diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 86e7ba4d..c16d7854 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -32,10 +32,15 @@ git = find_program('git', native: true, required: false)
 if not git.found()
     add_project_arguments('-DVERSION="@0@"'.format(meson.project_version()), language: 'cpp')
 else
-    git_commit_hash = run_command([git.path(), 'describe', '--always', '--tags']).stdout().strip()
-    git_branch = run_command([git.path(), 'rev-parse', '--abbrev-ref', 'HEAD']).stdout().strip()
-    version = '"@0@ (" __DATE__ ", branch \'@1@\')"'.format(git_commit_hash, git_branch)
-    add_project_arguments('-DVERSION=@0@'.format(version), language: 'cpp')
+    git_path = run_command([git.path(), 'rev-parse', '--show-toplevel']).stdout().strip()
+    if meson.source_root() == git_path
+        git_commit_hash = run_command([git.path(), 'describe', '--always', '--tags']).stdout().strip()
+        git_branch = run_command([git.path(), 'rev-parse', '--abbrev-ref', 'HEAD']).stdout().strip()
+        version = '"@0@ (" __DATE__ ", branch \'@1@\')"'.format(git_commit_hash, git_branch)
+        add_project_arguments('-DVERSION=@0@'.format(version), language: 'cpp')
+    else
+        add_project_arguments('-DVERSION="@0@"'.format(meson.project_version()), language: 'cpp')
+    endif
 endif
 
 if not compiler.has_header('filesystem')