diff --git a/tools/release/version.sh b/tools/release/version.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..bef79d0e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/release/version.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+# version.sh: openocd version process automation
+# Copyright (C) 2009 by Zachary T Welch <zw@superlucidity.net>
+# Release under the GNU GPL v2 (or later versions).
+
+source "tools/release/helpers.sh"
+
+do_version_usage() {
+	cat << USAGE
+usage: $0 <command>
+Version Commands:
+  tag {add|remove} <label>     Add or remove the specified tag.
+  bump {major|minor|micro|rc}  Bump the specified version number, and
+                               reset less-significant numbers to zero.
+  bump tag <label>             Add or bump a versioned tag (e.g. -rcN).
+  bump final <label>           Remove a versioned tag (e.g. -rcN).
+USAGE
+}
+
+do_version_sed() {
+	local OLD_VERSION="${PACKAGE_VERSION}"
+	local NEW_VERSION="$1"
+	local MSG="$2"
+
+	sed -i -e "/AC_INIT/ s|${OLD_VERSION}|${NEW_VERSION}|" configure.in
+	package_info_load
+	echo "${MSG}: ${OLD_VERSION} -> ${NEW_VERSION}"
+}
+do_version_bump_sed() {
+	local NEW_VERSION="$1"
+	[ -z "${PACKAGE_VERSION_TAGS}" ] || \
+		NEW_VERSION="${NEW_VERSION}${PACKAGE_VERSION_TAGS}"
+
+	do_version_sed "${NEW_VERSION}" \
+		"Bump ${CMD} package version number"
+}
+do_version_bump_major() {
+	do_version_bump_sed "$((PACKAGE_MAJOR + 1)).0.0"
+}
+do_version_bump_minor() {
+	do_version_bump_sed "${PACKAGE_MAJOR}.$((PACKAGE_MINOR + 1)).0"
+}
+do_version_bump_micro() {
+	do_version_bump_sed "${PACKAGE_MAJOR_AND_MINOR}.$((PACKAGE_MICRO + 1))"
+}
+do_version_bump_tag() {
+	local TAG="$1"
+	[ "${TAG}" ] || die "TAG argument is missing"
+	local TAGS="${PACKAGE_VERSION_TAGS}"
+	if has_version_tag "${TAG}"; then
+		local RC=$(do_version_tag_value "${TAG}")
+		RC=$((${RC} + 1))
+		TAGS=$(echo ${TAGS} | perl -npe "s/-${TAG}[\\d]*/-${TAG}${RC}/")
+	else
+		TAGS="-${TAG}0${PACKAGE_VERSION_TAGS}"
+	fi
+	PACKAGE_VERSION_TAGS="${TAGS}"
+	do_version_bump_sed "${PACKAGE_VERSION_BASE}"
+}
+do_version_bump_final() {
+	local TAG="$1"
+	[ "${TAG}" ] || die "TAG argument is missing"
+	has_version_tag "${TAG}" || die "-${TAG} tag is missing"
+	do_version_tag_remove "${TAG}$(do_version_tag_value "${TAG}")"
+}
+do_version_bump() {
+	CMD="$1"
+	shift
+	case "${CMD}" in
+	major|minor|micro|final|tag)
+		"do_version_bump_${CMD}" "$@"
+		;;
+	rc)
+		do_version_bump_tag "rc"
+		;;
+	*)
+		do_version_usage
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
+has_version_tag() {
+	test "${PACKAGE_VERSION/-${1}/}" != "${PACKAGE_VERSION}"
+}
+do_version_tag_value() {
+	local TAG="$1"
+	echo ${PACKAGE_VERSION_TAGS} | perl -ne "/-${TAG}"'(\d+)/ && print $1'
+}
+do_version_tag_add() {
+	local TAG="$1"
+	has_version_tag "${TAG}" && \
+		die "error: tag '-${TAG}' exists in '${PACKAGE_VERSION}'"
+	do_version_sed "${PACKAGE_VERSION}-${TAG}" \
+		"Add '-${TAG}' version tag"
+}
+do_version_tag_remove() {
+	local TAG="$1"
+	has_version_tag "${TAG}" || \
+		die "error: tag '-${TAG}' missing from '${PACKAGE_VERSION}'"
+	do_version_sed "${PACKAGE_VERSION/-${TAG}/}" \
+		"Remove '-${TAG}' version tag"
+}
+do_version_tag() {
+	CMD="$1"
+	shift
+	case "${CMD}" in
+	add|remove)
+		local i=
+		for i in "$@"; do
+			"do_version_tag_${CMD}" "${i}"
+		done
+		;;
+	*)
+		do_version_usage
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
+do_version() {
+	CMD="$1"
+	shift
+	case "${CMD}" in
+	tag|bump)
+		"do_version_${CMD}" "$@"
+		;;
+	commit)
+		do_version_commit "$@"
+		;;
+	*)
+		do_version_usage
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
+package_info_load
+do_version "$@"
+