diff --git a/async/ratatui-counter/Cargo.toml b/async/ratatui-counter/Cargo.toml
index 3fa5b79..e9e551f 100644
--- a/async/ratatui-counter/Cargo.toml
+++ b/async/ratatui-counter/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Counter application with async-template"
 authors = ["Dheepak Krishnamurthy"]
+build = "build.rs"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
@@ -34,3 +35,6 @@ tracing = "0.1.37"
 tracing-error = "0.2.0"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.17", features = ["env-filter", "serde"] }
 tui-input = { version = "0.8.0", features = ["serde"] }
+
+[build-dependencies]
+vergen = { version = "8", features = [ "build", "git", "gitoxide", "cargo" ]}
diff --git a/async/ratatui-counter/build.rs b/async/ratatui-counter/build.rs
index bc84301..75bd127 100644
--- a/async/ratatui-counter/build.rs
+++ b/async/ratatui-counter/build.rs
@@ -1,46 +1,7 @@
-fn main() {
-  let git_output = std::process::Command::new("git").args(["rev-parse", "--git-dir"]).output().ok();
-  let git_dir = git_output.as_ref().and_then(|output| {
-    std::str::from_utf8(&output.stdout).ok().and_then(|s| s.strip_suffix('\n').or_else(|| s.strip_suffix("\r\n")))
-  });
-
-  // Tell cargo to rebuild if the head or any relevant refs change.
-  if let Some(git_dir) = git_dir {
-    let git_path = std::path::Path::new(git_dir);
-    let refs_path = git_path.join("refs");
-    if git_path.join("HEAD").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/HEAD", git_dir);
-    }
-    if git_path.join("packed-refs").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/packed-refs", git_dir);
-    }
-    if refs_path.join("heads").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/refs/heads", git_dir);
-    }
-    if refs_path.join("tags").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/refs/tags", git_dir);
-    }
-  }
-
-  let git_output =
-    std::process::Command::new("git").args(["describe", "--always", "--tags", "--long", "--dirty"]).output().ok();
-  let git_info = git_output.as_ref().and_then(|output| std::str::from_utf8(&output.stdout).ok().map(str::trim));
-  let cargo_pkg_version = env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION");
-
-  // Default git_describe to cargo_pkg_version
-  let mut git_describe = String::from(cargo_pkg_version);
-
-  if let Some(git_info) = git_info {
-    // If the `git_info` contains `CARGO_PKG_VERSION`, we simply use `git_info` as it is.
-    // Otherwise, prepend `CARGO_PKG_VERSION` to `git_info`.
-    if git_info.contains(cargo_pkg_version) {
-      // Remove the 'g' before the commit sha
-      let git_info = &git_info.replace('g', "");
-      git_describe = git_info.to_string();
-    } else {
-      git_describe = format!("v{}-{}", cargo_pkg_version, git_info);
-    }
-  }
-
-  println!("cargo:rustc-env=RATATUI_COUNTER_GIT_INFO={}", git_describe);
+fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>>  {
+  vergen::EmitBuilder::builder()
+    .all_build()
+    .all_git()
+    .emit()?;
+  Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/async/ratatui-counter/src/utils.rs b/async/ratatui-counter/src/utils.rs
index 5e7ce88..8e2c67a 100644
--- a/async/ratatui-counter/src/utils.rs
+++ b/async/ratatui-counter/src/utils.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use tracing::error;
 use tracing_error::ErrorLayer;
 use tracing_subscriber::{self, prelude::__tracing_subscriber_SubscriberExt, util::SubscriberInitExt, Layer};
 
-pub static GIT_COMMIT_HASH: &'static str = env!("RATATUI_COUNTER_GIT_INFO");
+const VERSION_MESSAGE: &str = concat!(env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"), "-", env!("VERGEN_GIT_DESCRIBE"), " (", env!("VERGEN_BUILD_DATE"), ")");
 
 lazy_static! {
   pub static ref PROJECT_NAME: String = env!("CARGO_CRATE_NAME").to_uppercase().to_string();
@@ -144,15 +144,13 @@ macro_rules! trace_dbg {
 pub fn version() -> String {
   let author = clap::crate_authors!();
 
-  let commit_hash = GIT_COMMIT_HASH;
-
   // let current_exe_path = PathBuf::from(clap::crate_name!()).display().to_string();
   let config_dir_path = get_config_dir().display().to_string();
   let data_dir_path = get_data_dir().display().to_string();
 
   format!(
     "\
-{commit_hash}
+{VERSION_MESSAGE}
 
 Authors: {author}
 
diff --git a/async/template/Cargo.toml b/async/template/Cargo.toml
index aaec4d4..14dd230 100644
--- a/async/template/Cargo.toml
+++ b/async/template/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ edition = "2021"
 description = "{{project-description}}"
 {% if repository != "" %}repository = "{{repository}}"{% endif %}
 authors = ["{{authors}}"]
+build = "build.rs"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
@@ -34,3 +35,6 @@ tokio-util = "0.7.9"
 tracing = "0.1.37"
 tracing-error = "0.2.0"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.17", features = ["env-filter", "serde"] }
+
+[build-dependencies]
+vergen = { version = "8.2.6", features = [ "build", "git", "gitoxide", "cargo" ]}
diff --git a/async/template/build.rs b/async/template/build.rs
index cf1aa0e..52484c2 100644
--- a/async/template/build.rs
+++ b/async/template/build.rs
@@ -1,46 +1,4 @@
-fn main() {
-  let git_output = std::process::Command::new("git").args(["rev-parse", "--git-dir"]).output().ok();
-  let git_dir = git_output.as_ref().and_then(|output| {
-    std::str::from_utf8(&output.stdout).ok().and_then(|s| s.strip_suffix('\n').or_else(|| s.strip_suffix("\r\n")))
-  });
-
-  // Tell cargo to rebuild if the head or any relevant refs change.
-  if let Some(git_dir) = git_dir {
-    let git_path = std::path::Path::new(git_dir);
-    let refs_path = git_path.join("refs");
-    if git_path.join("HEAD").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/HEAD", git_dir);
-    }
-    if git_path.join("packed-refs").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/packed-refs", git_dir);
-    }
-    if refs_path.join("heads").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/refs/heads", git_dir);
-    }
-    if refs_path.join("tags").exists() {
-      println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={}/refs/tags", git_dir);
-    }
-  }
-
-  let git_output =
-    std::process::Command::new("git").args(["describe", "--always", "--tags", "--long", "--dirty"]).output().ok();
-  let git_info = git_output.as_ref().and_then(|output| std::str::from_utf8(&output.stdout).ok().map(str::trim));
-  let cargo_pkg_version = env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION");
-
-  // Default git_describe to cargo_pkg_version
-  let mut git_describe = String::from(cargo_pkg_version);
-
-  if let Some(git_info) = git_info {
-    // If the `git_info` contains `CARGO_PKG_VERSION`, we simply use `git_info` as it is.
-    // Otherwise, prepend `CARGO_PKG_VERSION` to `git_info`.
-    if git_info.contains(cargo_pkg_version) {
-      // Remove the 'g' before the commit sha
-      let git_info = &git_info.replace('g', "");
-      git_describe = git_info.to_string();
-    } else {
-      git_describe = format!("v{}-{}", cargo_pkg_version, git_info);
-    }
-  }
-
-  println!("cargo:rustc-env=_GIT_INFO={}", git_describe); // used in ./src/utils.rs
+fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+  vergen::EmitBuilder::builder().all_build().all_git().emit()?;
+  Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/async/template/src/utils.rs b/async/template/src/utils.rs
index da22959..938e470 100644
--- a/async/template/src/utils.rs
+++ b/async/template/src/utils.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ use tracing::error;
 use tracing_error::ErrorLayer;
 use tracing_subscriber::{self, prelude::__tracing_subscriber_SubscriberExt, util::SubscriberInitExt, Layer};
 
-pub static GIT_COMMIT_HASH: &'static str = env!("_GIT_INFO");
+const VERSION_MESSAGE: &str =
+  concat!(env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"), "-", env!("VERGEN_GIT_DESCRIBE"), " (", env!("VERGEN_BUILD_DATE"), ")");
 
 lazy_static! {
   pub static ref PROJECT_NAME: String = env!("CARGO_CRATE_NAME").to_uppercase().to_string();
@@ -144,15 +145,13 @@ macro_rules! trace_dbg {
 pub fn version() -> String {
   let author = clap::crate_authors!();
 
-  let commit_hash = GIT_COMMIT_HASH;
-
   // let current_exe_path = PathBuf::from(clap::crate_name!()).display().to_string();
   let config_dir_path = get_config_dir().display().to_string();
   let data_dir_path = get_data_dir().display().to_string();
 
   format!(
     "\
-{commit_hash}
+{VERSION_MESSAGE}
 
 Authors: {author}