diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yml b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
index 8c6c54ce72..9e51af24bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build Documentation
         working-directory: ${{github.workspace}}/scripts
         run: python3 run.py --core
-      
+
       - name: Upload artifact
         uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v1
         with:
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 687d57be0c..9c24936aad 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ set(API_JSON_FILE ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/unified_runtime.json)
 # Generate source from the specification
 add_custom_target(generate-code USES_TERMINAL
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/scripts
-    COMMAND ${Python3_EXECUTABLE} run.py --api-json ${API_JSON_FILE} --ver ${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR}
+    COMMAND ${Python3_EXECUTABLE} run.py --api-json ${API_JSON_FILE}
     COMMAND ${Python3_EXECUTABLE} json2src.py --api-json ${API_JSON_FILE} ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}
 )
 
diff --git a/scripts/run.py b/scripts/run.py
index 4b8f91e0a2..7263150dbb 100755
--- a/scripts/run.py
+++ b/scripts/run.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 """
 import argparse
+import re
 import util
 import parse_specs
 import generate_code
@@ -71,15 +72,30 @@ def revision():
     print("Version is %s" % tag)
     count = 0
     if len(items) > 1 and items[1].isdigit():
-       count = int(items[1])
+        count = int(items[1])
 
-    # Bump count if any local files are dirty.  
+    # Bump count if any local files are dirty.
     # Keeps the count the same after doing a commit (assuming all dirty files are committed)
     if 'dirty' in items[-1]:
         count += 1
     return '%s.%s'%(tag, count)
 
 
+"""
+    helper for getting the default version from the project() command in the
+    root CMakeLists.txt file
+"""
+def get_version_from_cmakelists():
+    cmakelists_path = os.path.abspath(
+        os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..', 'CMakeLists.txt'))
+    with open(cmakelists_path, 'r') as cmakelists_file:
+        for line in cmakelists_file.readlines():
+            line = line.strip()
+            if line.startswith('project('):
+                return re.findall(r'\d+\.\d+', line)[0]
+    raise Exception(f'unable to read project version from {cmakelists_path}')
+
+
 """
 Main entry:
     Do everything...
@@ -98,11 +114,14 @@ def main():
     add_argument(parser, "pdf", "generation of PDF file.")
     add_argument(parser, "rst", "generation of reStructuredText files.", True)
     parser.add_argument("--update_spec", type=str, help="root of integrated spec directory to update")
-    parser.add_argument("--ver", type=str, default="0.5", required=False, help="specification version to generate.")
+    parser.add_argument("--ver", type=str, default=get_version_from_cmakelists(),
+                        required=False, help="specification version to generate.")
     parser.add_argument("--api-json", type=str, default="unified_runtime.json", required=False, help="json output file for the spec")
     args = vars(parser.parse_args())
     args['rev'] = revision()
 
+    print('Version', args['ver'])
+
     start = time.time()
 
     # phase 1: extract configuration info from ini file