm->program, passwd_file_entry->pw_name, hostname, ts, 0);
+
+  ds = format (0, "in %s%c", pathname, 0);
+
+  gb = format (0, "from git uber-branch %s%c", vm->git_branch, 0);
+
+  pgm = format (0, fmt, 
+                vm->program, vs, 
+                vm->program, ds, 
+                vm->program, gb,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program,
+                vm->program);
+  
+  if (write (vm->ofd, pgm, vec_len (pgm)) != vec_len (pgm))
+    error = clib_error_return_unix (0, "write error on %s", 
+                                    vm->output_filename);
+
+  api_fns = format (0, api_fmt, 
+                    vm->program, pathname,
+                    vm->program, vm->git_branch,
+                    vm->program, ts);
+                    
+  if (write (vm->ofd, api_fns, vec_len (api_fns)) != vec_len (api_fns))
+      error = clib_error_return_unix (0, "write error on %s", 
+                                      vm->output_filename);
+
+  return error;
+
+}
+
+clib_error_t * version_main_fn (unformat_input_t * input)
+{
+  version_main_t * vm = &version_main;
+  u8 * fn, * pn, * bn;
+  clib_error_t * error;
+
+  vm->output_filename = format (0, "version.c");
+  vm->program = "unknown";
+  vm->git_branch = "unknown";
+  while (unformat_check_input (input) != UNFORMAT_END_OF_INPUT) 
+    {
+      if (unformat (input, "output-filename %s", &fn)
+          || unformat (input, "-o %s", &fn))
+        vm->output_filename = fn;
+      else if (unformat (input, "program-name %s", &pn)
+               || unformat (input, "-p %s", &pn))
+        {
+          vm->program = pn;
+          vec_add1 (vm->program, 0);
+        }
+      else if (unformat (input, "git-branch %s", &bn)
+               || unformat (input, "-b %s", &bn))
+        {
+          vm->git_branch = bn;
+          vec_add1 (vm->git_branch, 0);
+        }
+      else
+        return clib_error_return (0, "unknown args '%U'", 
+                                  format_unformat_error, input);
+    }
+  vec_add1 (vm->output_filename, 0);
+
+  vm->ofd = creat (vm->output_filename, 0666);
+  if (vm->ofd < 0)
+    return clib_error_return_unix (0, "couldn't create '%s'", 
+                                   vm->output_filename);
+
+  error = write_version_file (vm);
+  close (vm->ofd);
+  return error;
+}
+
+
+int main (int argc, char **argv)
+{
+  unformat_input_t _input, *input = &_input;
+  clib_error_t * error;
+
+  unformat_init_command_line (input, argv);
+  error = version_main_fn (input);
+  unformat_free (input);
+
+  if (error)
+    {
+      clib_error_report (error);
+      exit (1);
+    }
+  exit (0);
+}
+