diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index bdd821c7..c9b885b4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@ PKG := git.blender.org/flamenco
 # To update the version number in all the relevant places, update the VERSION
 # variable below and run `make update-version`.
 VERSION := 3.0-dev0
+RELEASE_CYCLE := alpha
 
 GITHASH := $(shell git describe --dirty --always)
-LDFLAGS := -X ${PKG}/internal/appinfo.ApplicationVersion=${VERSION} -X ${PKG}/internal/appinfo.ApplicationGitHash=${GITHASH}
+LDFLAGS := -X ${PKG}/internal/appinfo.ApplicationVersion=${VERSION} \
+	-X ${PKG}/internal/appinfo.ApplicationGitHash=${GITHASH} \
+	-X ${PKG}/internal/appinfo.ReleaseCycle=${RELEASE_CYCLE}
 BUILD_FLAGS = -ldflags="${LDFLAGS}"
 
 # Package name of the generated Python/JavaScript code for the Flamenco API.
diff --git a/cmd/flamenco-manager/main.go b/cmd/flamenco-manager/main.go
index ed1e74e2..0bd9a5ee 100644
--- a/cmd/flamenco-manager/main.go
+++ b/cmd/flamenco-manager/main.go
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ func main() {
 	log.Info().
 		Str("version", appinfo.ApplicationVersion).
 		Str("git", appinfo.ApplicationGitHash).
+		Str("releaseCycle", appinfo.ReleaseCycle).
 		Str("os", runtime.GOOS).
 		Str("arch", runtime.GOARCH).
 		Msgf("starting %v", appinfo.ApplicationName)
diff --git a/cmd/flamenco-worker/main.go b/cmd/flamenco-worker/main.go
index ae19ca0b..986c8acd 100644
--- a/cmd/flamenco-worker/main.go
+++ b/cmd/flamenco-worker/main.go
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ func main() {
 	log.Info().
 		Str("version", appinfo.ApplicationVersion).
 		Str("git", appinfo.ApplicationGitHash).
+		Str("releaseCycle", appinfo.ReleaseCycle).
 		Str("OS", runtime.GOOS).
 		Str("ARCH", runtime.GOARCH).
 		Int("pid", os.Getpid()).
diff --git a/internal/appinfo/appinfo.go b/internal/appinfo/appinfo.go
index 7d927e24..7b08b7f5 100644
--- a/internal/appinfo/appinfo.go
+++ b/internal/appinfo/appinfo.go
@@ -15,6 +15,17 @@ var ApplicationVersion = "set-during-build"
 // It is set during the build.
 var ApplicationGitHash = "set-during-build"
 
+// ReleaseCycle determines whether this is marked as release or whether it's
+// an development version. This is used to determine wehtehr ExtendedVersion()
+// actually returns just the version ("release") or also has the Git hash
+// (any other string).
+//
+// This is a string and not a boolean, because it must be set by the linker and
+// that only supports strings.
+var ReleaseCycle string = "set-during-build"
+
+const releaseCycleRelease = "release"
+
 // FormattedApplicationInfo returns the application name & version as single string.
 func FormattedApplicationInfo() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s %s", ApplicationName, ApplicationVersion)
@@ -24,3 +35,13 @@ func FormattedApplicationInfo() string {
 func UserAgent() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s (%s)", ApplicationName, ApplicationVersion, ApplicationGitHash)
 }
+
+// ExtendedVersion returns the application version, and includes the Git hash if
+// this is not a release version. See `IsReleaseVersion`.
+func ExtendedVersion() string {
+	if ReleaseCycle == releaseCycleRelease {
+		return ApplicationVersion
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", ApplicationVersion, ApplicationGitHash)
+}
diff --git a/internal/manager/api_impl/meta.go b/internal/manager/api_impl/meta.go
index 41c5a10e..0d940c93 100644
--- a/internal/manager/api_impl/meta.go
+++ b/internal/manager/api_impl/meta.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 
 func (f *Flamenco) GetVersion(e echo.Context) error {
 	return e.JSON(http.StatusOK, api.FlamencoVersion{
-		Version: appinfo.ApplicationVersion,
+		Version: appinfo.ExtendedVersion(),
 		Name:    appinfo.ApplicationName,
 	})
 }
diff --git a/internal/worker/registration.go b/internal/worker/registration.go
index a2e9acfd..fab65901 100644
--- a/internal/worker/registration.go
+++ b/internal/worker/registration.go
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func signOn(ctx context.Context, cfg WorkerConfig, client FlamencoClient) (api.W
 	req := api.SignOnJSONRequestBody{
 		Name:               workerName(),
 		SupportedTaskTypes: cfg.TaskTypes,
-		SoftwareVersion:    appinfo.ApplicationVersion,
+		SoftwareVersion:    appinfo.ExtendedVersion(),
 	}
 
 	logger.Info().