diff --git a/MANIFEST.in b/MANIFEST.in
index be2b437e..b529383f 100644
--- a/MANIFEST.in
+++ b/MANIFEST.in
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 include datmo/core/controller/environment/driver/templates/baseDockerfile
 include datmo/core/controller/environment/driver/templates/python2Dockerfile
 include datmo/core/controller/environment/driver/templates/python3Dockerfile
-recursive-include templates *
-prune examples
\ No newline at end of file
+include datmo/VERSION
+prune examples
+prune docs
+prune templates
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/datmo/VERSION b/datmo/VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e59eb1a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/datmo/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+0.0.2-dev
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/datmo/__init__.py b/datmo/__init__.py
index 5f0f1759..68b9dfe4 100644
--- a/datmo/__init__.py
+++ b/datmo/__init__.py
@@ -4,9 +4,12 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import
 from __future__ import division
 from __future__ import print_function
-from version import __version__
 
-__version__ = __version__
+import os
+
+datmo_root = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
+with open(os.path.join(datmo_root, 'VERSION')) as file:
+    __version__ = file.read()
 
 import datmo.snapshot
 import datmo.task
diff --git a/datmo/cli/command/project.py b/datmo/cli/command/project.py
index 4493ccf8..98364da8 100644
--- a/datmo/cli/command/project.py
+++ b/datmo/cli/command/project.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from datmo import __version__
 from datmo.core.util.i18n import get as __
 from datmo.cli.command.base import BaseCommand
 from datmo.core.controller.project import ProjectController
@@ -23,3 +24,6 @@ def init(self, name, description):
                 "path": self.home
             }))
         self.project_controller.init(name, description)
+
+    def version(self):
+        return self.cli_helper.echo("datmo version: %s" % __version__)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/datmo/cli/command/tests/test_project.py b/datmo/cli/command/tests/test_project.py
index 869e6b89..f58ab51d 100644
--- a/datmo/cli/command/tests/test_project.py
+++ b/datmo/cli/command/tests/test_project.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 import tempfile
 import platform
 
+from datmo import __version__
 from datmo.cli.driver.helper import Helper
 from datmo.cli.parser import parser
 from datmo.cli.command.project import ProjectCommand
@@ -30,22 +31,36 @@ def setup_class(self):
                                         tempfile.gettempdir())
         self.temp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=test_datmo_dir)
         self.cli_helper = Helper()
-        self.init = ProjectCommand(self.temp_dir, self.cli_helper, parser)
+        self.project = ProjectCommand(self.temp_dir, self.cli_helper, parser)
 
     def teardown_class(self):
         pass
 
     def test_datmo_init(self):
-        self.init.parse(
+        self.project.parse(
             ["init", "--name", "foobar", "--description", "test model"])
-        self.init.execute()
+        self.project.execute()
         # test for desired side effects
         assert os.path.exists(os.path.join(self.temp_dir, '.datmo'))
 
     def test_datmo_init_invalid_arg(self):
         exception_thrown = False
         try:
-            self.init.parse(["init", "--foobar", "foobar"])
+            self.project.parse(["init", "--foobar", "foobar"])
+        except Exception:
+            exception_thrown = True
+        assert exception_thrown
+
+    def test_datmo_version(self):
+        self.project.parse(["version"])
+        result = self.project.execute()
+        # test for desired side effects
+        assert __version__ in result
+
+    def test_datmo_version_invalid_arg(self):
+        exception_thrown = False
+        try:
+            self.project.parse(["version", "--foobar"])
         except Exception:
             exception_thrown = True
         assert exception_thrown
diff --git a/datmo/cli/driver/helper.py b/datmo/cli/driver/helper.py
index 7e86b28a..1b56cff2 100644
--- a/datmo/cli/driver/helper.py
+++ b/datmo/cli/driver/helper.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ def __init__(self):
 
     def echo(self, message):
         print(message)
+        return message
 
     def prompt(self, msg, default=None):
         try:
@@ -71,4 +72,4 @@ def get_command_class(self, command_name):
         return command_class[1]
 
     def get_command_choices(self):
-        return ["init", "snapshot", "task"]
+        return ["init", "version", "--version", "-v", "snapshot", "task"]
diff --git a/datmo/cli/main.py b/datmo/cli/main.py
index f0fc2c1a..6f2f1534 100644
--- a/datmo/cli/main.py
+++ b/datmo/cli/main.py
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@ def main():
         command_name = sys.argv[1]
         if command_name == "init":
             command_name = "project"
+        elif command_name == "version" or \
+            command_name == "--version" or \
+            command_name == "-v":
+            command_name = "project"
+            sys.argv[1] = "version"
         command_class = \
             cli_helper.get_command_class(command_name)
     else:
diff --git a/datmo/cli/parser.py b/datmo/cli/parser.py
index 1819e766..47a29b46 100644
--- a/datmo/cli/parser.py
+++ b/datmo/cli/parser.py
@@ -21,39 +21,41 @@
 subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(title="commands", dest="command")
 
 # Project
-init_parser = subparsers.add_parser("init", help="Initialize project")
+init_parser = subparsers.add_parser("init", help="initialize project")
 init_parser.add_argument("--name", default=None)
 init_parser.add_argument("--description", default=None)
 
+version_parser = subparsers.add_parser("version", help="datmo version")
+
 # Session
-session_parser = subparsers.add_parser("session", help="Session module")
+session_parser = subparsers.add_parser("session", help="session module")
 session_subcommand_parsers = session_parser.add_subparsers(
     title="subcommands", dest="subcommand")
 
 session_create = session_subcommand_parsers.add_parser(
-    "create", help="Create session")
+    "create", help="create session")
 session_create.add_argument(
-    "--name", "-m", dest="name", default="", help="Session name")
+    "--name", "-m", dest="name", default="", help="session name")
 session_create.add_argument(
     "--current",
     dest="current",
     action="store_false",
-    help="Boolean if you want to switch to this session")
+    help="boolean if you want to switch to this session")
 
 session_delete = session_subcommand_parsers.add_parser(
-    "delete", help="Delete a snapshot by id")
+    "delete", help="delete a snapshot by id")
 session_delete.add_argument(
-    "--name", dest="name", help="Name of session to delete")
+    "--name", dest="name", help="name of session to delete")
 
-session_ls = session_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("ls", help="List sessions")
+session_ls = session_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("ls", help="list sessions")
 
 session_select = session_subcommand_parsers.add_parser(
-    "select", help="Select a session")
+    "select", help="select a session")
 session_select.add_argument(
-    "--name", dest="name", help="Name of session to select")
+    "--name", dest="name", help="name of session to select")
 
 # Snapshot
-snapshot_parser = subparsers.add_parser("snapshot", help="Snapshot module")
+snapshot_parser = subparsers.add_parser("snapshot", help="snapshot module")
 snapshot_subcommand_parsers = snapshot_parser.add_subparsers(
     title="subcommands", dest="subcommand")
 
@@ -70,7 +72,7 @@
     "-l",
     dest="label",
     default=None,
-    help="Label snapshots with a category (e.g. best)")
+    help="label snapshots with a category (e.g. best)")
 snapshot_create.add_argument(
     "--session-id",
     dest="session_id",
@@ -81,7 +83,7 @@
     "--task-id",
     dest="task_id",
     default=None,
-    help="Specify task id to pull information from")
+    help="specify task id to pull information from")
 
 snapshot_create.add_argument(
     "--code-id", dest="code_id", default=None, help="code id from code object")
@@ -150,26 +152,26 @@
     "--session-id",
     dest="session_id",
     default=None,
-    help="Session ID to filter")
+    help="session id to filter")
 snapshot_ls.add_argument(
     "--all",
     "-a",
     dest="details",
     action="store_true",
-    help="Show detailed snapshot information")
+    help="show detailed snapshot information")
 
 snapshot_checkout = snapshot_subcommand_parsers.add_parser(
-    "checkout", help="Checkout a snapshot by id")
+    "checkout", help="checkout a snapshot by id")
 snapshot_checkout.add_argument(
-    "--id", dest="id", default=None, help="Snapshot ID")
+    "--id", dest="id", default=None, help="snapshot id")
 
 # Task
-task_parser = subparsers.add_parser("task", help="Task module")
+task_parser = subparsers.add_parser("task", help="task module")
 task_subcommand_parsers = task_parser.add_subparsers(
     title="subcommands", dest="subcommand")
 
 # Task run arguments
-task_run = task_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("run", help="Run task")
+task_run = task_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("run", help="run task")
 task_run.add_argument(
     "--gpu",
     dest="gpu",
@@ -182,7 +184,7 @@
     action="append",
     type=str,
     help="""
-    Network port mapping during task (e.g. 8888:8888). Left is the host machine port and right
+    network port mapping during task (e.g. 8888:8888). Left is the host machine port and right
     is the environment port available during a run.
 """)
 # run.add_argument("--data", nargs="*", dest="data", type=str, help="Path for data to be used during the Task")
@@ -191,25 +193,25 @@
     dest="environment_definition_filepath",
     default=None,
     type=str,
-    help="Pass in the Dockerfile with which you want to build the environment")
+    help="pass in the Dockerfile with which you want to build the environment")
 task_run.add_argument(
     "--interactive",
     dest="interactive",
     action="store_true",
-    help="Run the environment in interactive mode (keeps STDIN open)")
+    help="run the environment in interactive mode (keeps STDIN open)")
 task_run.add_argument("cmd", nargs="?", default=None)
 
 # Task list arguments
-task_ls = task_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("ls", help="List tasks")
+task_ls = task_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("ls", help="list tasks")
 task_ls.add_argument(
     "--session-id",
     dest="session_id",
     default=None,
     nargs="?",
     type=str,
-    help="Pass in the session id to list the tasks in that session")
+    help="pass in the session id to list the tasks in that session")
 
 # Task stop arguments
-task_stop = task_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("stop", help="Stop tasks")
+task_stop = task_subcommand_parsers.add_parser("stop", help="stop tasks")
 task_stop.add_argument(
-    "--id", dest="id", default=None, type=str, help="Task ID to stop")
+    "--id", dest="id", default=None, type=str, help="task id to stop")
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index 1c58a4cf..bedc51bf 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@
 
 sys.path.insert(0, os.path.abspath("../"))
 
-from version import __version__
+project_root = "../"
+with open(os.path.join(project_root, 'datmo', 'VERSION')) as file:
+    __version__ = file.read()
 
 # -- General configuration ------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 4fe8579c..a78fed4c 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 import os
 from setuptools import setup, find_packages
-from version import __version__
 
 project_root = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 with open(os.path.join(project_root, 'README.md')) as file:
     long_description = file.read()
 
+with open(os.path.join(project_root, 'datmo', 'VERSION')) as file:
+    __version__ = file.read()
+
 setup(
     name='datmo',
     version=__version__,
diff --git a/version.py b/version.py
deleted file mode 100644
index a0fca0e2..00000000
--- a/version.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-__version__ = '0.0.2-dev'
\ No newline at end of file