diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 089fbdb0..e2690069 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -67,6 +67,26 @@ if test -e .git; then
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_DOT_GIT, test x$dot_git = xyes)
 
+# If so, we include the git description in our logs for sanity checking.
+#
+# However, for people not running their own drivers this is just noise.
+# So we copy the xserver's builderstring idiom to allow for this to be
+# overridden and perhaps replaced with something more useful.
+AC_ARG_WITH(builderstring,
+	    AS_HELP_STRING([--with-builderstring=BUILDERSTRING],
+			   [Additional builder string (default: use git describe)]),
+	    [BUILDERSTRING="$withval"],
+	    [BUILDERSTRING="x-magic-git-describe"])
+
+if test "x$BUILDERSTRING" = xx-magic-git-describe -a x$dot_git = xyes; then
+	AC_DEFINE(USE_GIT_DESCRIBE, 1, [Use automagic builder description])
+else
+  if test "x$BUILDERSTRING" != x -a "x$BUILDERSTRING" != xno -a "x$BUILDERSTRING" != xx-magic-git-describe; then
+	  AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(BUILDER_DESCRIPTION, ["$BUILDERSTRING"], [Builder description])
+  fi
+fi
+
+
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES(GEN4ASM, [intel-gen4asm >= 1.2], [gen4asm=yes], [gen4asm=no])
 AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_GEN4ASM, test x$gen4asm = xyes)
 
diff --git a/src/sna/sna_driver.c b/src/sna/sna_driver.c
index 36f40194..83abdb32 100644
--- a/src/sna/sna_driver.c
+++ b/src/sna/sna_driver.c
@@ -1017,10 +1017,12 @@ void sna_init_scrn(ScrnInfoPtr scrn, int entity_num)
 {
 	EntityInfoPtr entity;
 
-#if HAVE_DOT_GIT
+#if defined(USE_GIT_DESCRIBE)
 	xf86DrvMsg(scrn->scrnIndex, X_INFO,
-		   "SNA compiled from %s\n",
-		   git_version);
+		   "SNA compiled from %s\n", git_version);
+#elif BUILDER_DESCRIPTION
+	xf86DrvMsg(scrn->scrnIndex, X_INFO,
+		   "SNA compiled: %s\n", BUILDER_DESCRIPTION);
 #endif
 
 	DBG(("%s\n", __FUNCTION__));