diff --git a/mullvad-version/build.rs b/mullvad-version/build.rs
index 3485f175ecc6..45366ef9add0 100644
--- a/mullvad-version/build.rs
+++ b/mullvad-version/build.rs
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ impl Target {
 }
 
 fn main() {
-    let product_version = compute_product_version(Target::current_target());
-    let android_product_version = compute_product_version(Target::Android);
+    let product_version = get_product_version(Target::current_target());
+    let android_product_version = get_product_version(Target::Android);
 
     let out_dir = PathBuf::from(env::var_os("OUT_DIR").unwrap());
     fs::write(out_dir.join("product-version.txt"), product_version).unwrap();
@@ -47,64 +47,61 @@ fn main() {
 /// Computes the Mullvad product version using the latest release on the given platform and the git
 /// hash pointed to by `HEAD`. Also triggers a rebuild of this crate when the information becomes
 /// outdated.
-fn compute_product_version(target: Target) -> String {
+fn get_product_version(target: Target) -> String {
     let version_file_path = match target {
         Target::Android => ANDROID_VERSION_FILE_PATH,
         Target::Desktop => DESKTOP_VERSION_FILE_PATH,
     };
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={version_file_path}");
-    let product_version = fs::read_to_string(version_file_path)
+
+    let release_version = fs::read_to_string(version_file_path)
         .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("Failed to read {version_file_path}"))
         .trim()
         .to_owned();
 
     // Compute the expected tag name for the release named `product_version`
     let release_tag = match target {
-        Target::Android => format!("android/{product_version}"),
-        Target::Desktop => product_version.to_owned(),
+        Target::Android => format!("android/{release_version}"),
+        Target::Desktop => release_version.to_owned(),
     };
 
+    format!("{release_version}{}", get_suffix(&release_tag))
+}
+
+/// Returns the suffix for the current build. If the build is done on a git tag named
+/// `product_version`, the suffix is empty. Otherwise, `-dev-$hash` is appended to the
+/// release version, or `-dev-unknown` when a git hash cannot be found.
+fn get_suffix(release_tag: &str) -> String {
+    if !valid_git_repo() {
+        return "-dev-unknown".to_owned();
+    };
     // Rerun this build script on changes to the git ref that affects the build version.
     // NOTE: This must be kept up to date with the behavior of `git_rev_parse_commit_hash`.
-    // If an error is returned, we are not in a repository and a proper release version cannot be
-    // built.
-    if let Err(()) = rerun_if_git_ref_changed(&release_tag) {
-        return format!("{release_tag}-dev-local");
-    };
-
-    // Get the git commit hashes for the latest release and current HEAD
-    let head_commit_hash = git_rev_parse_commit_hash("HEAD");
-    let product_version_commit_hash = git_rev_parse_commit_hash(&release_tag);
+    rerun_if_git_ref_changed(release_tag);
+    let head_commit_hash =
+        git_rev_parse_commit_hash("HEAD").expect("Failed to run `git rev-parse HEAD^{{commit}}`");
+    let product_version_commit_hash = git_rev_parse_commit_hash(release_tag);
 
     // If we are currently building the release tag, there is no dev suffix
-    if head_commit_hash == product_version_commit_hash {
-        product_version
+    if Some(&head_commit_hash) == product_version_commit_hash.as_ref() {
+        String::new()
     } else {
-        format!(
-            "{release_tag}-dev-{}",
-            &head_commit_hash[..GIT_HASH_DEV_SUFFIX_LEN]
-        )
+        format!("-dev-{}", &head_commit_hash[..GIT_HASH_DEV_SUFFIX_LEN])
     }
 }
 
+fn valid_git_repo() -> bool {
+    matches!(Command::new("git").arg("status").status(), Ok(status) if status.success())
+}
+
 /// Trigger rebuild of `mullvad-version` on changing branch (`.git/HEAD`), on changes to the ref of
 /// the current branch (`.git/refs/heads/$current_branch`) and on changes to the ref of the current
 /// release tag (`.git/refs/tags/$current_release_tag`).
 ///
 /// Returns an error if not in a git repository, or the git binary is not in `PATH`.
-fn rerun_if_git_ref_changed(release_tag: &str) -> Result<(), ()> {
+fn rerun_if_git_ref_changed(release_tag: &str) {
     let git_dir = Path::new("..").join(".git");
 
-    if !git_dir.exists() {
-        return Err(());
-    }
-
-    // Check that `git` can be executed
-    match Command::new("git").arg("--version").status() {
-        Ok(status) if status.success() => {}
-        _ => return Err(()),
-    };
-
     // The `.git/HEAD` file contains the position of the current head. If in 'detached HEAD' state,
     // this will be the ref of the current commit. If on a branch it will just point to it, e.g.
     // `ref: refs/heads/main`. Tracking changes to this file will tell us if we change branch, or
@@ -150,21 +147,17 @@ fn rerun_if_git_ref_changed(release_tag: &str) -> Result<(), ()> {
     // track this file, however, as any changes to the current branch, 'detached HEAD' state
     // or tags will update the corresponding `.git/refs` file we are tracking, even if it had
     // previously been pruned.
-
-    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// Returns the commit hash for the commit that `git_ref` is pointing to.
-fn git_rev_parse_commit_hash(git_ref: &str) -> String {
+fn git_rev_parse_commit_hash(git_ref: &str) -> Option<String> {
     let output = Command::new("git")
         .arg("rev-parse")
         .arg(format!("{git_ref}^{{commit}}"))
         .output()
         .expect("Failed to run `git rev-parse`");
-    let stdout = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap();
     if !output.status.success() {
-        let stderr = String::from_utf8(output.stderr).unwrap();
-        panic!("Command `git rev-parse` failed:\nstdout: {stdout}\nstderr: {stderr}");
+        return None;
     }
-    stdout.trim().to_owned()
+    Some(String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap().trim().to_owned())
 }