diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 91a04230..1977f231 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,14 +13,14 @@ set(FASTSCAPELIB_INCLUDE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include)
 
 include(GetGitRevisionAddons)
 
-get_git_version_pieces(GIT_VERSION_PIECES)
+get_version_pieces(VERSION_PIECES)
 
-format_version_pep440(VERSION_STR GIT_VERSION_PIECES)
+format_version_pep440(VERSION_STR VERSION_PIECES)
 
 get_version_numbers(VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_MINOR VERSION_PATCH
-  GIT_VERSION_PIECES)
+  VERSION_PIECES)
 
-list(GET GIT_VERSION_PIECES 0 GIT_HASH_FULL)
+list(GET VERSION_PIECES 0 GIT_HASH_FULL)
 
 message(STATUS "Building ${PROJECT_NAME} version ${VERSION_STR}")
 
diff --git a/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionAddons.cmake b/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionAddons.cmake
index cd10162e..3e62ea99 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionAddons.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionAddons.cmake
@@ -4,9 +4,8 @@
 include(GetGitRevisionDescription)
 
 function(get_git_version_pieces _version_pieces)
-
   get_git_head_revision(_ hash_full_)
-  git_describe(GIT_REV_DESCRIPTION --tags --always --dirty)
+  git_describe(GIT_REV_DESCRIPTION --tags --always --dirty --long)
 
   if(${GIT_REV_DESCRIPTION} MATCHES
       "^[v]*([0-9\\.]+)\\-([0-9]+)\\-g([A-Za-z0-9]+)\\-*([dirty]*).*")
@@ -18,7 +17,7 @@ function(get_git_version_pieces _version_pieces)
 
   elseif(${GIT_REV_DESCRIPTION} MATCHES
       "^[v]*([0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+)\\-*([dirty]*).*")
-    # HEAD is a tag
+    # HEAD is a tag (normally not needed if --long is used for git describe)
     set(_closest_tag ${CMAKE_MATCH_1})
     set(_commit_count "")
     set(_hash_short "")
@@ -44,6 +43,41 @@ function(get_git_version_pieces _version_pieces)
     PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
+
+function(get_source_dir_version_pieces _version_pieces)
+  set(hash_full_ "NOTFOUND")
+  set(_commit_count "0")
+  set(_hash_short "")
+  set(_local_changes "")
+
+  get_filename_component(_dirname ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} NAME)
+
+  if(${_dirname} MATCHES "^.*\\-[v]*([0-9\\.]+)")
+    set(_closest_tag ${CMAKE_MATCH_1})
+  else()
+    set(_closest_tag "VERSION-NOTFOUND")
+  endif()
+
+  set(${_version_pieces}
+    "${hash_full_};${_hash_short};${_closest_tag};${_commit_count};${_local_changes}"
+    PARENT_SCOPE)
+endfunction()
+
+
+function(get_version_pieces _version_pieces)
+  # TODO: proper version/error handling when git is not installed
+  get_git_head_revision(_ hash_full_)
+
+  if(hash_full_ STREQUAL "GITDIR-NOTFOUND")
+    get_source_dir_version_pieces(_pieces)
+  else()
+    get_git_version_pieces(_pieces)
+  endif()
+
+  set(${_version_pieces} "${_pieces}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+endfunction()
+
+
 function(format_version_pep440 _version_str _version_pieces)
   list(GET ${_version_pieces} 1 _hash_short)
   list(GET ${_version_pieces} 2 _closest_tag)
@@ -57,9 +91,9 @@ function(format_version_pep440 _version_str _version_pieces)
   endif()
   if(_commit_count)
     list(APPEND _local_version_items ${_commit_count})
-  endif()
-  if(_hash_short)
-    list(APPEND _local_version_items "g${_hash_short}")
+    if(_hash_short)
+      list(APPEND _local_version_items "g${_hash_short}")
+    endif()
   endif()
   if(_local_changes)
     list(APPEND _local_version_items ${_local_changes})
@@ -75,6 +109,7 @@ function(format_version_pep440 _version_str _version_pieces)
   set(${_version_str} ${_closest_tag}${_local_version_label} PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
+
 function(get_version_numbers
     _version_major _version_minor _version_patch
     _version_pieces)
diff --git a/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionDescription.cmake b/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionDescription.cmake
index b54ada49..7ecf0afd 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionDescription.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/GetGitRevisionDescription.cmake
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ function(git_describe _var)
   execute_process(COMMAND
     "${GIT_EXECUTABLE}"
     describe
-    --match ${hash}
     ${ARGN}
     WORKING_DIRECTORY
     "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}"
diff --git a/cmake/modules/print_version.cmake b/cmake/modules/print_version.cmake
index ae53528e..369180d7 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/print_version.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/print_version.cmake
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@ set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR} ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH})
 
 include(GetGitRevisionAddons)
 
-get_git_version_pieces(GIT_VERSION_PIECES)
-
-format_version_pep440(VERSION_STR GIT_VERSION_PIECES)
+get_version_pieces(VERSION_PIECES)
+format_version_pep440(VERSION_STR VERSION_PIECES)
 
 message(${VERSION_STR})
diff --git a/include/fastscapelib/hillslope.hpp b/include/fastscapelib/hillslope.hpp
index ba29ce9d..b68397c9 100644
--- a/include/fastscapelib/hillslope.hpp
+++ b/include/fastscapelib/hillslope.hpp
@@ -175,8 +175,11 @@ auto solve_diffusion_adi_row(Ei&& elevation,
         diag_bounds = 1;
         auto upper_bounds = xt::view(upper, xt::keep(0, -1));
         upper_bounds = 0;
-        auto vec_bounds = xt::view(vec, xt::keep(0, -1));
-        vec_bounds = xt::view(elevation, r, xt::keep(0, -1));
+        vec(0) = elevation(r, 0);
+        vec(ncols - 1) = elevation(r, ncols - 1);
+        // TODO: the code below works with xtensor 0.17.1 but not with 0.17.2
+        // auto vec_bounds = xt::view(vec, xt::keep(0, -1));
+        // vec_bounds = xt::view(elevation, r, xt::keep(0, -1));
 
         auto elevation_out_r = xt::view(elevation_out, r, xt::all());
 
diff --git a/python/setup.py b/python/setup.py
index c4bb9b49..9210438d 100644
--- a/python/setup.py
+++ b/python/setup.py
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ def get_version():
     """
     check_cmake_version()
 
-    cmake_script = os.path.join(os.pardir, 'cmake', 'modules',
-                                'print_version.cmake')
+    cmake_script = os.path.join('cmake', 'modules', 'print_version.cmake')
     out = subprocess.check_output(['cmake', '-P', cmake_script],
+                                  cwd=os.pardir,
                                   stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
     version_str = out.decode().strip()
     return version_str