diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 2a900839..d23fa803 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@ PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG([0.22])
 
 GLIB_GSETTINGS
 
+SHELL_VERSION="$PACKAGE_VERSION"
+shell_major=`echo "$PACKAGE_VERSION" | cut -d'.' -f1`
+shell_minor=`echo "$PACKAGE_VERSION" | cut -d'.' -f2`
+if test "$(($shell_minor % 2))" -eq 0; then
+	SHELL_VERSION="$shell_major.$shell_minor"
+fi
+AC_SUBST([SHELL_VERSION])
+
 dnl keep this in alphabetic order
 dnl by default, install only extensions that do not change completely the shell experience,
 dnl that don't require GSettings and that don't require external packages for typelibs
diff --git a/extension.mk b/extension.mk
index 05c072c2..1a84f60c 100644
--- a/extension.mk
+++ b/extension.mk
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ metadata.json: metadata.json.in $(top_builddir)/config.status
 	    -e "s|[@]uuid@|$(uuid)|" \
 	    -e "s|[@]gschemaname@|$(gschemaname)|" \
 	    -e "s|[@]gettext_domain@|$(GETTEXT_PACKAGE)|" \
-	    -e "s|[@]shell_current@|$(PACKAGE_VERSION)|" \
+	    -e "s|[@]shell_current@|$(SHELL_VERSION)|" \
 	    -e "s|[@]url@|$(extensionurl)|" \
 	    $< > $@