diff --git a/scripts/build-deb.sh b/scripts/build-deb.sh
index 111ba35..2b514bc 100755
--- a/scripts/build-deb.sh
+++ b/scripts/build-deb.sh
@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@ ARCH="${2:-$(dpkg --print-architecture 2>/dev/null || echo "amd64")}"
 
 if [[ -z "$VERSION" ]]; then
     VERSION=$(git describe --tags --always --dirty 2>/dev/null || echo "dev")
-    VERSION="${VERSION#v}"
 fi
 
+VERSION="${VERSION#v}"
+
 if ! command -v dpkg-deb &>/dev/null; then
     echo "Error: dpkg-deb not found. Install with: sudo apt install dpkg" >&2
     exit 1