diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index ceedaa23..cee2872a 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 20/7/12 started 7.30.0
 - support "rs" mode in vips7
+- add --vips-version cmdline arg
 
 19/3/12 started 7.29.0
 - sanity-check PNG read geometry
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/init.c b/libvips/iofuncs/init.c
index e4961237..0a9425a2 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/init.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/init.c
@@ -365,20 +365,29 @@ vips__ngettext( const char *msgid, const char *plural, unsigned long int n )
 	return( dngettext( GETTEXT_PACKAGE, msgid, plural, n ) );
 }
 
+static gboolean
+vips_lib_version_cb( const gchar *option_name, const gchar *value, 
+	gpointer data, GError **error )
+{
+	printf( "libvips %s\n", VIPS_VERSION_STRING );
+	vips_shutdown();
+	exit( 0 );
+}
+
 static GOptionEntry option_entries[] = {
 	{ "vips-concurrency", 'c', 0, 
 		G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &vips__concurrency, 
 		N_( "evaluate with N concurrent threads" ), "N" },
-	{ "vips-tile-width", 'w', 0, 
+	{ "vips-tile-width", 'w', G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN, 
 		G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &vips__tile_width, 
 		N_( "set tile width to N (DEBUG)" ), "N" },
-	{ "vips-tile-height", 'h', 0, 
+	{ "vips-tile-height", 'h', G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN, 
 		G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &vips__tile_height, 
 		N_( "set tile height to N (DEBUG)" ), "N" },
-	{ "vips-thinstrip-height", 't', 0, 
+	{ "vips-thinstrip-height", 't', G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN, 
 		G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &vips__thinstrip_height, 
 		N_( "set thinstrip height to N (DEBUG)" ), "N" },
-	{ "vips-fatstrip-height", 'f', 0, 
+	{ "vips-fatstrip-height", 'f', G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN, 
 		G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &vips__fatstrip_height, 
 		N_( "set fatstrip height to N (DEBUG)" ), "N" },
 	{ "vips-progress", 'p', 0, 
@@ -408,6 +417,9 @@ static GOptionEntry option_entries[] = {
 	{ "vips-cache-dump", 'r', 0, 
 		G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &vips__cache_dump, 
 		N_( "dump operation cache on exit" ), NULL },
+	{ "vips-version", 'v', G_OPTION_FLAG_NO_ARG, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_CALLBACK, (gpointer) &vips_lib_version_cb, 
+		N_( "print libvips version" ), NULL },
 	{ NULL }
 };
 
diff --git a/tools/vipsthumbnail.c b/tools/vipsthumbnail.c
index b7f04c6a..67f034c4 100644
--- a/tools/vipsthumbnail.c
+++ b/tools/vipsthumbnail.c
@@ -57,28 +57,37 @@ static gboolean nodelete_profile = FALSE;
 static gboolean verbose = FALSE;
 
 static GOptionEntry options[] = {
-	{ "size", 's', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &thumbnail_size, 
+	{ "size", 's', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &thumbnail_size, 
 		N_( "set thumbnail size to SIZE" ), 
 		N_( "SIZE" ) },
-	{ "output", 'o', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &output_format, 
+	{ "output", 'o', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &output_format, 
 		N_( "set output to FORMAT" ), 
 		N_( "FORMAT" ) },
-	{ "interpolator", 'p', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &interpolator, 
+	{ "interpolator", 'p', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &interpolator, 
 		N_( "resample with INTERPOLATOR" ), 
 		N_( "INTERPOLATOR" ) },
-	{ "nosharpen", 'n', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &nosharpen, 
+	{ "nosharpen", 'n', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &nosharpen, 
 		N_( "don't sharpen thumbnail" ), NULL },
-	{ "eprofile", 'e', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &export_profile, 
+	{ "eprofile", 'e', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &export_profile, 
 		N_( "export with PROFILE" ), 
 		N_( "PROFILE" ) },
-	{ "iprofile", 'i', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &import_profile, 
+	{ "iprofile", 'i', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &import_profile, 
 		N_( "import untagged images with PROFILE" ), 
 		N_( "PROFILE" ) },
-	{ "delete", 'd', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &delete_profile, 
+	{ "delete", 'd', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &delete_profile, 
 		N_( "delete profile from exported image" ), NULL },
-	{ "nodelete", 'l', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &nodelete_profile, 
+	{ "nodelete", 'l', G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &nodelete_profile, 
 		N_( "(deprecated, does nothing)" ), NULL },
-	{ "verbose", 'v', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &verbose, 
+	{ "verbose", 'v', 0, 
+		G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &verbose, 
 		N_( "verbose output" ), NULL },
 	{ NULL }
 };