diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index f76e6c3ef..e0f2b1bab 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ libgirepository_1_0_la_SOURCES =		\
 
 libgirepository_1_0_la_CPPFLAGS = $(GIREPO_CFLAGS)
 libgirepository_1_0_la_LIBADD = $(GIREPO_LIBS)
-libgirepository_1_0_la_LDFLAGS = -no-undefined
+libgirepository_1_0_la_LDFLAGS = -no-undefined -version-number 1:0:0
 
 libgirepository_parser_la_SOURCES =		\
 	girmodule.c				\
diff --git a/girmodule.c b/girmodule.c
index ae40d5f5b..1c62319f4 100644
--- a/girmodule.c
+++ b/girmodule.c
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ g_ir_module_build_typelib (GIrModule  *module,
   /* fill in header */
   header = (Header *)data;
   memcpy (header, G_IR_MAGIC, 16);
-  header->major_version = 2;
+  header->major_version = 3;
   header->minor_version = 0;
   header->reserved = 0;
   header->n_entries = n_entries;
diff --git a/gitypelib.c b/gitypelib.c
index 74aa7edd8..06a38d241 100644
--- a/gitypelib.c
+++ b/gitypelib.c
@@ -288,12 +288,13 @@ validate_header (ValidateContext  *ctx,
 
     }
 
-  if (header->major_version != 2 || header->minor_version != 0)
+  if (header->major_version != 3 || header->minor_version != 0)
     {
       g_set_error (error,
 		   G_TYPELIB_ERROR,
 		   G_TYPELIB_ERROR_INVALID_HEADER,
-		   "Version mismatch");
+		   "Version mismatch; expected 3, found %d",
+		   header->major_version);
       return FALSE;
 
     }