diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f26eff021..10cf0d022 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -172,22 +172,25 @@ add_subdirectory(src)
 add_subdirectory(assets)
 
 
-## config.h generation
 set(GIT_EXECUTABLE "git" CACHE FILEPATH "Path to git binary")
 include(GitUtilities)
-git_latest_commit(SRB2_COMP_COMMIT "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}")
-git_current_branch(SRB2_GIT_BRANCH "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}")
-git_working_tree_dirty(SRB2_COMP_UNCOMMITTED "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}")
-set(SRB2_COMP_BRANCH "${SRB2_GIT_BRANCH}")
-set(SRB2_COMP_REVISION "${SRB2_COMP_COMMIT}")
-configure_file(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/config.h.in ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/src/config.h)
-
 
 if("${SRB2_SDL2_EXE_NAME}" STREQUAL "")
+	# cause a reconfigure if the branch changes
+	get_git_dir(SRB2_GIT_DIR)
+	configure_file("${SRB2_GIT_DIR}/HEAD" HEAD COPYONLY)
+
+	git_current_branch(SRB2_GIT_REVISION)
+
+	if("${SRB2_GIT_REVISION}" STREQUAL "")
+		# use abbreviated commit hash if on detached HEAD
+		git_latest_commit(SRB2_GIT_REVISION)
+	endif()
+
 	list(APPEND EXE_NAME_PARTS "ringracers")
 
-	if(NOT "${SRB2_GIT_BRANCH}" STREQUAL "master")
-		list(APPEND EXE_NAME_PARTS ${SRB2_GIT_BRANCH})
+	if(NOT "${SRB2_GIT_REVISION}" STREQUAL "master")
+		list(APPEND EXE_NAME_PARTS ${SRB2_GIT_REVISION})
 	endif()
 else()
 	list(APPEND EXE_NAME_PARTS ${SRB2_SDL2_EXE_NAME})
diff --git a/cmake/Comptime.cmake b/cmake/Comptime.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c6d64efa3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/Comptime.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+set(CMAKE_BINARY_DIR "${BINARY_DIR}")
+set(CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR "${BINARY_DIR}")
+
+# Set up CMAKE path
+set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/Modules/")
+
+include(GitUtilities)
+
+git_current_branch(SRB2_COMP_BRANCH)
+git_summary(SRB2_COMP_REVISION)
+git_working_tree_dirty(SRB2_COMP_UNCOMMITTED)
+
+configure_file(src/config.h.in src/config.h)
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/GitUtilities.cmake b/cmake/Modules/GitUtilities.cmake
index 4a94b5b5c..bddc552a6 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/GitUtilities.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/GitUtilities.cmake
@@ -6,54 +6,54 @@ endif()
 
 set(__GitUtilities ON)
 
-function(git_describe variable path)
-	execute_process(COMMAND "${GIT_EXECUTABLE}" "describe"
-		WORKING_DIRECTORY "${path}"
-		RESULT_VARIABLE result
+macro(_git_command)
+	execute_process(
+		COMMAND "${GIT_EXECUTABLE}" ${ARGN}
+		WORKING_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}"
 		OUTPUT_VARIABLE output
 		ERROR_QUIET
 		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
 	)
+endmacro()
+
+macro(_git_easy_command)
+	_git_command(${ARGN})
+	set(${variable} "${output}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+endmacro()
+
+function(git_current_branch variable)
+	_git_command(symbolic-ref -q --short HEAD)
+
+	# If a detached head, a ref could still be resolved.
+	if("${output}" STREQUAL "")
+		_git_command(describe --all --exact-match)
+
+		# Get the ref, in the form heads/master or
+		# remotes/origin/master so isolate the final part.
+		string(REGEX REPLACE ".*/" "" output "${output}")
+	endif()
 
 	set(${variable} "${output}" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
-function(git_current_branch variable path)
-	execute_process(COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} "symbolic-ref" "--short" "HEAD"
-		WORKING_DIRECTORY "${path}"
-		RESULT_VARIABLE result
-		OUTPUT_VARIABLE output
-		ERROR_QUIET
-		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-	)
-
-	set(${variable} "${output}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+function(git_latest_commit variable)
+	_git_easy_command(rev-parse --short HEAD)
 endfunction()
 
-function(git_latest_commit variable path)
-	execute_process(COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} "rev-parse" "--short" "HEAD"
-		WORKING_DIRECTORY "${path}"
-		RESULT_VARIABLE result
-		OUTPUT_VARIABLE output
-		ERROR_QUIET
-		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-	)
-
-	set(${variable} "${output}" PARENT_SCOPE)
-endfunction()
-
-function(git_working_tree_dirty variable path)
-	execute_process(COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} "status" "--porcelain" "-uno"
-		WORKING_DIRECTORY "${path}"
-		RESULT_VARIABLE result
-		OUTPUT_VARIABLE output
-		ERROR_QUIET
-		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-	)
+function(git_working_tree_dirty variable)
+	_git_command(status --porcelain -uno)
 
 	if(output STREQUAL "")
 		set(${variable} FALSE PARENT_SCOPE)
 	else()
 		set(${variable} TRUE PARENT_SCOPE)
 	endif()
-endfunction()
\ No newline at end of file
+endfunction()
+
+function(git_summary variable)
+	_git_easy_command(log -1 "--format=%h %s")
+endfunction()
+
+function(get_git_dir variable)
+	_git_easy_command(rev-parse --git-dir)
+endfunction()
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 318c9cb7e..9725b792a 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -132,6 +132,32 @@ add_executable(SRB2SDL2 MACOSX_BUNDLE WIN32
 	k_roulette.c
 )
 
+# This updates the modification time for comptime.c at the
+# end of building so when the build system is ran next time,
+# that file gets flagged. comptime.c will always be rebuilt.
+#
+# This begs the question, why always rebuild comptime.c?
+# Some things like the git commit must be checked each time
+# the program is built. But the build system determines which
+# files should be rebuilt before anything else. So
+# comptime.c, which only needs to be rebuilt based on
+# information known at build time, must be told to rebuild
+# before that information can be ascertained.
+add_custom_command(
+	TARGET SRB2SDL2
+	POST_BUILD
+	COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E touch_nocreate ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/comptime.c
+)
+
+# config.h is generated by this command. It should be done at
+# build time for accurate git information and before anything
+# that needs it, obviously.
+add_custom_target(_SRB2_reconf ALL
+	COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DGIT_EXECUTABLE=${GIT_EXECUTABLE} -DBINARY_DIR=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/.. -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../cmake/Comptime.cmake
+	WORKING_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.."
+)
+add_dependencies(SRB2SDL2 _SRB2_reconf)
+
 if("${CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC}" AND "${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME}" MATCHES "Windows")
 	target_link_options(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE "-Wl,--disable-dynamicbase")
 	if(NOT "${SRB2_CONFIG_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES}" AND NOT "${SRB2_CONFIG_SHARED_INTERNAL_LIBRARIES}")
diff --git a/src/d_main.c b/src/d_main.c
index 35ec5133a..07c61d841 100644
--- a/src/d_main.c
+++ b/src/d_main.c
@@ -76,12 +76,6 @@
 #include "m_random.h" // P_ClearRandom
 #include "k_specialstage.h"
 
-#ifdef CMAKECONFIG
-#include "config.h"
-#else
-#include "config.h.in"
-#endif
-
 #ifdef HWRENDER
 #include "hardware/hw_main.h" // 3D View Rendering
 #endif
@@ -1211,6 +1205,12 @@ void D_SRB2Main(void)
 	/* break the version string into version numbers, for netplay */
 	D_ConvertVersionNumbers();
 
+	if (!strcmp(compbranch, ""))
+	{
+		// \x8b = aqua highlight
+		compbranch = "\x8b" "detached HEAD" "\x80";
+	}
+
 #ifdef DEVELOP
 	D_AbbrevCommit();
 #endif
@@ -1440,6 +1440,7 @@ void D_SRB2Main(void)
 	mainwads++; W_VerifyFileMD5(mainwads, ASSET_HASH_MAPS_PK3);			// maps.pk3 -- 4 - If you touch this, make sure to touch up the majormods stuff below.
 	mainwads++; W_VerifyFileMd5(mainwads, ASSET_HASH_FOLLOWERS_PK3);  // followers.pk3
 #ifdef USE_PATCH_FILE
+
 	mainwads++; W_VerifyFileMD5(mainwads, ASSET_HASH_PATCH_PK3);		// patch.pk3
 #endif
 #else
diff --git a/src/d_netcmd.c b/src/d_netcmd.c
index 32fe1fc8c..54743e331 100644
--- a/src/d_netcmd.c
+++ b/src/d_netcmd.c
@@ -4714,7 +4714,7 @@ static void Command_ListDoomednums_f(void)
 static void Command_Version_f(void)
 {
 #ifdef DEVELOP
-	CONS_Printf("Ring Racers %s-%s (%s %s)\n", compbranch, comprevision, compdate, comptime);
+	CONS_Printf("Ring Racers %s %s (%s %s)\n", compbranch, comprevision, compdate, comptime);
 #else
 	CONS_Printf("Ring Racers %s (%s %s %s %s) ", VERSIONSTRING, compdate, comptime, comprevision, compbranch);
 #endif
diff --git a/src/sdl/i_system.c b/src/sdl/i_system.c
index 707d20427..b390b6d1e 100644
--- a/src/sdl/i_system.c
+++ b/src/sdl/i_system.c
@@ -23,12 +23,6 @@
 /// \file
 /// \brief SRB2 system stuff for SDL
 
-#ifdef CMAKECONFIG
-#include "config.h"
-#else
-#include "../config.h.in"
-#endif
-
 #include <signal.h>
 
 #ifdef _WIN32