I kept forgetting to bump my VERSION file – so I built a tool to fix that

Michael Baas — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:32:15 +0000

Every few weeks it happened: I'd push code, lean back — and then realize
I forgot to update the VERSION file. Again.

Not a disaster. But annoying enough that I started thinking about fixing it.

The problem

I work on many projects in parallel. Each has a VERSION file that I maintain manually. The problem is: there's no built-in reminder. Nothing tells you "hey, you changed files since the last version bump." You just have to remember.

And I kept not remembering.

The solution I built

I built VerBump — a small Windows tool that shows all my projects in one window and highlights in orange which ones have source files newer than the current VERSION file.

One glance, and I know exactly what needs bumping before I push.

Bumping itself is keyboard-driven: Ctrl+1 for Patch, Ctrl+2 for Minor,
Ctrl+3 for Major. No mouse, no dialogs, done in two seconds.

The "set it and forget it" mode

For projects where I really don't want to think about it at all, VerBump can install a Git pre-commit hook. It blocks the commit automatically if VERSION is stale — before the push even happens.

That's the version I use for my most active projects.

Technical bits

Built with C# / .NET 8 / WinForms
Ships as a single self-contained .exe — no installer, no runtime needed
Supports SemVer, CalVer, and custom sequential schemes
Multilingual (EN/DE, more via lang.xx.json drop-in)
MIT licensed

Honest reflection

It saves me more worry, rework, and time than I spent building it.

If you work on multiple projects in parallel and maintain VERSION files,
give it a try. Feedback very welcome!