diff --git a/Make_global.am b/Make_global.am
index 4037ac1..f2cb36c 100644
--- a/Make_global.am
+++ b/Make_global.am
@@ -1,24 +1,2 @@
-# This is _NOT_ the library release version, it's an API version.
-# Extracted from Chapter 6 "Library interface versions" of the libtool docs.
-#
-# <snippet>
-# Here are a set of rules to help you update your library version information:
-#
-# 1. Start with version information of `0:0:0' for each libtool library.
-# 2. Update the version information only immediately before a public release
-# of your software. More frequent updates are unnecessary, and only guarantee
-# that the current interface number gets larger faster.
-# 3. If the library source code has changed at all since the last update,
-# then increment revision (`c:r:a' becomes `c:r+1:a').
-# 4. If any interfaces have been added, removed, or changed since the last
-# update, increment current, and set revision to 0.
-# 5. If any interfaces have been added since the last public release, then
-# increment age.
-# 6. If any interfaces have been removed since the last public release, then
-# set age to 0.
-# </snippet>
-#
-LIBVERSION=1:0:1
-
 AM_CPPFLAGS = ${regular_CPPFLAGS} -I${top_srcdir}/include ${LIBMNL_CFLAGS}
 AM_CFLAGS = ${regular_CFLAGS} ${GCC_FVISIBILITY_HIDDEN}
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index deb3299..1fabe69 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 include $(top_srcdir)/Make_global.am
 
+@RELMAKE@
+
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
 
 SUBDIRS = src include tools
diff --git a/TODO-RELEASE b/TODO-RELEASE
index e69de29..d0852fc 100644
--- a/TODO-RELEASE
+++ b/TODO-RELEASE
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# When cleaning up this file: bump API version in corresponding Makefile.am and rename corresponding debian/lib*.install
+# according to https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/html_node/Updating-version-info.html#Updating-version-info
+# In short:
+# LIBVERSION=c:r:a
+# If the library source code has changed at all since the last update, then increment revision: c:r + 1:a.
+# If any interfaces have been added, removed, or changed since the last update: c + 1:0:0.
+# If any interfaces have been added since the last public release: c:r:a + 1.
+# If any interfaces have been removed or changed since the last public release: c:r:0.
+#library	what		description / commit summary line
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index f70ead0..19e07b2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([config.h])
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign tar-pax no-dist-gzip dist-bzip2 1.6 subdir-objects])
 
+dnl include release helper
+RELMAKE='-include osmo-release.mk'
+AC_SUBST([RELMAKE])
+
 dnl kernel style compile messages
 m4_ifdef([AM_SILENT_RULES], [AM_SILENT_RULES([yes])])
 
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 53adda7..5490e42 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 include $(top_srcdir)/Make_global.am
+
+# This is _NOT_ the library release version, it's an API version.
+# Please read Chapter 6 "Library interface versions" of the libtool documentation before making any modification
+LIBVERSION=1:0:1
+
+
 lib_LTLIBRARIES = libgtpnl.la
 
 noinst_HEADERS = internal.h