diff --git a/src/agent/Makefile b/src/agent/Makefile
index 5b118beb9c..169c2ab421 100644
--- a/src/agent/Makefile
+++ b/src/agent/Makefile
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ PROJECT_COMPONENT = kata-agent
 TARGET = $(PROJECT_COMPONENT)
 
 VERSION_FILE := ./VERSION
-VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE))
+VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE) 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
 COMMIT_NO := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
 COMMIT := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no 2>/dev/null || true),${COMMIT_NO}-dirty,${COMMIT_NO})
 COMMIT_MSG = $(if $(COMMIT),$(COMMIT),unknown)
diff --git a/src/runtime-rs/Makefile b/src/runtime-rs/Makefile
index 66d32c1fc0..1a753c8805 100644
--- a/src/runtime-rs/Makefile
+++ b/src/runtime-rs/Makefile
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ SOURCES := \
   Cargo.toml
 
 VERSION_FILE := ./VERSION
-VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE))
+VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE) 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
 COMMIT_NO := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
 COMMIT := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no 2>/dev/null || true),${COMMIT_NO}-dirty,${COMMIT_NO})
 COMMIT_MSG = $(if $(COMMIT),$(COMMIT),unknown)
diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile b/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile
index 03276b1175..7595c0c235 100644
--- a/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ TARGET = $(PROJECT_COMPONENT)
 INSTALL_PATH = $(HOME)/.cargo
 
 VERSION_FILE := ./VERSION
-export VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE))
+export VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE) 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
 COMMIT_NO := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
 COMMIT_NO_SHORT := $(shell git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
 export COMMIT := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no 2>/dev/null || true),${COMMIT_NO}-dirty,${COMMIT_NO})
diff --git a/src/tools/log-parser/Makefile b/src/tools/log-parser/Makefile
index 0a680059b3..91b75652d0 100644
--- a/src/tools/log-parser/Makefile
+++ b/src/tools/log-parser/Makefile
@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@
 TARGET = kata-log-parser
 SOURCES = $(shell find . 2>&1 | grep -E '.*\.go$$')
 
-VERSION := ${shell cat ./VERSION}
-COMMIT_NO := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2> /dev/null || true)
-COMMIT := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no),"${COMMIT_NO}-dirty","${COMMIT_NO}")
+VERSION_FILE := ./VERSION
+VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE) 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
+COMMIT_NO := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
+COMMIT := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no 2>/dev/null || true),"${COMMIT_NO}-dirty","${COMMIT_NO}")
 
 BINDIR := $(GOPATH)/bin
 DESTTARGET := $(abspath $(BINDIR)/$(TARGET))
diff --git a/tools/osbuilder/Makefile b/tools/osbuilder/Makefile
index 19dc3bd0e5..91979e99c5 100644
--- a/tools/osbuilder/Makefile
+++ b/tools/osbuilder/Makefile
@@ -23,9 +23,9 @@ TARGET_IMAGE          := $(IMAGES_BUILD_DEST)/kata-containers.img
 TARGET_INITRD         := $(IMAGES_BUILD_DEST)/kata-containers-initrd.img
 
 VERSION_FILE   := ./VERSION
-VERSION        := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE))
-COMMIT_NO      := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2> /dev/null || true)
-COMMIT         := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no),${COMMIT_NO}-dirty,${COMMIT_NO})
+VERSION        := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE) 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
+COMMIT_NO      := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
+COMMIT         := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no 2>/dev/null || true),${COMMIT_NO}-dirty,${COMMIT_NO})
 VERSION_COMMIT := $(if $(COMMIT),$(VERSION)-$(COMMIT),$(VERSION))
 
 ifeq ($(filter $(BUILD_METHOD),$(BUILD_METHOD_LIST)),)
diff --git a/tools/osbuilder/scripts/lib.sh b/tools/osbuilder/scripts/lib.sh
index 615ff10a95..92925d7740 100644
--- a/tools/osbuilder/scripts/lib.sh
+++ b/tools/osbuilder/scripts/lib.sh
@@ -181,7 +181,8 @@ create_summary_file()
 	[ "$AGENT_INIT" = yes ] && agent="${init}"
 
 	local -r agentdir="${script_dir}/../../../"
-	local -r agent_version=$(cat ${agentdir}/VERSION)
+	local agent_version=$(cat ${agentdir}/VERSION 2> /dev/null)
+	[ -z "$agent_version" ] && agent_version="unknown"
 
 	cat >"$file"<<-EOF
 	---