diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4200d81ba..77f0b7fda 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -372,7 +372,6 @@ docs/Makefile
 docs/libdfu/Makefile
 docs/libfwupd/Makefile
 docs/man/Makefile
-docs/version.xml
 policy/Makefile
 po/Makefile.in
 src/Makefile
diff --git a/docs/Makefile.am b/docs/Makefile.am
index a1cfc3de0..1603f0e9c 100644
--- a/docs/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/Makefile.am
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ SUBDIRS = 						\
 	man
 
 EXTRA_DIST =						\
-	version.xml.in					\
 	dfu-metadata-store.md
 
 -include $(top_srcdir)/git.mk
diff --git a/docs/libdfu/Makefile.am b/docs/libdfu/Makefile.am
index db5bcb9a1..a05ab30c6 100644
--- a/docs/libdfu/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/libdfu/Makefile.am
@@ -61,8 +61,7 @@ HTML_IMAGES=
 
 # Extra files that are included by $(DOC_MAIN_SGML_FILE).
 # e.g. content_files=running.xml building.xml changes-2.0.xml
-content_files=							\
-	$(top_builddir)/docs/version.xml
+content_files=
 
 # Files where gtk-doc abbrevations (#GtkWidget) are expanded
 # e.g. expand_content_files=running.xml
diff --git a/docs/libdfu/libdfu-docs.xml b/docs/libdfu/libdfu-docs.xml
index 85ca25672..ead0eb28d 100644
--- a/docs/libdfu/libdfu-docs.xml
+++ b/docs/libdfu/libdfu-docs.xml
@@ -3,14 +3,10 @@
                "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.3/docbookx.dtd"
 [
   <!ENTITY % local.common.attrib "xmlns:xi  CDATA  #FIXED 'http://www.w3.org/2003/XInclude'">
-  <!ENTITY version SYSTEM "../version.xml">
 ]>
 <book id="index">
   <bookinfo>
     <title>libdfu Reference Manual</title>
-    <releaseinfo>
-      for libdfu &version;.
-    </releaseinfo>
   </bookinfo>
 
   <reference id="intro">
diff --git a/docs/libfwupd/Makefile.am b/docs/libfwupd/Makefile.am
index de41ad596..79a46162b 100644
--- a/docs/libfwupd/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/libfwupd/Makefile.am
@@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ HTML_IMAGES=
 
 # Extra files that are included by $(DOC_MAIN_SGML_FILE).
 # e.g. content_files=running.xml building.xml changes-2.0.xml
-content_files=						\
-	$(top_builddir)/docs/version.xml
+content_files=
 
 # Files where gtk-doc abbrevations (#GtkWidget) are expanded
 # e.g. expand_content_files=running.xml
diff --git a/docs/libfwupd/libfwupd-docs.xml b/docs/libfwupd/libfwupd-docs.xml
index a5a5c0d08..7f7003a12 100644
--- a/docs/libfwupd/libfwupd-docs.xml
+++ b/docs/libfwupd/libfwupd-docs.xml
@@ -3,14 +3,10 @@
                "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.3/docbookx.dtd"
 [
   <!ENTITY % local.common.attrib "xmlns:xi  CDATA  #FIXED 'http://www.w3.org/2003/XInclude'">
-  <!ENTITY version SYSTEM "../version.xml">
 ]>
 <book id="index">
   <bookinfo>
     <title>libfwupd Reference Manual</title>
-    <releaseinfo>
-      for libfwupd &version;.
-    </releaseinfo>
   </bookinfo>
 
   <reference id="intro">
diff --git a/docs/version.xml.in b/docs/version.xml.in
deleted file mode 100644
index d78bda934..000000000
--- a/docs/version.xml.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-@VERSION@