diff --git a/docs/dev/rest-api/endpoints.md b/docs/dev/rest-api/endpoints.md
index 702dd98a..f8894256 100644
--- a/docs/dev/rest-api/endpoints.md
+++ b/docs/dev/rest-api/endpoints.md
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ Health check. **This is the only route exempt from authentication**: you can cal
     {
       "status": "ok",
       "version": "5.3.0",
+      "commit": "a24c9b9",
       "update_check": {
         "update_available": false,
         "current_version": "5.3.0",
@@ -51,6 +52,8 @@ Health check. **This is the only route exempt from authentication**: you can cal
     }
     ```
 
+`commit` is the short git commit of the running checkout. It is `null` when the server cannot read one (for example, an installed package with no `.git` directory, or a host without git).
+
 If the update check fails (for example, no network), `update_available` and `latest_version` are `null` while `current_version` still reports the installed version.
 
 | Status | Meaning |
diff --git a/docs/guide/troubleshooting.md b/docs/guide/troubleshooting.md
index 383850e3..70cfa4fe 100644
--- a/docs/guide/troubleshooting.md
+++ b/docs/guide/troubleshooting.md
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ For example, `unshackle_debug_EXAMPLE_20260703-142530.jsonl`. The `<service>` ta
 Every line is a self-contained JSON object. The first line of a session records the environment:
 
 ```json
-{"timestamp":"2026-07-03T14:25:30.123456+00:00","session_id":"a1b2c3d4","level":"INFO","operation":"session_start","message":"Debug logging session started","context":{"unshackle_version":"5.3.0","python_version":"3.12.4 ...","platform":"Linux-6.18.5-x86_64","platform_system":"Linux","platform_release":"6.18.5"}}
+{"timestamp":"2026-07-03T14:25:30.123456+00:00","session_id":"a1b2c3d4","level":"INFO","operation":"session_start","message":"Debug logging session started","context":{"unshackle_version":"5.3.0","unshackle_commit":"a24c9b9","python_version":"3.12.4 ...","platform":"Linux-6.18.5-x86_64","platform_system":"Linux","platform_release":"6.18.5"}}
 ```
 
 Subsequent lines describe operations: service calls, DRM licence requests, vault lookups, downloader progress, and errors. Common fields include:
diff --git a/tests/core/test_git_commit.py b/tests/core/test_git_commit.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f375ceab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/core/test_git_commit.py
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+"""Unit tests for the git commit probe behind the banner and the /api/health `commit` field.
+The probe runs at import time, so it must always return a string and must never raise, whatever
+state git and the checkout are in."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+import unshackle.core
+from unshackle.core import _git_commit
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.unit
+
+# Without a .git the probe returns before it runs git, so the subprocess stubs below prove nothing.
+needs_checkout = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not (Path(unshackle.core.__file__).parents[2] / ".git").exists(), reason="not running from a git checkout"
+)
+
+
+def test_returns_str_in_this_checkout() -> None:
+    assert isinstance(_git_commit(), str)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "error",
+    [
+        FileNotFoundError("git"),
+        PermissionError("git"),
+        subprocess.TimeoutExpired(cmd="git", timeout=2),
+        subprocess.SubprocessError("boom"),
+    ],
+)
+@needs_checkout
+def test_swallows_subprocess_errors(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, error: Exception) -> None:
+    def raise_it(*args: object, **kwargs: object) -> None:
+        raise error
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(subprocess, "run", raise_it)
+    assert _git_commit() == ""
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("returncode", "stdout", "expected"),
+    [
+        (0, "a24c9b9\n", "a24c9b9"),
+        (128, "", ""),  # empty repo, corrupt repo, or a stale worktree pointer
+        (0, "", ""),  # no output despite success
+    ],
+)
+@needs_checkout
+def test_maps_git_result(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, returncode: int, stdout: str, expected: str) -> None:
+    completed = subprocess.CompletedProcess(args=["git"], returncode=returncode, stdout=stdout, stderr="noise")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(subprocess, "run", lambda *a, **k: completed)
+    assert _git_commit() == expected
diff --git a/unshackle/core/__init__.py b/unshackle/core/__init__.py
index f5752882..7826b872 100644
--- a/unshackle/core/__init__.py
+++ b/unshackle/core/__init__.py
@@ -1 +1,24 @@
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
 __version__ = "5.3.0"
+
+
+def _git_commit() -> str:
+    root = Path(__file__).parents[2]
+    if not (root / ".git").exists():
+        return ""
+    try:
+        proc = subprocess.run(
+            ["git", "rev-parse", "--short", "HEAD"],
+            cwd=root,
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=2,
+        )
+    except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError):
+        return ""
+    return proc.stdout.strip() if proc.returncode == 0 else ""
+
+
+__commit__ = _git_commit()
diff --git a/unshackle/core/__main__.py b/unshackle/core/__main__.py
index 74744bd3..89f90616 100644
--- a/unshackle/core/__main__.py
+++ b/unshackle/core/__main__.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from rich.padding import Padding
 from rich.text import Text
 from urllib3.exceptions import InsecureRequestWarning
 
-from unshackle.core import __version__
+from unshackle.core import __commit__, __version__
 from unshackle.core.commands import Commands
 from unshackle.core.config import config
 from unshackle.core.console import ComfyRichHandler, console
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ def main(version: bool, debug: bool) -> None:
                     r" ▀▀▀ ▀▀ █▪ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ · ▀  ▀ ·▀▀▀ ·▀  ▀.▀▀▀  ▀▀▀ ",
                     style="ascii.art",
                 ),
-                f"v [repr.number]{__version__}[/] - © 2025-{datetime.now().year} - github.com/unshackle-dl/unshackle",
+                f"v [repr.number]{__version__}[/]{f' ({__commit__})' if __commit__ else ''}"
+                f" - © 2025-{datetime.now().year} - github.com/unshackle-dl/unshackle",
             ),
             (1, 11, 1, 10),
             expand=True,
diff --git a/unshackle/core/api/routes.py b/unshackle/core/api/routes.py
index 44956915..c578170b 100644
--- a/unshackle/core/api/routes.py
+++ b/unshackle/core/api/routes.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import click
 from aiohttp import web
 from aiohttp_swagger3 import SwaggerDocs, SwaggerInfo, SwaggerUiSettings
 
-from unshackle.core import __version__
+from unshackle.core import __commit__, __version__
 from unshackle.core.api.errors import APIError, APIErrorCode, build_error_response, handle_api_exception
 from unshackle.core.api.handlers import (
     cancel_download_job_handler,
@@ -105,6 +105,10 @@ async def health(request: web.Request) -> web.Response:
                 version:
                   type: string
                   example: "2.0.0"
+                commit:
+                  type: string
+                  nullable: true
+                  example: "a24c9b9"
                 update_check:
                   type: object
                   properties:
@@ -128,7 +132,9 @@ async def health(request: web.Request) -> web.Response:
         log.warning(f"Failed to check for updates: {e}")
         update_info = {"update_available": None, "current_version": __version__, "latest_version": None}
 
-    return web.json_response({"status": "ok", "version": __version__, "update_check": update_info})
+    return web.json_response(
+        {"status": "ok", "version": __version__, "commit": __commit__ or None, "update_check": update_info}
+    )
 
 
 @api_handler
diff --git a/unshackle/core/utilities.py b/unshackle/core/utilities.py
index 62958a55..dd100b22 100644
--- a/unshackle/core/utilities.py
+++ b/unshackle/core/utilities.py
@@ -787,7 +787,7 @@ class DebugLogger:
         """Log the start of a new session with environment information."""
         import platform
 
-        from unshackle.core import __version__
+        from unshackle.core import __commit__, __version__
 
         self.log(
             level="INFO",
@@ -795,6 +795,7 @@ class DebugLogger:
             message="Debug logging session started",
             context={
                 "unshackle_version": __version__,
+                "unshackle_commit": __commit__ or None,
                 "python_version": sys.version,
                 "platform": platform.platform(),
                 "platform_system": platform.system(),