diff --git a/LOG b/LOG
index 73c3349d87..24107c1467 100644
--- a/LOG
+++ b/LOG
@@ -1247,3 +1247,7 @@
     newrelease pkg/Makefile release_notes.stex
 - update Windows spin-loop count for deleting files and directories
     windows.c
+- install a file containing revision information alongside boot files;
+  embed git revision in exported source archives
+    bintar/Makefile Mf-install.in wininstall/*nt.wxs
+    s/Mf-base s/.gitattributes s/update-revision
diff --git a/bintar/Makefile b/bintar/Makefile
index e88788fb32..046ab70c10 100644
--- a/bintar/Makefile
+++ b/bintar/Makefile
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ $(R)/examples: $(R)
 
 $(R)/boot: $(R)
 	mkdir -p $(R)/boot/$(m)
-	( cd $(R)/boot/$(m) ; ln -s ../../../../boot/$(m)/{scheme.h,petite.boot,scheme.boot} . )
+	( cd $(R)/boot/$(m) ; ln -s ../../../../boot/$(m)/{scheme.h,petite.boot,scheme.boot,revision} . )
 	case $(m) in \
           *nt) \
             ( cd $R/boot/$(m) ; ln -s ../../../../boot/$(m)/{csv953md.lib,csv953mt.lib,mainmd.obj,mainmt.obj,scheme.res} . ) \
diff --git a/makefiles/Mf-install.in b/makefiles/Mf-install.in
index 0e1f51838c..a175284da3 100644
--- a/makefiles/Mf-install.in
+++ b/makefiles/Mf-install.in
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ Version=csv9.5.3
 Include=boot/$m
 PetiteBoot=boot/$m/petite.boot
 SchemeBoot=boot/$m/scheme.boot
+Revision=boot/$m/revision
 Scheme=bin/$m/scheme
 Petite=bin/$m/petite
 InstallLibExamples=${InstallLib}/${Version}/examples
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ libbininstall: ${LibBin}
 	$I -m 444 ${Include}/kernel.o ${LibBin}
 	$I -m 444 ${Include}/main.o ${LibBin}
 	$I -m 444 ${Include}/scheme.h ${LibBin}
+	$I -m 444 ${Revision} ${LibBin}/revision
 
 maninstall: scheme.1 petite.1 ${Man}
 	$I -m 444 scheme.1 ${Man}/${InstallSchemeName}.1
diff --git a/s/.gitattributes b/s/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..25bdb21245
--- /dev/null
+++ b/s/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+update-revision export-subst
diff --git a/s/Mf-base b/s/Mf-base
index 11a2a32de3..4c6a101fb4 100644
--- a/s/Mf-base
+++ b/s/Mf-base
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ PetiteBoot = ../boot/$m/petite.boot
 SchemeBoot = ../boot/$m/scheme.boot
 Cheader = ../boot/$m/scheme.h
 Cequates = ../boot/$m/equates.h
+Revision = ../boot/$m/revision
 
 # The following controls the patch files loaded before compiling, typically used only
 # to load a new compiler for cross compilation
@@ -152,11 +153,11 @@ allsrc =\
  np-languages.ss
 
 # doit uses a different Scheme process to compile each target
-doit: ${PetiteBoot} ${SchemeBoot} ${Cheader} ${Cequates}
+doit: ${PetiteBoot} ${SchemeBoot} ${Cheader} ${Cequates} ${Revision}
 
 # all uses a single Scheme process to compile all targets.  this is typically
 # faster when most of the targets need to be recompiled.
-all: bootall ${Cheader} ${Cequates}
+all: bootall ${Cheader} ${Cequates} ${Revision}
 
 # allx runs all up to three times and checks to see if the new boot file is the
 # same as the last, i.e., the system is properly bootstrapped.
@@ -177,7 +178,7 @@ ifneq ($(OS),Windows_NT)
 endif
 
 # bootstrap runs allx if any sources have changed since the last bootstrap
-bootstrap: ${allsrc}
+bootstrap: ${allsrc} | ${Revision}
 	$(MAKE) allx
 	touch bootstrap
 
@@ -516,6 +517,10 @@ ${Cequates}: mkheader.so ${macroobj} nanopass.so base-lang.ss expand-lang.ss pri
           then mv -f ${Cequates}.bak ${Cequates};\
           else rm -f ${Cequates}.bak; fi)
 
+.PHONY: ${Revision}
+${Revision}: update-revision
+	@./update-revision > ${Revision}
+
 examples:
 	( cd ../examples && ${MAKE} all Scheme="${Scheme} ../s/${patchfile}" )
 
diff --git a/s/update-revision b/s/update-revision
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..0b6e3f6ed0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/s/update-revision
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+if [ -d ../../.git ]; then
+  git describe --always --exclude='*' --abbrev=40 --dirty
+  echo 'git'
+elif [ -d ../../.hg ]; then
+  DIRTY="$(hg status -n --color never --pager never | head -1)"
+  hg log --limit 1 --template '{node}' --pager never
+  if [ -n "${DIRTY}" ]; then
+    echo '-dirty'
+  else
+    echo ''
+  fi
+  echo 'hg'
+elif [ -f ../../.hg_archival.txt ]; then
+  # hg archive and hgweb embed this file by default (see .hgrc archivemeta)
+  sed -n 's/^node: \(.*\)/\1/p' < ../../.hg_archival.txt
+  echo 'hg'
+else
+  # use export-subst git attribute to populate revision for git archive
+  echo '$Format:%H$'
+  echo 'git'
+fi
diff --git a/wininstall/a6nt.wxs b/wininstall/a6nt.wxs
index 6dd2e69396..c1d6cc28eb 100644
--- a/wininstall/a6nt.wxs
+++ b/wininstall/a6nt.wxs
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@
         <Component Id="cmp2D19D4386E40826BAD887EB79EB3F163" Guid="*">
           <File Id="fil9BCC9A55DC3F2B6C3A8D1C91FEA34969" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\a6nt\boot\a6nt\scheme.res" />
         </Component>
+        <Component Id="cmp3395E9DB380C4153BF70BA8934BF21D3" Guid="*">
+          <File Id="fil77244B8601F445908549F279EDF7D53A" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\a6nt\boot\a6nt\revision" />
+        </Component>
       </Directory>
     </DirectoryRef>
     <ComponentGroup Id="a6nt">
@@ -82,6 +85,7 @@
       <ComponentRef Id="cmpFD41FA4B58A832ECA2F6DD2072FB9AF4" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmpCF87ED4A57D979176405C247DF74C089" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmp2D19D4386E40826BAD887EB79EB3F163" />
+      <ComponentRef Id="cmp3395E9DB380C4153BF70BA8934BF21D3" />
     </ComponentGroup>
   </Fragment>
 </Wix>
diff --git a/wininstall/i3nt.wxs b/wininstall/i3nt.wxs
index 945c5ef287..a530b092fe 100644
--- a/wininstall/i3nt.wxs
+++ b/wininstall/i3nt.wxs
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@
         <Component Id="cmpA1A08D93E33D200E737ED7E9673100F8" Guid="*">
           <File Id="filF377753EF1FFEC581D561C6EB05D2FB0" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\i3nt\boot\i3nt\scheme.res" />
         </Component>
+        <Component Id="cmpFD106B9815864071BE791879BE1131D7" Guid="*">
+          <File Id="fil0461DC04F30E4D8CA37904E3EC271BCB" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\i3nt\boot\i3nt\revision" />
+        </Component>
       </Directory>
     </DirectoryRef>
     <ComponentGroup Id="i3nt">
@@ -82,6 +85,7 @@
       <ComponentRef Id="cmp155E5F6F7512A742AA9C3889EAB1E514" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmpC59467C5684EC25FD89D53A93AECC3BB" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmpA1A08D93E33D200E737ED7E9673100F8" />
+      <ComponentRef Id="cmpFD106B9815864071BE791879BE1131D7" />
     </ComponentGroup>
   </Fragment>
 </Wix>
diff --git a/wininstall/ta6nt.wxs b/wininstall/ta6nt.wxs
index 19c315cf56..f137baa657 100644
--- a/wininstall/ta6nt.wxs
+++ b/wininstall/ta6nt.wxs
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@
         <Component Id="cmp9E232A9AA21470428B81018123E55809" Guid="*">
           <File Id="fil643F2D7723E96BCA16E8A65804C66B4F" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\ta6nt\boot\ta6nt\scheme.res" />
         </Component>
+        <Component Id="cmp5DCEF420C17742FE89FA4E1EDF6D52D0" Guid="*">
+          <File Id="filBE648AB0CC9C49A7BF6AB7F900EDAC2E" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\ta6nt\boot\ta6nt\revision" />
+        </Component>
       </Directory>
     </DirectoryRef>
     <ComponentGroup Id="ta6nt">
@@ -82,6 +85,7 @@
       <ComponentRef Id="cmpA90C68A50E044FA5FC0FB07B663F6C90" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmp36B1E9BFDE0DFCA8D1E65BBDAD82CE06" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmp9E232A9AA21470428B81018123E55809" />
+      <ComponentRef Id="cmp5DCEF420C17742FE89FA4E1EDF6D52D0" />
     </ComponentGroup>
   </Fragment>
 </Wix>
diff --git a/wininstall/ti3nt.wxs b/wininstall/ti3nt.wxs
index 1773f066d5..3c65019ef5 100644
--- a/wininstall/ti3nt.wxs
+++ b/wininstall/ti3nt.wxs
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@
         <Component Id="cmpDEDEC747F47B5ED89E854DCF25F0E14F" Guid="*">
           <File Id="filB7A76F46E9B4F0F7F7B74FEE339025B9" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\ti3nt\boot\ti3nt\scheme.res" />
         </Component>
+        <Component Id="cmp3655144F524A4B35BDF8405560CEAB33" Guid="*">
+          <File Id="fil82E8648E5FB0461EAE31540CE784B2FF" KeyPath="yes" Source="..\ti3nt\boot\ti3nt\revision" />
+        </Component>
       </Directory>
     </DirectoryRef>
   </Fragment>
@@ -84,6 +87,7 @@
       <ComponentRef Id="cmp31F220BF3C0B1F0A17C5C676A56112E2" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmp8689231D780F12557A0906BBB4BDDC2C" />
       <ComponentRef Id="cmpDEDEC747F47B5ED89E854DCF25F0E14F" />
+      <ComponentRef Id="cmp3655144F524A4B35BDF8405560CEAB33" />
     </ComponentGroup>
   </Fragment>
 </Wix>