diff --git a/Dockerfile.py b/Dockerfile.py
index 2953bc3..946b675 100755
--- a/Dockerfile.py
+++ b/Dockerfile.py
@@ -22,16 +22,6 @@ import sys
 import subprocess
 from dotenv import dotenv_values
 
-FTL_VERSION = None
-
-
-def read_pihole_versions():
-    global FTL_VERSION
-    dot = os.path.abspath('.')
-    config = dotenv_values('{}/VERSIONS'.format(dot))
-    FTL_VERSION = config['FTL_VERSION'].replace('/','-')
-
-
 def build_dockerfiles(args) -> bool:
     all_success = True
     if args['-v']:
@@ -64,14 +54,16 @@ def run_and_stream_command_output(command, environment_vars, verbose) -> bool:
 
 
 def build(docker_repo: str, arch: str, debian_version: str, hub_tag: str, show_time: bool, no_cache: bool, verbose: bool) -> bool:
-    create_tag = f'{docker_repo}:{FTL_VERSION}-{arch}-{debian_version}'
+    # remove the `pihole/pihole:` from hub_tag for use elsewhere
+    tag_name = hub_tag.split(":",1)[1]
+    create_tag = f'{docker_repo}:{tag_name}'
     print(f' ::: Building {create_tag}')
     time_arg = 'time' if show_time else ''
     cache_arg = '--no-cache' if no_cache else ''
     build_env = os.environ.copy()
-    build_env['PIHOLE_VERSION'] = FTL_VERSION
+    build_env['PIHOLE_VERSION'] = os.environ.get('GIT_TAG', None)
     build_env['DEBIAN_VERSION'] = debian_version
-    build_env['PIHOLE_TAG'] = hub_tag
+    build_env['PIHOLE_TAG'] = tag_name
     build_command = f'{time_arg} docker-compose -f build.yml build {cache_arg} --pull {arch}'
     print(f' ::: Building {arch} into {create_tag}')
     success = run_and_stream_command_output(build_command, build_env, verbose)
@@ -86,7 +78,6 @@ def build(docker_repo: str, arch: str, debian_version: str, hub_tag: str, show_t
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     args = docopt(__doc__, version='Dockerfile 1.1')
-    read_pihole_versions()
     success = build_dockerfiles(args)
     exit_code = 0 if success else 1
     sys.exit(exit_code)
diff --git a/gh-actions-test.sh b/gh-actions-test.sh
index b4ab996..6d603ae 100755
--- a/gh-actions-test.sh
+++ b/gh-actions-test.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ docker run --rm \
     --env ARCH="${ARCH}" \
     --env ARCH_IMAGE="${ARCH_IMAGE}" \
     --env DEBIAN_VERSION="${DEBIAN_VERSION}" \
+    --env GIT_TAG="${GIT_TAG}" \
     ${enter} image_pipenv
 
 mkdir -p ".gh-workspace/${DEBIAN_VERSION}/"
diff --git a/test/conftest.py b/test/conftest.py
index a938e1f..ec5bbfb 100644
--- a/test/conftest.py
+++ b/test/conftest.py
@@ -3,29 +3,18 @@ import os
 import pytest
 import subprocess
 import testinfra
-from dotenv import dotenv_values
 
 local_host = testinfra.get_host('local://')
 check_output = local_host.check_output
 
 DEBIAN_VERSION = os.environ.get('DEBIAN_VERSION', 'buster')
-FTL_VERSION = None
-
-
-@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
-def read_pihole_versions():
-    global FTL_VERSION
-    dotdot = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.abspath(__file__), os.pardir, os.pardir))
-    config = dotenv_values('{}/VERSIONS'.format(dotdot))
-    FTL_VERSION = config['FTL_VERSION'].replace('/','-')
-
 
 @pytest.fixture()
 def run_and_stream_command_output():
     def run_and_stream_command_output_inner(command, verbose=False):
         print("Running", command)
         build_env = os.environ.copy()
-        build_env['PIHOLE_VERSION'] = FTL_VERSION
+        build_env['PIHOLE_VERSION'] = version
         build_result = subprocess.Popen(command.split(), env=build_env, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,
                                         bufsize=1, universal_newlines=True)
         if verbose:
@@ -101,7 +90,7 @@ def arch(request):
 
 @pytest.fixture()
 def version():
-    return FTL_VERSION
+    return os.environ.get('GIT_TAG', None)
 
 @pytest.fixture()
 def debian_version():
@@ -132,7 +121,7 @@ def persist_arch():
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope='module')
 def persist_version():
-    return FTL_VERSION
+    return version
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope='module')
 def persist_debian_version():