diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e05152bdca88973081ef38af332ff0dab0728cb6..c6ba506648bec4ece3b536260edc7b4b708f1367 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
+export RELEASE_DIR_STEM := sinologie-1
+export VERSION := $(file < version.txt)
 export CONTENT_DIR := $(PWD)/content
+# overrides the target of all git commands in this make and the the submake,
+# with the effect that changelogs are about the parent repo
 export GIT_DIR := $(PWD)/.git
 
 .PHONY: apkg
@@ -14,10 +18,10 @@ clean:
 	test -d build && $(MAKE) -C build clean || true
 
 .PHONY: deepclean
-deepclean: clean
+deepclean:
 	rm -rf build
 
 build: build.git build.sha
 	-rm -rf build
 	git clone $(file < build.git) build
-	cd build && git reset --hard $(file < build.sha)
+	cd build && GIT_DIR=$(PWD)/build/.git git reset --hard $(file < build.sha)
diff --git a/build.sha b/build.sha
index defa8cd875ecb9e7d8c4419b6c02d43d36c7d9eb..2be3c4b29678ad801caea81d051d4cc99991e7f3 100644
--- a/build.sha
+++ b/build.sha
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2545166f5b28ef1cec879639d4a40e3aca1e614f
+af48aa155e789bece5c5d87cbf269fc9233f09dc
diff --git a/version.txt b/version.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3eefcb9dd5b38e2c1dc061052455dd97bcd51e6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/version.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1.0.0