diff --git a/stand/userboot/userboot/Makefile b/stand/userboot/userboot/Makefile
index 15ac8701e4d..4674672bbec 100644
--- a/stand/userboot/userboot/Makefile
+++ b/stand/userboot/userboot/Makefile
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ CFLAGS.main.c+=	-I${SYSDIR}/contrib/openzfs/include/os/freebsd/zfs
 CWARNFLAGS.main.c += -Wno-implicit-function-declaration
 
 NEWVERSWHAT=	"User boot ${LOADER_INTERP}" ${MACHINE_CPUARCH}
-VERSION_FILE=	${.CURDIR}/../userboot/version
+VERSION_FILE?=	${.CURDIR}/../userboot/version
 
 .if ${LOADER_INTERP} == ${LOADER_DEFAULT_INTERP}
 LINKS+=		${BINDIR}/${SHLIB_NAME} ${BINDIR}/userboot.so