diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3e95df39a..1da3a74d7 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ export __nmk_dir
 include $(__nmk_dir)/include.mk
 include $(__nmk_dir)/macro.mk
 
+#
+# Import tools versions early
+# so subsequents may refer them.
+include Makefile.versions
+
 #
 # To build host helpers.
 HOSTCC		?= gcc
diff --git a/Makefile.versions b/Makefile.versions
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6adb38d14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile.versions
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#
+# CRIU version.
+CRIU_VERSION_MAJOR	:= 2
+CRIU_VERSION_MINOR	:= 0
+CRIU_VERSION_SUBLEVEL	:=
+CRIU_VERSION_EXTRA	:=
+CRIU_VERSION_NAME	:=
+CRIU_VERSION		:= $(CRIU_VERSION_MAJOR)$(if $(CRIU_VERSION_MINOR),.$(CRIU_VERSION_MINOR))$(if $(CRIU_VERSION_SUBLEVEL),.$(CRIU_VERSION_SUBLEVEL))
+
+export CRIU_VERSION_MAJOR CRIU_VERSION_MINOR CRIU_VERSION_SUBLEVEL
+export CRIU_VERSION_EXTRA CRIU_VERSION_NAME CRIU_VERSION
+
+#
+# C library for CRIU.
+CRIU_SO_VERSION_MAJOR	:= 1
+CRIU_SO_VERSION_MINOR	:= 0
+
+export CRIU_SO_VERSION_MAJOR CRIU_SO_VERSION_MINOR
diff --git a/criu/Makefile b/criu/Makefile
index 099020d86..c639b1115 100644
--- a/criu/Makefile
+++ b/criu/Makefile
@@ -1,14 +1,3 @@
-#
-# CRIU version.
-VERSION_MAJOR		:= 2
-VERSION_MINOR		:= 0
-VERSION_SUBLEVEL	:=
-VERSION_EXTRA		:=
-VERSION_NAME		:=
-
-export VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_MINOR
-export VERSION_SUBLEVEL VERSION_EXTRA VERSION_NAME
-
 #
 # HOST part is needed to build helper
 # tools such as piegen.
diff --git a/criu/Makefile.version b/criu/Makefile.version
index 6007958ad..9b5a614b5 100644
--- a/criu/Makefile.version
+++ b/criu/Makefile.version
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 include $(__nmk_dir)msg.mk
 
-CRTOOLSVERSION		:= $(VERSION_MAJOR)$(if $(VERSION_MINOR),.$(VERSION_MINOR))$(if $(VERSION_SUBLEVEL),.$(VERSION_SUBLEVEL))
 VERSION_HEADER		:= include/version.h
 GITID_FILE		:= ../.gitid
 GITID			:= $(shell if [ -d "../.git" ]; then cd .. && git describe; fi)
@@ -18,14 +17,14 @@ $(GITID_FILE):
 	$(call msg-gen, $@)
 	$(Q) echo "$(GITID)" > $(GITID_FILE)
 
-$(VERSION_HEADER): Makefile.version $(GITID_FILE)
+$(VERSION_HEADER): ../Makefile.versions $(GITID_FILE)
 	$(call msg-gen, $@)
 	$(Q) echo "/* Autogenerated, do not edit */"			 > $(VERSION_HEADER)
 	$(Q) echo "#ifndef __CR_VERSION_H__"				>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
 	$(Q) echo "#define __CR_VERSION_H__"				>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
-	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_VERSION \"$(CRTOOLSVERSION)\""		>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
-	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_VERSION_MAJOR " $(VERSION_MAJOR)	>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
-	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_VERSION_MINOR " $(VERSION_MINOR)	>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
+	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_VERSION \"$(CRIU_VERSION)\""		>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
+	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_VERSION_MAJOR " $(CRIU_VERSION_MAJOR)	>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
+	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_VERSION_MINOR " $(CRIU_VERSION_MINOR)	>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
 	$(Q) echo "#define CRIU_GITID \"$(GITID)\""			>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
 	$(Q) echo "#endif /* __CR_VERSION_H__ */"			>> $(VERSION_HEADER)
 
diff --git a/lib/Makefile b/lib/Makefile
index 3c0decbe0..03229be98 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile
+++ b/lib/Makefile
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 include $(__nmk_dir)/include.mk
 include $(__nmk_dir)/macro.mk
 
-VERSION_SO_MAJOR	:= 1
-VERSION_SO_MINOR	:= 0
-
 CRIU_SO			:= libcriu.so
 
 #
@@ -15,7 +12,7 @@ c/built-in.o:
 	$(call msg-gen, $@)
 	$(Q) $(MAKE) $(build)=c all
 
-cflags-so		+= $(CFLAGS) -rdynamic -Wl,-soname,$(lib-so).so.$(VERSION_SO_MAJOR)
+cflags-so		+= $(CFLAGS) -rdynamic -Wl,-soname,$(lib-so).so.$(CRIU_SO_VERSION_MAJOR)
 ldflags-so		+= -lprotobuf-c
 c/$(CRIU_SO): c/built-in.o
 	$(call msg-link, $@)