diff --git a/INSTALL b/INSTALL
index ba9778c..fa9bf74 100644
--- a/INSTALL
+++ b/INSTALL
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 Alternatively you can use autoconf generated ./configure script to
 set up install paths (via config.mak.autogen), so you can write instead
 
-	$ autoconf ;# as yourself if ./configure doesn't exist yet
+	$ make configure ;# as yourself
 	$ ./configure --prefix=/usr ;# as yourself
 	$ make all doc ;# as yourself
 	# make install install-doc ;# as root
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ae4c0f2..d8cc835 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -595,6 +595,13 @@
 	chmod +x $@+
 	mv $@+ $@
 
+configure: configure.ac
+	rm -f $@ $<+
+	sed -e 's/@@GIT_VERSION@@/$(GIT_VERSION)/g' \
+	    $< > $<+
+	autoconf -o $@ $<+
+	rm -f $<+
+
 # These can record GIT_VERSION
 git$X git.spec \
 	$(patsubst %.sh,%,$(SCRIPT_SH)) \
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 3c56cc5..e2da891 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
 
 AC_PREREQ(2.59)
-AC_INIT([git], [1.4.1], [git@vger.kernel.org])
+AC_INIT([git], [@@GIT_VERSION@@], [git@vger.kernel.org])
 
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([git.c])