diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 95aaddc..e3b64b7 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-VERSION ?= $$(git describe --tags 2>/dev/null || git rev-parse --short HEAD)
+VERSION ?= $$(git describe --tags 2>/dev/null || git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "latest")
 LEVEL ?= release
 OUTPUT ?= sshs