diff --git a/compiler/wasm/src/compile.rs b/compiler/wasm/src/compile.rs
index 0f7baff4819..12d63db7abd 100644
--- a/compiler/wasm/src/compile.rs
+++ b/compiler/wasm/src/compile.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ use crate::errors::JsCompileError;
 
 const BACKEND_IDENTIFIER: &str = "acvm-backend-barretenberg";
 
+const NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING: &str =
+    concat!(env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"), "-", env!("GIT_COMMIT"));
+
 #[wasm_bindgen]
 extern "C" {
     #[wasm_bindgen(extends = Array, js_name = "StringArray", typescript_type = "string[]")]
@@ -119,6 +122,7 @@ fn preprocess_program(program: CompiledProgram) -> PreprocessedProgram {
         backend: String::from(BACKEND_IDENTIFIER),
         abi: program.abi,
         bytecode: program.circuit,
+        nargo_version: String::from(NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING),
     }
 }
 
@@ -140,6 +144,7 @@ fn preprocess_contract(contract: CompiledContract) -> PreprocessedContract {
         backend: String::from(BACKEND_IDENTIFIER),
         functions: preprocessed_functions,
         events: contract.events,
+        nargo_version: String::from(NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING),
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/contract.rs b/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/contract.rs
index fa161b63a5b..24291e9599d 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/contract.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/contract.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 /// - Proving and verification keys have been pregenerated based on this ACIR.
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct PreprocessedContract {
+    /// Version of nargo used to compile this contract
+    pub nargo_version: String,
     /// The name of the contract.
     pub name: String,
     /// The identifier of the proving backend which this contract has been compiled for.
diff --git a/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/mod.rs b/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/mod.rs
index 33311e0856e..0941a06ee68 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/mod.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/mod.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 //! to generate them using these artifacts as a starting point.
 use acvm::acir::circuit::Circuit;
 use base64::Engine;
+use serde::{de::Error as DeserializationError, ser::Error as SerializationError};
 use serde::{Deserializer, Serializer};
 
 pub mod contract;
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ where
     S: Serializer,
 {
     let mut circuit_bytes: Vec<u8> = Vec::new();
-    circuit.write(&mut circuit_bytes).unwrap();
+    circuit.write(&mut circuit_bytes).map_err(|err| S::Error::custom(err.to_string()))?;
     let encoded_b64 = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(circuit_bytes);
     s.serialize_str(&encoded_b64)
 }
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ where
 {
     let bytecode_b64: String = serde::Deserialize::deserialize(deserializer)?;
     let circuit_bytes = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.decode(bytecode_b64).unwrap();
-    let circuit = Circuit::read(&*circuit_bytes).unwrap();
+    let circuit =
+        Circuit::read(&*circuit_bytes).map_err(|err| D::Error::custom(err.to_string()))?;
     Ok(circuit)
 }
diff --git a/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/program.rs b/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/program.rs
index 190b4c76897..a12642dc123 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/program.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo/src/artifacts/program.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ pub struct PreprocessedProgram {
     /// Used to short-circuit compilation in the case of the source code not changing since the last compilation.
     pub hash: u64,
 
+    /// Version of nargo used to compile this contract
+    pub nargo_version: String,
+
     pub backend: String,
     pub abi: Abi,
 
diff --git a/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/compile_cmd.rs b/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/compile_cmd.rs
index a332d63e062..6047d5fcf16 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/compile_cmd.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/compile_cmd.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ use super::fs::program::{
     save_contract_to_file, save_debug_artifact_to_file, save_program_to_file,
 };
 use super::NargoConfig;
+use super::NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING;
 use rayon::prelude::*;
 
 // TODO(#1388): pull this from backend.
@@ -198,14 +199,18 @@ fn compile_program(
     let cached_program = if let Ok(preprocessed_program) =
         read_program_from_file(workspace.package_build_path(package))
     {
-        // TODO: Load debug information.
-        Some(CompiledProgram {
-            hash: preprocessed_program.hash,
-            circuit: preprocessed_program.bytecode,
-            abi: preprocessed_program.abi,
-            debug: DebugInfo::default(),
-            file_map: BTreeMap::new(),
-        })
+        if preprocessed_program.nargo_version != NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING {
+            None
+        } else {
+            // TODO: Load debug information.
+            Some(CompiledProgram {
+                hash: preprocessed_program.hash,
+                circuit: preprocessed_program.bytecode,
+                abi: preprocessed_program.abi,
+                debug: DebugInfo::default(),
+                file_map: BTreeMap::new(),
+            })
+        }
     } else {
         None
     };
@@ -271,6 +276,7 @@ fn save_program(
     output_debug: bool,
 ) {
     let preprocessed_program = PreprocessedProgram {
+        nargo_version: String::from(NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING),
         hash: program.hash,
         backend: String::from(BACKEND_IDENTIFIER),
         abi: program.abi,
@@ -311,6 +317,7 @@ fn save_contract(
     });
 
     let preprocessed_contract = PreprocessedContract {
+        nargo_version: String::from(NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING),
         name: contract.name,
         backend: String::from(BACKEND_IDENTIFIER),
         functions: preprocessed_functions,
diff --git a/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/mod.rs b/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/mod.rs
index a0ef778e1a5..7a5a3d0752e 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/mod.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo_cli/src/cli/mod.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ const GIT_HASH: &str = env!("GIT_COMMIT");
 const IS_DIRTY: &str = env!("GIT_DIRTY");
 const CARGO_PKG_VERSION: &str = env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION");
 
+/// Version string that gets placed in artifacts that Noir builds
+pub(crate) const NOIR_ARTIFACT_VERSION_STRING: &str =
+    concat!(env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"), "-", env!("GIT_COMMIT"));
+
 static VERSION_STRING: &str =
     formatcp!("{} (git version hash: {}, is dirty: {})", CARGO_PKG_VERSION, GIT_HASH, IS_DIRTY);