Try two-level immediate-plus-deferred assigment of WEAVE_VERSION.
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 094138c..5728963 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -123,7 +123,9 @@
# flapping as VERSION_FILE changes.
#
-WEAVE_VERSION ?= $(if $(filter 0,$(MAKELEVEL)),$(shell cat $(VERSION_FILE) 2> /dev/null),$(WEAVE_VERSION))
+export MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION := $(if $(filter 0,$(MAKELEVEL)),$(shell cat $(VERSION_FILE) 2> /dev/null),$(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION))
+
+WEAVE_VERSION ?= $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)
PACKAGE_VERSION = $(WEAVE_VERSION)
VERSION = $(PACKAGE_VERSION)
@@ -135,10 +137,12 @@
$(warning origin VERSION_FILE is $(origin VERSION_FILE))
$(warning origin VERSION is $(origin VERSION))
$(warning origin PACKAGE_VERSION is $(origin PACKAGE_VERSION))
+$(warning origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning origin WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning VERSION_FILE is $(VERSION_FILE))
$(warning VERSION is $(VERSION))
$(warning PACKAGE_VERSION is $(PACKAGE_VERSION))
+$(warning MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning WEAVE_VERSION is $(WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning LOCAL_VERSION file is $(if $(wildcard $(builddir)/.local-version),$(builddir)/.local-version))
$(warning DIST_VERSION file is $(if $(wildcard $(srcdir)/.dist-version),$(srcdir)/.dist-version))
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index e9a6f26..0423a50 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -259,7 +259,11 @@
echo "origin of VERSION is $(origin VERSION)"; \
echo "origin of distdir is $(origin distdir)"; \
echo "origin of VERSION_FILE is $(origin VERSION_FILE)"; \
- echo "VERSION_FILE is $(VERSION_FILE)"
+ echo "VERSION_FILE is $(VERSION_FILE)"; \
+ echo "origin of MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)"; \
+ echo "MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)"; \
+ echo "origin of WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin WEAVE_VERSION)"; \
+ echo "WEAVE_VERSION is $(WEAVE_VERSION)"
am__post_remove_distdir = $(am__remove_distdir)
am__relativize = \
dir0=`pwd`; \
@@ -905,6 +909,8 @@
@echo "origin of distdir is $(origin distdir)"
@echo "origin VERSION_FILE is $(origin VERSION_FILE)"
@echo "origin PACKAGE_VERSION is $(origin PACKAGE_VERSION)"
+ @echo "origin of MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)"
+ @echo "MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)"
@echo "origin WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin WEAVE_VERSION)"
@echo "VERSION_FILE is $(VERSION_FILE)"
@echo "VERSION is $(VERSION)"
@@ -972,6 +978,8 @@
@echo "origin of distdir is $(origin distdir)"
@echo "origin VERSION_FILE is $(origin VERSION_FILE)"
@echo "origin PACKAGE_VERSION is $(origin PACKAGE_VERSION)"
+ @echo "origin of MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)"
+ @echo "MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)"
@echo "origin WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin WEAVE_VERSION)"
@echo "VERSION_FILE is $(VERSION_FILE)"
@echo "VERSION is $(VERSION)"
@@ -1223,7 +1231,9 @@
# flapping as VERSION_FILE changes.
#
-WEAVE_VERSION ?= $(if $(filter 0,$(MAKELEVEL)),$(shell cat $(VERSION_FILE) 2> /dev/null),$(WEAVE_VERSION))
+export MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION := $(if $(filter 0,$(MAKELEVEL)),$(shell cat $(VERSION_FILE) 2> /dev/null),$(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION))
+
+WEAVE_VERSION ?= $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION)
$(warning origin of MAKECMDGOALS is $(origin MAKECMDGOALS))
$(warning MAKECMDGOALS is $(MAKECMDGOALS))
@@ -1232,10 +1242,12 @@
$(warning origin VERSION_FILE is $(origin VERSION_FILE))
$(warning origin VERSION is $(origin VERSION))
$(warning origin PACKAGE_VERSION is $(origin PACKAGE_VERSION))
+$(warning origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning origin WEAVE_VERSION is $(origin WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning VERSION_FILE is $(VERSION_FILE))
$(warning VERSION is $(VERSION))
$(warning PACKAGE_VERSION is $(PACKAGE_VERSION))
+$(warning MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION is $(MAYBE_WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning WEAVE_VERSION is $(WEAVE_VERSION))
$(warning LOCAL_VERSION file is $(if $(wildcard $(builddir)/.local-version),$(builddir)/.local-version))
$(warning DIST_VERSION file is $(if $(wildcard $(srcdir)/.dist-version),$(srcdir)/.dist-version))
