diff --git a/version.sh b/version.sh
index 8d084c2df3..62882e0f36 100755
--- a/version.sh
+++ b/version.sh
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ if [ -z "$2" ]; then
 fi
 
 NEW_REVISION="#define FFMPEG_VERSION \"$version\""
-OLD_REVISION=$(cat version.h 2> /dev/null)
+OLD_REVISION=$(cat "$2" 2> /dev/null)
 
-# Update version.h only on revision changes to avoid spurious rebuilds
+# Update version header only on revision changes to avoid spurious rebuilds
 if test "$NEW_REVISION" != "$OLD_REVISION"; then
     echo "$NEW_REVISION" > "$2"
 fi