diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/Cargo.toml b/src/tools/kata-ctl/Cargo.toml
index c3ec304ac0..582ae631b7 100644
--- a/src/tools/kata-ctl/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 [package]
 name = "kata-ctl"
-version = "0.0.0"
+version = "0.0.1"
 authors = ["The Kata Containers community <kata-dev@lists.katacontainers.io>"]
 edition = "2021"
 
diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile b/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile
index c050d6d477..899c891a6a 100644
--- a/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/Makefile
@@ -5,14 +5,44 @@
 
 include ../../../utils.mk
 
+PROJECT_NAME = Kata Containers
+PROJECT_URL = https://github.com/kata-containers
+PROJECT_COMPONENT = kata-ctl
+
+TARGET = $(PROJECT_COMPONENT)
+
+VERSION_FILE := ./VERSION
+VERSION := $(shell grep -v ^\# $(VERSION_FILE))
+COMMIT_NO := $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
+COMMIT_NO_SHORT := $(shell git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)
+COMMIT := $(if $(shell git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no 2>/dev/null || true),${COMMIT_NO}-dirty,${COMMIT_NO})
+
+# Exported to allow cargo to see it
+export KATA_CTL_VERSION := $(if $(COMMIT),$(VERSION)-$(COMMIT),$(VERSION))
+
+GENERATED_CODE = src/version.rs
+
+GENERATED_REPLACEMENTS= \
+    KATA_CTL_VERSION
+
+GENERATED_FILES := $(GENERATED_CODE)
+
 .DEFAULT_GOAL := default
-default: build
+
+default: $(TARGET) build
+
+$(TARGET): $(GENERATED_CODE)
 
 build:
-	@RUSTFLAGS="$(EXTRA_RUSTFLAGS) --deny warnings" cargo build --target $(TRIPLE) --$(BUILD_TYPE)
+	@RUSTFLAGS="$(EXTRA_RUSTFLAGS) --deny warnings" cargo build --target $(TRIPLE) $(if $(findstring release,$(BUILD_TYPE)),--release) $(EXTRA_RUSTFEATURES)
+
+$(GENERATED_FILES): %: %.in
+	@sed $(foreach r,$(GENERATED_REPLACEMENTS),-e 's|@$r@|$($r)|g') "$<" > "$@"
+
 
 clean:
-	cargo clean
+	@cargo clean
+	@rm -f $(GENERATED_FILES)
 
 vendor:
 	cargo vendor
diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/VERSION b/src/tools/kata-ctl/VERSION
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..d62dc733ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../../../VERSION
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/main.rs b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/main.rs
index 9b3c0bf2e7..7368c667e5 100644
--- a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/main.rs
@@ -4,21 +4,25 @@
 //
 
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
-use clap::{crate_name, crate_version, App, Arg, SubCommand};
+use clap::{crate_name, App, Arg, SubCommand};
 use std::process::exit;
 
 mod utils;
+mod version;
 
 const DESCRIPTION_TEXT: &str = r#"DESCRIPTION:
     kata-ctl description placeholder."#;
 
 const ABOUT_TEXT: &str = "Kata Containers control tool";
 
+const NAME: &str = "kata-ctl";
+
 fn real_main() -> Result<()> {
     let name = crate_name!();
+    let version = version::get();
 
     let app = App::new(name)
-        .version(crate_version!())
+        .version(&*version)
         .about(ABOUT_TEXT)
         .long_about(DESCRIPTION_TEXT)
         .subcommand(
@@ -113,7 +117,7 @@ fn real_main() -> Result<()> {
             Ok(())
         }
         "version" => {
-            println!("Not implemented");
+            println!("{} version {} (type: rust)", NAME, version);
             Ok(())
         }
         _ => return Err(anyhow!(format!("invalid sub-command: {:?}", subcmd))),
diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/version.rs.in b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/version.rs.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..77b79d035f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/version.rs.in
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2020 Intel Corporation
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+//
+
+//
+// WARNING: This file is auto-generated - DO NOT EDIT!
+//
+
+use clap::crate_version;
+
+const KATA_CTL_VERSION: &str = "@KATA_CTL_VERSION@";
+
+pub fn get() -> String {
+    format!("{}-{}", KATA_CTL_VERSION, crate_version!())
+}