diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 87230fe..84b7112 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -75,9 +75,9 @@
 	README.wolfssl
 
 config-version.h:
-	@CONFIGURE_GIT_CHFILES="`GIT_DIR=\"$(top_srcdir)/.git\" $(GIT) diff-files --name-status -r --ignore-submodules --quiet -- || echo \"+\"`"; \
-	CONFIGURE_GIT_UNCOMMITTED="`GIT_DIR=\"$(top_srcdir)/.git\" $(GIT) diff-index --cached  --quiet --ignore-submodules HEAD || echo \"*\"`"; \
-	CONFIGURE_GIT_REVISION="`GIT_DIR=\"$(top_srcdir)/.git\" $(GIT) rev-parse --symbolic-full-name HEAD | cut -d/ -f3-`/`GIT_DIR=\"$(top_srcdir)/.git\" $(GIT) rev-parse --short=16 HEAD`"; \
+	@CONFIGURE_GIT_CHFILES="`$(GIT) -C \"$(top_srcdir)\" diff-files --name-status -r --ignore-submodules --quiet -- || echo \"+\"`"; \
+	CONFIGURE_GIT_UNCOMMITTED="`$(GIT) -C \"$(top_srcdir)\" diff-index --cached  --quiet --ignore-submodules HEAD || echo \"*\"`"; \
+	CONFIGURE_GIT_REVISION="`$(GIT) -C \"$(top_srcdir)\" rev-parse --symbolic-full-name HEAD | cut -d/ -f3-`/`$(GIT) -C \"$(top_srcdir)\" rev-parse --short=16 HEAD`"; \
 	echo "#define CONFIGURE_GIT_REVISION \"$${CONFIGURE_GIT_REVISION}\"" > config-version.h.tmp; \
 	echo "#define CONFIGURE_GIT_FLAGS \"$${CONFIGURE_GIT_CHFILES}$${CONFIGURE_GIT_UNCOMMITTED}\"" >> config-version.h.tmp
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9ce826c..ea0da1f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1308,9 +1308,11 @@
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([git checkout])
 GIT_CHECKOUT="no"
-if test -n "${GIT}" -a -d "${srcdir}/.git"; then
-	AC_DEFINE([HAVE_CONFIG_VERSION_H], [1], [extra version available in config-version.h])
-	GIT_CHECKOUT="yes"
+if test -n "${GIT}"; then
+	if ${GIT} -C "$srcdir" rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		AC_DEFINE([HAVE_CONFIG_VERSION_H], [1], [extra version available in config-version.h])
+		GIT_CHECKOUT="yes"
+	fi
 fi
 AC_MSG_RESULT([${GIT_CHECKOUT}])