diff --git a/amiga/json-c.readme b/amiga/json-c.readme.template
similarity index 99%
rename from amiga/json-c.readme
rename to amiga/json-c.readme.template
index 10a18b3..0e43654 100644
--- a/amiga/json-c.readme
+++ b/amiga/json-c.readme.template
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ Short: JSON parser and generator library (static libs + headers)
 Author: Michael Clark, Eric Hawicz et al.
 Uploader: Cameron Armstrong (Nightfox) <cameronscottarmstrong@gmail.com>
 Type: dev/lib
-Version: 0.19
+Version: VERSION
 Architecture:  m68k-amigaos >= 2.0; ppc-amigaos; ppc-morphos
 Requires: an Amiga gcc compiler
 Replaces: dev/lib/json-c.lha
diff --git a/amiga/package-amiga.sh b/amiga/package-amiga.sh
index 62c2407..ac72155 100755
--- a/amiga/package-amiga.sh
+++ b/amiga/package-amiga.sh
@@ -33,7 +33,17 @@ rm -rf "$_lha_probe"
 # script's SDK layout ($SDK/<target>) is the same shape we want per OS, so each
 # OS gets staged under its own directory.
 rm -rf "$DIST"; mkdir -p "$STAGE/json-c"
-cp "$AMIGA_DIR/json-c.readme" "$STAGE/json-c/json-c.readme"
+
+# Extract the version from either a release tag, or the dev version + abbreviated commit hash
+GIT_DESCR=$(git describe --tags --always)
+if [[ "$GIT_DESCR" == json-c-* ]] ; then
+  # e.g. 0.19-20260627
+  JSON_C_VERS=${GIT_DESCR#json-c-}
+else
+  # e.g. 0.19.99-09e45f6
+  JSON_C_VERS=$(sed -ne'/define JSON_C_VERSION / { s/"$//;  s/.*"//; p }' "${ROOT}/json_c_version.h")-${GIT_DESCR}
+fi
+sed -e"s/VERSION/${JSON_C_VERS}/" "$AMIGA_DIR/json-c.readme.template" > "$STAGE/json-c/json-c.readme"
 
 built=()
 for os in "${OSES[@]}"; do