diff --git a/build_image b/build_image
index 32eb1caf61..e54d727a1b 100755
--- a/build_image
+++ b/build_image
@@ -177,6 +177,9 @@ tee "${BUILD_DIR}/version.txt" <<EOF
 COREOS_BUILD=${COREOS_BUILD}
 COREOS_BRANCH=${COREOS_BRANCH}
 COREOS_PATCH=${COREOS_PATCH}
+COREOS_VERSION=${COREOS_VERSION_STRING}
+COREOS_VERSION_ID=${COREOS_VERSION_ID}
+COREOS_BUILD_ID=${COREOS_BUILD_ID}
 COREOS_SDK_VERSION=${COREOS_SDK_VERSION}
 EOF
 
diff --git a/common.sh b/common.sh
index 11b1803a76..7b9ce50379 100644
--- a/common.sh
+++ b/common.sh
@@ -311,6 +311,9 @@ if [[ ! -f "${COREOS_VERSION_FILE}" ]]; then
 fi
 source "$COREOS_VERSION_FILE" || die "Cannot source version.txt"
 
+# Set version based on old variables if undefined
+: ${COREOS_VERSION_ID:=${COREOS_BUILD}.${COREOS_BRANCH}.${COREOS_PATCH}}
+
 # Official builds must set COREOS_OFFICIAL=1 to use an official version.
 # Unofficial builds always appended the date/time as a build identifier.
 # Also do not alter the version if using an alternate version.txt path.
@@ -318,11 +321,13 @@ COREOS_BUILD_ID=""
 if [[ ${COREOS_OFFICIAL:-0} -ne 1 &&
     "${COREOS_VERSION_FILE}" =~ /\.repo/manifests/version.txt ]]; then
   COREOS_BUILD_ID=$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M)
+  COREOS_VERSION="${COREOS_VERSION_ID}+${COREOS_BUILD_ID}"
+else
+  COREOS_VERSION="${COREOS_VERSION_ID}"
 fi
 
-# Full version string.
-COREOS_VERSION_ID="${COREOS_BUILD}.${COREOS_BRANCH}.${COREOS_PATCH}"
-COREOS_VERSION_STRING="${COREOS_VERSION_ID}${COREOS_BUILD_ID:++}${COREOS_BUILD_ID}"
+# Compatibility alias
+COREOS_VERSION_STRING="${COREOS_VERSION}"
 
 # Calculate what today's build version should be, used by release
 # scripts to provide a reasonable default value. The value is the number
diff --git a/image_to_vm.sh b/image_to_vm.sh
index 3f764d927f..198b5ab75c 100755
--- a/image_to_vm.sh
+++ b/image_to_vm.sh
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ FLAGS_to=`eval readlink -f $FLAGS_to`
 # If source includes version.txt switch to its version information
 if [ -f "${FLAGS_from}/version.txt" ]; then
     source "${FLAGS_from}/version.txt"
-    COREOS_VERSION_STRING="${COREOS_BUILD}.${COREOS_BRANCH}.${COREOS_PATCH}"
+    COREOS_VERSION_STRING="${COREOS_VERSION}"
 fi
 
 if [ ${FLAGS_prod_image} -eq ${FLAGS_TRUE} ]; then
diff --git a/tag_release b/tag_release
index d134940c0f..7427531c22 100755
--- a/tag_release
+++ b/tag_release
@@ -7,16 +7,17 @@
 SCRIPT_ROOT=$(dirname $(readlink -f "$0"))
 . "${SCRIPT_ROOT}/common.sh" || exit 1
 
-DEFAULT_BUILD=${TODAYS_VERSION}
-DEFAULT_BRANCH=0
+DEFAULT_MAJOR=${TODAYS_VERSION}
+DEFAULT_MINOR=0
 
-# Increment $BRANCH if we already are on a version from today
-if [[ ${DEFAULT_BUILD} -eq ${COREOS_BUILD} ]]; then
-    DEFAULT_BRANCH=$((COREOS_BRANCH + 1))
+# Increment $MINOR if we already are on a version from today
+CURRENT_VERSION=( ${COREOS_VERSION_ID//./ } )
+if [[ ${DEFAULT_MAJOR} -eq ${CURRENT_VERSION[0]} ]]; then
+    DEFAULT_MINOR=$((${CURRENT_VERSION[1]} + 1))
 fi
 
-DEFINE_integer build ${DEFAULT_BUILD} "Branch major version (aka 'build')"
-DEFINE_integer branch ${DEFAULT_BRANCH} "Branch revision or minor version"
+DEFINE_integer major ${DEFAULT_MAJOR} "Branch major version (aka 'build')"
+DEFINE_integer branch ${DEFAULT_MINOR} "Branch revision or minor version"
 DEFINE_integer patch 0 "Branch patch id, normally 0"
 DEFINE_string track "dev-channel" "Set the given track to this new branch"
 DEFINE_string sdk_version "${COREOS_VERSION_ID}" \
@@ -60,6 +61,9 @@ tee version.txt <<EOF
 COREOS_BUILD=${FLAGS_build}
 COREOS_BRANCH=${FLAGS_branch}
 COREOS_PATCH=${FLAGS_patch}
+COREOS_VERSION=${BRANCH_VERSION}
+COREOS_VERSION_ID=${BRANCH_VERSION}
+COREOS_BUILD_ID=
 COREOS_SDK_VERSION=${FLAGS_sdk_version}
 EOF
 ln -sf "${BRANCH_NAME}.xml" release.xml