diff --git a/example/.gitignore b/example/.gitignore
index ae0b57973b569ed23ebb4adff32c80de65e81cc4..b464a428628a1231f8133a9e1c088a5a6bfdc9bb 100644
--- a/example/.gitignore
+++ b/example/.gitignore
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@ example.aux
 example.log
 example.out
 example.pdf
+meta.tex
diff --git a/example/Makefile b/example/Makefile
index f5a5b2eeb5a10fea6d7dc7d203876055a7e01950..34a3a72217d08a351423309463e5d2fcad8530a2 100644
--- a/example/Makefile
+++ b/example/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,20 @@
 export TEXMFHOME ?= ../texmf
 
-example.pdf: example.tex
+GITVERSION := $(shell git log -1 --date=short --pretty=%h)
+GITDATE := $(shell git log -1 --date=short --pretty=%ad)
+GITSTATUS := $(shell git status --porcelain)
+ifneq "$(GITSTATUS)" ""
+	GITDIRTY = -dirty
+endif
+
+example.pdf: example.tex meta.tex
 	xelatex example
 	xelatex example
+
+.FORCE:
+
+meta.tex: Makefile .FORCE
+	rm -f $@
+	echo '% GENERATED FILE -- edit this in the Makefile' >>$@
+	/bin/echo '\\newcommand{\\vcsRevision}{$(GITVERSION)$(GITDIRTY)}' >>$@
+	/bin/echo '\\newcommand{\\vcsDate}{$(GITDATE)}' >>$@
diff --git a/example/example.tex b/example/example.tex
index d4d4a1176c2aa68f646bc6cd1db574e1453f67aa..06553152b437d28822d8eccbdef2083344ef68fd 100644
--- a/example/example.tex
+++ b/example/example.tex
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 \documentclass{astron}
+\input{meta}
 
 \setDocTitle{Example Document}
 \setDocNumber{1}
-\setDocRevision{1}
-\setDocDate{\today}
+\setDocRevision{\vcsRevision}
+\setDocDate{\vcsDate}
 \setDocClass{Limited}
 \setDocProgram{SDC}