diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 1e190b7493d..84b3a865acf 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -31,43 +31,33 @@ include(VersionMacros)
 include(SetupTargetMacros)
 include(InstallDirectoryPermissions)
 include(MASSigning)
+include(utils)
 
+#---------- configuration ----------#
 set(BLOCKCHAIN_NAME "EOSIO")
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 14)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS ON)
 set(CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 
-execute_process(COMMAND git describe --tags
-	OUTPUT_VARIABLE GIT_TAG_RAW
-                ERROR_QUIET)
-string(STRIP ${GIT_TAG_RAW} GIT_TAG)
-string(REGEX REPLACE "^v" "" SEMVER_TMP_1 ${GIT_TAG})
-string(REPLACE "." ";" SEMVER_TMP_LIST ${SEMVER_TMP_1})
-list(GET SEMVER_TMP_LIST 0 SEMVER_MAJOR) # SEMVER_MAJOR.X.X
-list(GET SEMVER_TMP_LIST 1 SEMVER_MINOR) # SEMVER_MAJOR.SEMVER_MINOR.X
-list(GET SEMVER_TMP_LIST 2 SEMVER_TMP_PATCH)
-string(REPLACE "-" ";" SEMVER_TMP_PATCH_LIST ${SEMVER_TMP_PATCH})
-list(GET SEMVER_TMP_PATCH_LIST 0 SEMVER_PATCH) # SEMVER_MAJOR.SEMVER_MINOR.SEMVER_PATCH
-set(SEMVER_FULL "${SEMVER_MAJOR}.${SEMVER_MINOR}.${SEMVER_PATCH}")
-
-message(STATUS "${PROJECT} version: ${SEMVER_FULL} (semver), ${GIT_TAG} (git)")
-
-set(VERSION_MAJOR ${SEMVER_MAJOR})
-set(VERSION_MINOR ${SEMVER_MINOR})
-set(VERSION_PATCH ${SEMVER_PATCH})
-
-if(VERSION_SUFFIX)
-    set(VERSION_FULL "${VERSION_MAJOR}.${VERSION_MINOR}.${VERSION_PATCH}-${VERSION_SUFFIX}")
-else()
-    set(VERSION_FULL "${VERSION_MAJOR}.${VERSION_MINOR}.${VERSION_PATCH}")
-endif()
+set(CLI_CLIENT_EXECUTABLE_NAME ${PROJECT}-cli)
+set(NODE_EXECUTABLE_NAME       ${PROJECT}-node)
+set(KEY_STORE_EXECUTABLE_NAME  ${PROJECT}-wallet)
+set(GUI_CLIENT_EXECUTABLE_NAME ${PROJECT})
+set(CUSTOM_URL_SCHEME "gcs")
+set(INSTALLER_APP_ID "68ad7005-8eee-49c9-95ce-9eed97e5b347")
+
+#---------- version ----------#
+get_version_from_git(VERSION_FULL VERSION_DIRTY)
 
-set( CLI_CLIENT_EXECUTABLE_NAME ${PROJECT}-cli )
-set( NODE_EXECUTABLE_NAME ${PROJECT}-node )
-set( KEY_STORE_EXECUTABLE_NAME ${PROJECT}-wallet )
-set( GUI_CLIENT_EXECUTABLE_NAME ${PROJECT} )
-set( CUSTOM_URL_SCHEME "gcs" )
-set( INSTALLER_APP_ID "68ad7005-8eee-49c9-95ce-9eed97e5b347" )
+# set VERSION_MAJOR, VERSION_MINOR, VERSION_PATCH
+get_version_component("${VERSION_FULL}" 0 VERSION_MAJOR)
+get_version_component("${VERSION_FULL}" 1 VERSION_MINOR)
+get_version_component("${VERSION_FULL}" 2 VERSION_PATCH)
+
+message(STATUS "${PROJECT} version: ${VERSION_FULL} (semver), ${VERSION_DIRTY} (git)")
+message(STATUS "  VERSION_MAJOR = ${VERSION_MAJOR}")
+message(STATUS "  VERSION_MINOR = ${VERSION_MINOR}")
+message(STATUS "  VERSION_PATCH = ${VERSION_PATCH}")
 
 # http://stackoverflow.com/a/18369825
 if("${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}" STREQUAL "GNU")
@@ -222,7 +212,6 @@ if(ENABLE_TX_SPONSORSHIP)
   add_definitions(-DENABLE_TX_SPONSORSHIP)
 endif()
 
-include(utils)
 ###
 
 if("${CORE_SYMBOL_NAME}" STREQUAL "")
@@ -274,6 +263,9 @@ install(FILES ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/modules/eosio-config.cmake DESTINATION ${CMAKE
 configure_file(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/CMakeModules/EosioTester.cmake.in ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/modules/EosioTester.cmake @ONLY)
 install(FILES ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/modules/EosioTester.cmake DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}/cmake/${PROJECT})
 
+# for contracts repository
+install(FILES ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/CMakeModules/utils.cmake DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}/cmake/${PROJECT}/ RENAME ${PROJECT}-utils.cmake)
+
 configure_file(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/LICENSE
                ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/licenses/${PROJECT}/LICENSE COPYONLY)
 configure_file(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/libraries/wabt/LICENSE
diff --git a/CMakeModules/utils.cmake b/CMakeModules/utils.cmake
index 2b15f3d7d28..6376a75cd49 100644
--- a/CMakeModules/utils.cmake
+++ b/CMakeModules/utils.cmake
@@ -2,3 +2,42 @@ macro( copy_bin file )
    add_custom_command( TARGET ${file} POST_BUILD COMMAND mkdir -p ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/bin )
    add_custom_command( TARGET ${file} POST_BUILD COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${file} ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/bin/ )
 endmacro( copy_bin )
+
+#
+# Set variable ${out_semver} to a semantic version taken from a git tag.
+# Set variable ${out_dirty} to a current (probably dirty) git tag.
+#
+# Semantic version is a 3-component string "X.Y.Z".
+#
+# Example:
+#
+#   get_version_from_git(semver dirty)
+#   message(STATUS "semver = ${semver}, dirty git version = ${dirty}")
+#
+function(get_version_from_git out_semver out_dirty)
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND         git describe --tags --dirty
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE git_tag_raw
+    OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    ERROR_QUIET
+  )
+
+  string(REGEX REPLACE "^v([0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+).*" "\\1" semver "${git_tag_raw}")
+
+  # return
+  set(${out_semver} "${semver}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+  set(${out_dirty} "${git_tag_raw}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+endfunction()
+
+#
+# get_version_component("11.22.33" 0 x) # => x = 11
+# get_version_component("11.22.33" 1 x) # => x = 22
+# get_version_component("11.22.33" 2 x) # => x = 33
+#
+function(get_version_component semantic_version component_index out)
+  string(REPLACE "." ";" version_list "${semantic_version}")
+  list(GET version_list "${component_index}" component)
+
+  # return
+  set(${out} "${component}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+endfunction()