diff --git a/.docker/Dockerfile b/.docker/Dockerfile
index 248e513465..bd200abb73 100644
--- a/.docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/.docker/Dockerfile
@@ -47,8 +47,6 @@ RUN vcpkg/vcpkg install
 # build and test
 FROM vcpkg-installed AS firestarr-build
 WORKDIR /appl/firestarr
-# vcpkg-installed should update when this file does
-# COPY ./vcpkg*.json .
 # mount instead of copy to minimize layers
 RUN --mount=type=bind,source=./cmake,target=./cmake \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./CMakeLists.txt,target=./CMakeLists.txt \
@@ -56,6 +54,7 @@ RUN --mount=type=bind,source=./cmake,target=./cmake \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./.clang-format,target=./.clang-format \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./.clang-tidy,target=./.clang-tidy \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./.env,target=./.env \
+    --mount=type=bind,source=./.git,target=./.git \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./src/cpp,target=./src/cpp \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./test/data,target=./test/data \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./test/input,target=./test/input \
@@ -64,14 +63,6 @@ RUN --mount=type=bind,source=./cmake,target=./cmake \
     cmake --preset Release \
     && cmake --build --parallel --preset Release \
     && ctest --preset Release
-# COPY ./cmake cmake/
-# COPY ./.env ./CMake* ./.clang-* .
-# COPY ./src/cpp src/cpp/
-# RUN cmake --preset Release
-# RUN cmake --build --parallel --preset Release
-# COPY ./test test/
-# COPY ./fuel.lut ./settings.ini .
-# RUN ctest --preset Release
 
 FROM --platform=linux/amd64 ${BASE_DISTROLESS} AS distroless-amd64
 
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index a77b81577d..b5b3ea667e 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ if (WIN32)
   add_compile_options(
     "$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:/bigobj>")
 else()
-  if(CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE)
+  if(CMAKE_VERBOSE_OPTIMIZATIONS)
     add_compile_options(-fopt-info-vec-all)
   endif()
   add_compile_options(
diff --git a/cmake/Version.cmake b/cmake/Version.cmake
index 92502e8846..511eb24c73 100644
--- a/cmake/Version.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Version.cmake
@@ -26,29 +26,59 @@ list(APPEND FILES_USED ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/CMakeLists.txt ${CMAKE_CURREN
 
 set(FILE_VERSION_CPP ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/version.cpp)
 
-# calculate hash from files that matter
-set(HASHES)
-# if modified from committed version then look at file timestamps
-foreach(file_path IN LISTS FILES_USED)
-  file(SHA512 ${file_path} HASH_FILE)
-  if(NOT CMAKE_QUIET_MAKEFILE)
-    message("${file_path} ${HASH_FILE}")
+set(HASH_PREFIX "")
+set(HASH_SUFFIX "")
+set(MODIFIED_TIME "")
+if(EXISTS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.git")
+  if(EXISTS "${FILE_ENV}")
+    # check when .env last changed - if not this commit then this is version+
+    execute_process(COMMAND git log -n1 --pretty=%H ${FILE_ENV} OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE OUTPUT_VARIABLE VERSION_HASH)
   endif()
-  list(APPEND HASHES ${HASH_FILE})
-  file(TIMESTAMP "${file_path}" LAST_MOD_TIME "${FMT_TIME}")
-  if ("${LAST_MOD_TIME}" STRGREATER "${MODIFIED_TIME}")
-    if(NOT CMAKE_QUIET_MAKEFILE)
-      message("Change in ${file_path}")
-    endif()
-    set(MODIFIED_TIME "${LAST_MOD_TIME}")
+  execute_process(COMMAND git rev-parse --verify HEAD OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE OUTPUT_VARIABLE FULL_HASH)
+  message("VERSION_HASH = ${VERSION_HASH}")
+  message("FULL_HASH = ${FULL_HASH}")
+  if (NOT "${VERSION_HASH}" STREQUAL "${FULL_HASH}")
+    # add + to version if .env isn't from current commit
+    set(VERSION "${VERSION}+")
+  endif()
+  # is anything in git changed?
+  list(JOIN FILES_USED " " FILES_USED_STRING)
+  execute_process(COMMAND git diff-index HEAD -- ${FILES_USED_STRING} RESULT_VARIABLE GIT_CHANGED)
+  message("GIT_CHANGED = ${GIT_CHANGED}")
+  if ("${GIT_CHANGED}" STREQUAL "0")
+    # use time from git commit since nothing is different
+    execute_process(COMMAND git log -1 --pretty=%ad --date=format:%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE OUTPUT_VARIABLE MODIFIED_TIME)
+  else()
+    set(HASH_SUFFIX "+")
   endif()
-endforeach()
-list(JOIN HASHES "" ALL_HASHES)
-string(SHA512 FULL_HASH ${ALL_HASHES})
+else()
+  # will never have a '+' for HASH_SUFFIX because it's based on exact files
+  set(HASH_PREFIX "file:")
+  list(JOIN HASHES "" ALL_HASHES)
+  string(SHA512 FULL_HASH ${ALL_HASHES})
+endif()
 
-string(TIMESTAMP COMPILE_TIME "${FMT_TIME}" UTC)
+if(NOT MODIFIED_TIME)
+  # calculate hash from files that matter
+  set(HASHES)
+  # if modified from committed version then look at file timestamps
+  foreach(file_path IN LISTS FILES_USED)
+    file(SHA512 ${file_path} HASH_FILE)
+    if(CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE)
+      message("${file_path} ${HASH_FILE}")
+    endif()
+    list(APPEND HASHES ${HASH_FILE})
+    file(TIMESTAMP "${file_path}" LAST_MOD_TIME "${FMT_TIME}")
+    if ("${LAST_MOD_TIME}" STRGREATER "${MODIFIED_TIME}")
+      set(MODIFIED_TIME "${LAST_MOD_TIME}")
+    endif()
+  endforeach()
+endif()
 
-string(SUBSTRING ${FULL_HASH} 0 8 HASH)
+string(SUBSTRING ${FULL_HASH} 0 10 HASH)
+set(HASH "${HASH_PREFIX}${HASH}${HASH_SUFFIX}")
+set(FULL_HASH "${HASH_PREFIX}${FULL_HASH}${HASH_SUFFIX}")
+string(TIMESTAMP COMPILE_TIME "${FMT_TIME}" UTC)
 
 set(COMPILED_ON "${CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR}-${CMAKE_SYSTEM}-${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}")
 
diff --git a/src/cpp/firestarr.cpp b/src/cpp/firestarr.cpp
index 626f918dda..8f58c48b47 100644
--- a/src/cpp/firestarr.cpp
+++ b/src/cpp/firestarr.cpp
@@ -44,22 +44,24 @@ int main(const int argc, const char* const argv[])
   printf("FireSTARR %s\n\n", SPECIFIC_REVISION);
   MainArgumentParser parser{argc, argv};
   parser.parse_args();
-  // HACK: check here so verbosity can affect showing compile info
-  if (parser.help_requested())
-  {
-    show_help_and_exit();
-  }
   auto result = -1;
 #ifdef NDEBUG
   try
   {
 #endif
-    fs::logging::check_fatal(
-      !Log::openLogFile(parser.log_file.c_str()), "Can't open log file %s", parser.log_file.c_str()
-    );
-    fs::logging::note("Specific revision is %s", SPECIFIC_REVISION);
-    fs::logging::debug("Full hash of all sources is: %s", FULL_HASH);
-    fs::logging::debug("Compiled on: %s", COMPILED_ON);
+    const auto opened_log = Log::openLogFile(parser.log_file.c_str());
+    // HACK: check here so verbosity can affect showing compile info
+    if (parser.help_requested())
+    {
+      fs::logging::note("Specific revision is %s", SPECIFIC_REVISION);
+      fs::logging::debug("Full hash is: %s", FULL_HASH);
+      fs::logging::debug("Compiled on: %s", COMPILED_ON);
+      show_help_and_exit();
+    }
+    if (!opened_log)
+    {
+      logging::fatal("Can't open log file %s", parser.log_file.c_str());
+    }
     fs::logging::note("Output directory is %s", parser.output_directory.c_str());
     fs::logging::note("Output log is %s", parser.log_file.c_str());
     // at this point we've parsed positional args and know we're not in test mode