diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 076689d..9fbe63a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,24 +1,14 @@
-.PHONY: build install test clean version
+.PHONY: build install test coverage clean
 
-# Get version from git tag, fallback to dev
-VERSION ?= $(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty 2>/dev/null || echo "dev")
-COMMIT ?= $(shell git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
-DATE ?= $(shell date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
-
-# Ldflags to inject version information
-LDFLAGS := -ldflags "-X git.membo.co.uk/dtomlinson/gitlocal/cmd.Version=$(VERSION) \
-                      -X git.membo.co.uk/dtomlinson/gitlocal/cmd.Commit=$(COMMIT) \
-                      -X git.membo.co.uk/dtomlinson/gitlocal/cmd.Date=$(DATE)"
-
-# Build the binary
+# Build the binary (Go automatically embeds VCS info)
 build:
-	@echo "Building gitlocal $(VERSION)..."
-	go build $(LDFLAGS) -o gitlocal .
+	@echo "Building gitlocal..."
+	go build -o gitlocal .
 
 # Install to $GOPATH/bin
 install:
-	@echo "Installing gitlocal $(VERSION)..."
-	go install $(LDFLAGS) .
+	@echo "Installing gitlocal..."
+	go install .
 
 # Run tests
 test:
@@ -35,9 +25,3 @@ coverage:
 clean:
 	@echo "Cleaning..."
 	rm -f gitlocal coverage.out
-
-# Show version that would be built
-version:
-	@echo "Version: $(VERSION)"
-	@echo "Commit:  $(COMMIT)"
-	@echo "Date:    $(DATE)"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a7d1a30..c99c019 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -134,25 +134,27 @@ cd gitlocal
 # Install dependencies
 go mod download
 
-# Build with version info (recommended - uses Makefile)
+# Build the binary
 make build
-
-# Or install to $GOPATH/bin with version info
-make install
-
-# Build without version info (not recommended)
+# or
 go build -o gitlocal
 
-# Check version that would be built
-make version
+# Install to $GOPATH/bin
+make install
+# or
+go install
 ```
 
-The Makefile automatically injects version information from git tags:
-- `Version`: Git tag (e.g., `v0.1.0`) or commit hash if no tag exists
-- `Commit`: Short commit hash
-- `Date`: Build timestamp
+**Version Information:**
+Go automatically embeds version information from git when building. The `gitlocal version` command reads this embedded metadata to display:
+- Version (from git tag, e.g., `v0.1.0`)
+- Commit hash (short SHA)
+- Build timestamp
 
-**Note:** Version information is automatically included when installing via `go install` (no Makefile needed). The tool reads version info from Go's build metadata.
+This works automatically for:
+- `go install` (remote installation)
+- `go build` (local builds)
+- Pre-built binaries (when built from a git repo)
 
 Check the version after installing:
 ```bash
diff --git a/cmd/version.go b/cmd/version.go
index 41a37f7..20c3103 100644
--- a/cmd/version.go
+++ b/cmd/version.go
@@ -7,42 +7,30 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
-var (
-	// Version is set via -ldflags during build (for make install)
-	// Falls back to module version from go install
-	Version = "dev"
-	// Commit is set via -ldflags during build
-	Commit = "unknown"
-	// Date is set via -ldflags during build
-	Date = "unknown"
-)
-
 var versionCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Use:   "version",
 	Short: "Print version information",
 	Long:  `Display the version, commit hash, and build date of gitlocal.`,
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-		version := Version
-		commit := Commit
-		date := Date
+		version := "dev"
+		commit := "unknown"
+		date := "unknown"
 
-		// If installed via 'go install', read version from build info
-		if version == "dev" {
-			if info, ok := debug.ReadBuildInfo(); ok {
-				version = info.Main.Version
+		// Read version from build info (works for both 'go install' and 'go build')
+		if info, ok := debug.ReadBuildInfo(); ok {
+			version = info.Main.Version
 
-				// Extract commit and date from build settings
-				for _, setting := range info.Settings {
-					switch setting.Key {
-					case "vcs.revision":
-						if len(setting.Value) > 7 {
-							commit = setting.Value[:7]
-						} else {
-							commit = setting.Value
-						}
-					case "vcs.time":
-						date = setting.Value
+			// Extract commit and date from build settings
+			for _, setting := range info.Settings {
+				switch setting.Key {
+				case "vcs.revision":
+					if len(setting.Value) > 7 {
+						commit = setting.Value[:7]
+					} else {
+						commit = setting.Value
 					}
+				case "vcs.time":
+					date = setting.Value
 				}
 			}
 		}