diff --git a/.github/workflows/book.yml b/.github/workflows/book.yml
index 2440f8c7..d1b4b920 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/book.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/book.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,19 @@ jobs:
     build-book:
         runs-on: ubuntu-latest
         steps:
-            - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+            - name: Fetch tag annotations
+              run: |
+                # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+                git fetch --force --tags --depth 1
+            - id: read_tag
+              name: Set VERSION env variable
+              if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') }}
+              run: |
+                # Set tag from GitHub: using git describe for tags inside the run script
+                # seems not working
+                echo "VERSION=${GITHUB_REF#refs/*/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV            
 
             - uses: actions/cache@v3
               with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/distribute_package.yml b/.github/workflows/distribute_package.yml
index 7473704c..f2d07564 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/distribute_package.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/distribute_package.yml
@@ -61,7 +61,18 @@ jobs:
         with:
           # We need quite a deep fetch so that we get the versioning right 
           fetch-depth: 500
-          fetch-tags: true
+      # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+      - name: Fetch tag annotations
+        run: |
+          # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+          git fetch --force --tags --depth 1
+      - id: read_tag
+        name: Set VERSION env variable
+        if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') }}
+        run: |
+          # Set tag from GitHub: using git describe for tags inside the run script
+          # seems not working
+          echo "VERSION=${GITHUB_REF#refs/*/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
@@ -109,7 +120,18 @@ jobs:
         with:
           # We need quite a deep fetch so that we get the versioning right 
           fetch-depth: 500
-          fetch-tags: true
+      # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+      - name: Fetch tag annotations
+        run: |
+          # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+          git fetch --force --tags --depth 1
+      - id: read_tag
+        name: Set VERSION env variable
+        if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') }}
+        run: |
+          # Set tag from GitHub: using git describe for tags inside the run script
+          # seems not working
+          echo "VERSION=${GITHUB_REF#refs/*/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       # setuptools_scm workaround for https://github.com/pypa/setuptools_scm/issues/455
       - name: Disable local version identifier on develop CI
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_package.yml b/.github/workflows/test_package.yml
index 500f8913..317d723d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_package.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_package.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+      - name: Fetch tag annotations
+        run: |
+          # Fetch tag manually because fetch-tags option for checkout@v4 does not work
+          git fetch --force --tags --depth 1
+      - id: read_tag
+        name: Set VERSION env variable
+        if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') }}
+        run: |
+          # Set tag from GitHub: using git describe for tags inside the run script
+          # seems not working
+          echo "VERSION=${GITHUB_REF#refs/*/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV      
 
       - uses: actions/cache@v4
         if: startsWith(runner.os, 'Linux')