diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..86b753281
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/configure.ac export-subst
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 48d733624..9ae5f5426 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -16,24 +16,32 @@ autom4te.cache/
 config.status
 configure
 conftest.*
-.libs
 
-# since we use subdir-objects as automake option
-.dirstamp
+
+# dotfiles
+
+.*
+# - subsumed:
+#   .dirstamp (since we use subdir-objects as automake option)
+#   .libs
+#   .{,snapshot-,tarball-}version
+# - sans:
+!.git*
+!/.tito
+!/.travis.yml
+
 
 # ignore "libtoolized" m4 files, but keep our (custom-prefixed) ones
 /m4/*
 !/m4/ax_*.m4
 
 # build-aux/release.mk related litter
-/.tarball-version
 /tag-*
 
 /lib/qblog_script.ld
 # already captured with wildcard: /lib/qblog_script.la
 
 libtool
-.version
 libqb.spec
 libqb-*
 cov
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 6ced4c185..37f578c45 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ doxygen:
 	$(MAKE) -C docs doxygen
 
 dist-clean-local:
-	rm -f autoconf automake autoheader
+	rm -f .snapshot-version autoconf automake autoheader
 
 # this will also get rid of "libtoolized" m4 files
 maintainer-clean-local:
@@ -128,8 +128,13 @@ BUILT_SOURCES	= .version
 .version:
 	echo $(VERSION) > $@-t && mv $@-t $@
 
+# also untaint configure.ac when modified upon obtaining the snapshot form
 dist-hook: gen-ChangeLog
 	echo $(VERSION) > $(distdir)/.tarball-version
+	sed "s/\(.*git-version-gen[^']*[']\)[^']*/\1\$$Format:%h!%D\$$/" \
+	  $(distdir)/configure.ac > $(distdir)/configure.ac-t
+	touch -r $(distdir)/configure.ac $(distdir)/configure.ac-t
+	mv $(distdir)/configure.ac-t $(distdir)/configure.ac
 
 gen_start_date = 2000-01-01
 .PHONY: gen-ChangeLog
diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index a10bf96c3..d5bb04f80 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # Run this to generate all the initial makefiles, etc.
-autoreconf -i -v && echo Now run ./configure and make
+autoreconf -i -v \
+  && { test -s .snapshot-version \
+      && echo 'USE SNAPSHOT ONLY AT YOUR RISK (official release recommended)' \
+      || :; } \
+  && echo Now run ./configure and make
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d57634eb2..0b76a6499 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -3,10 +3,16 @@
 
 AC_PREREQ([2.61])
 
-dnl inject zero as a "patch" component of the version if missing in tag
+dnl inject zero as a "patch" component of the version if missing in tag;
+dnl care to bump X.Y.Z-g* version below with each point release very desirable
 AC_INIT([libqb],
-	m4_esyscmd([build-aux/git-version-gen .tarball-version \
-		    's|^\(v[0-9][0-9]*\.[0-9][0-9]*\)\([^.].*\)\?$|\1.0\2|']),
+	m4_esyscmd([build-aux/git-version-gen $(echo '$Format:%h!%D$' \
+	            | sed -ne 's/[$]Format:%h!%D[$]/.tarball-version/p;tend' \
+	                  -e 's/.*tag: v\([^, ][^, ]*\).*/\1/;tv' \
+	                  -e 's/^\([[:xdigit:]][[:xdigit:]]*\).*/1.0.3-g\1/' \
+	                  -e ':v;w .snapshot-version' -e 'i .snapshot-version' \
+	                  -e ':end;q') \
+	              's/^\(v[0-9][0-9]*\.[0-9][0-9]*\)\([^.].*\)\?$/\1.0\2/']),
 	[developers@clusterlabs.org])
 AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([lib/ringbuffer.c])