diff --git a/build-scripts/version b/build-scripts/version
index 2c216ea0c..d1f392e1f 100644
--- a/build-scripts/version
+++ b/build-scripts/version
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
 
 # The CFVERSION file is generated by the determine-version.sh script in the core
 # repository. The script is executed when you run the autogen.sh.
-VERSION=$(cat "$BASEDIR"/core/CFVERSION)
+CORE_VERSION=$(cat "$BASEDIR"/core/CFVERSION)
+VERSION="${EXPLICIT_VERSION:-$CORE_VERSION}"
 echo "$(basename $0): Debug: Detected CFEngine version number $VERSION"
 
 # The RELEASE number is the actual release of the package. It starts as 1 and