diff --git a/niftypet/nipet/__init__.py b/niftypet/nipet/__init__.py
index 135e302e..61bf7043 100644
--- a/niftypet/nipet/__init__.py
+++ b/niftypet/nipet/__init__.py
@@ -2,6 +2,16 @@
 """initialise the NiftyPET NIPET package"""
 __author__      = ("Pawel J. Markiewicz", "Casper O. da Costa-Luis")
 __copyright__   = "Copyright 2020"
+# version detector. Precedence: installed dist, git, 'UNKNOWN'
+try:
+    from ._dist_ver import __version__
+except ImportError:
+    try:
+        from setuptools_scm import get_version
+
+        __version__ = get_version(root="../..", relative_to=__file__)
+    except (ImportError, LookupError):
+        __version__ = "UNKNOWN"
 
 import logging
 import os
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c1d8738a..2e4331aa 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -2,3 +2,7 @@
 requires = ["setuptools>=42", "wheel", "setuptools_scm[toml]>=3.4",
             "ninst>=0.8.0", "numpy>=1.14", "miutil[cuda]>=0.4.0",
             "scikit-build>=0.11.0", "cmake>=3.18", "ninja"]
+
+[tool.setuptools_scm]
+write_to = "niftypet/nipet/_dist_ver.py"
+write_to_template = "__version__ = '{version}'\n"