diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 98fe658..e3367da 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **`--version` tells the truth for `go install` builds** - Binaries built outside GoReleaser reported `dev (commit: none, built: unknown)`; they now resolve the module version and VCS metadata from Go's embedded build info. GoReleaser-injected values still take precedence.
+
 ## v1.1.0
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/cmd/sysgreet/main.go b/cmd/sysgreet/main.go
index 8a4fda2..a9d5c29 100644
--- a/cmd/sysgreet/main.go
+++ b/cmd/sysgreet/main.go
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ func run() error {
 	settings := parseFlags()
 
 	if settings.Version {
-		fmt.Printf("sysgreet %s (commit: %s, built: %s)\n", version, commit, date)
+		v, c, d := buildInfo()
+		fmt.Printf("sysgreet %s (commit: %s, built: %s)\n", v, c, d)
 		return nil
 	}
 	if settings.Disable {
diff --git a/cmd/sysgreet/version.go b/cmd/sysgreet/version.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e16bbca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/sysgreet/version.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package main
+
+import "runtime/debug"
+
+// buildInfo resolves the version metadata shown by --version. GoReleaser
+// injects real values via ldflags for release binaries; go-install and
+// plain go-build binaries keep the defaults, so fall back to the module
+// build info Go embeds in every binary.
+func buildInfo() (string, string, string) {
+	info, ok := debug.ReadBuildInfo()
+	if !ok {
+		return version, commit, date
+	}
+	return resolveBuildInfo(info, version, commit, date)
+}
+
+func resolveBuildInfo(info *debug.BuildInfo, v, c, d string) (string, string, string) {
+	if v == "dev" && info.Main.Version != "" && info.Main.Version != "(devel)" {
+		v = info.Main.Version
+	}
+	fromVCS := false
+	dirty := false
+	for _, s := range info.Settings {
+		switch s.Key {
+		case "vcs.revision":
+			if c == "none" {
+				c = s.Value
+				fromVCS = true
+			}
+		case "vcs.time":
+			if d == "unknown" {
+				d = s.Value
+			}
+		case "vcs.modified":
+			dirty = s.Value == "true"
+		}
+	}
+	// A build from a tree with uncommitted changes must not claim to
+	// exactly match the reported commit.
+	if fromVCS && dirty {
+		c += "-dirty"
+	}
+	return v, c, d
+}
diff --git a/cmd/sysgreet/version_test.go b/cmd/sysgreet/version_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4484292
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/sysgreet/version_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"runtime/debug"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestResolveBuildInfo(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		info    *debug.BuildInfo
+		v, c, d string
+		wantV   string
+		wantC   string
+		wantD   string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "go install binary resolves module version",
+			info: &debug.BuildInfo{
+				Main: debug.Module{Version: "v1.2.0"},
+			},
+			v: "dev", c: "none", d: "unknown",
+			wantV: "v1.2.0", wantC: "none", wantD: "unknown",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "local git build resolves vcs metadata",
+			info: &debug.BuildInfo{
+				Main: debug.Module{Version: "(devel)"},
+				Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
+					{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "abc1234"},
+					{Key: "vcs.time", Value: "2026-07-15T00:00:00Z"},
+				},
+			},
+			v: "dev", c: "none", d: "unknown",
+			wantV: "dev", wantC: "abc1234", wantD: "2026-07-15T00:00:00Z",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "goreleaser ldflags win over build info",
+			info: &debug.BuildInfo{
+				Main: debug.Module{Version: "v1.2.0"},
+				Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
+					{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "abc1234"},
+				},
+			},
+			v: "v1.2.0", c: "deadbeef", d: "2026-07-15",
+			wantV: "v1.2.0", wantC: "deadbeef", wantD: "2026-07-15",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "dirty checkout marks the commit",
+			info: &debug.BuildInfo{
+				Main: debug.Module{Version: "(devel)"},
+				Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
+					{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "abc1234"},
+					{Key: "vcs.modified", Value: "true"},
+				},
+			},
+			v: "dev", c: "none", d: "unknown",
+			wantV: "dev", wantC: "abc1234-dirty", wantD: "unknown",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "ldflags commit is never marked dirty",
+			info: &debug.BuildInfo{
+				Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
+					{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "abc1234"},
+					{Key: "vcs.modified", Value: "true"},
+				},
+			},
+			v: "v1.2.0", c: "deadbeef", d: "2026-07-15",
+			wantV: "v1.2.0", wantC: "deadbeef", wantD: "2026-07-15",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "empty build info keeps defaults",
+			info: &debug.BuildInfo{},
+			v:    "dev", c: "none", d: "unknown",
+			wantV: "dev", wantC: "none", wantD: "unknown",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			gotV, gotC, gotD := resolveBuildInfo(tt.info, tt.v, tt.c, tt.d)
+			if gotV != tt.wantV || gotC != tt.wantC || gotD != tt.wantD {
+				t.Errorf("resolveBuildInfo() = (%q, %q, %q), want (%q, %q, %q)",
+					gotV, gotC, gotD, tt.wantV, tt.wantC, tt.wantD)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}