diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a458a24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+9.7.0
diff --git a/backend/app/config.py b/backend/app/config.py
index 0baa30f..00744e5 100644
--- a/backend/app/config.py
+++ b/backend/app/config.py
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
 
     # App settings
     APP_NAME: str = "TOD - The Other Dude"
-    APP_VERSION: str = "0.1.0"
+    APP_VERSION: str = "9.7.0"
     DEBUG: bool = False
 
     @field_validator("CREDENTIAL_ENCRYPTION_KEY")
diff --git a/backend/pyproject.toml b/backend/pyproject.toml
index 41524fc..b3c9a55 100644
--- a/backend/pyproject.toml
+++ b/backend/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "the-other-dude-backend"
-version = "9.0.1"
+version = "9.7.0"
 description = "MikroTik Fleet Management Portal - Backend API"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"
 dependencies = [
diff --git a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
index b55576f..2d7bd55 100644
--- a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
+++ b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ TOD uses Pydantic Settings for configuration. All values can be set via environm
 | Variable | Default | Description |
 |----------|---------|-------------|
 | `APP_NAME` | `TOD - The Other Dude` | Application display name |
-| `APP_VERSION` | `0.1.0` | Semantic version string |
+| `APP_VERSION` | `9.7.0` | Semantic version string (see VERSION file at project root) |
 | `ENVIRONMENT` | `dev` | Runtime environment: `dev`, `staging`, or `production` |
 | `DEBUG` | `false` | Enable debug mode |
 | `CORS_ORIGINS` | `http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:5173,http://localhost:8080` | Comma-separated list of allowed CORS origins |
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index c95a277..a44d25a 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "frontend",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "9.0.1",
+  "version": "9.7.0",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "vite",
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/SettingsPage.tsx b/frontend/src/components/settings/SettingsPage.tsx
index bc55a4a..7b95628 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/settings/SettingsPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/SettingsPage.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
 import { Label } from '@/components/ui/label'
 import { ChangePasswordForm } from './ChangePasswordForm'
 import { toast } from 'sonner'
+import { APP_VERSION } from '@/lib/version'
 
 function SectionHeader({ icon: Icon, title }: { icon: React.FC<{ className?: string }>; title: string }) {
   return (
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ export function SettingsPage() {
             /api/docs (OpenAPI)
           </a>
         } />
-        <InfoRow label="Version" value="v9.6" />
+        <InfoRow label="Version" value={APP_VERSION} />
       </div>
 
       {/* Quick links */}
diff --git a/frontend/src/globals.d.ts b/frontend/src/globals.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..957f268
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/globals.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+/** Injected by vite.config.ts define — reads version from package.json at build time. */
+declare const __APP_VERSION__: string
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/version.ts b/frontend/src/lib/version.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42ab2ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/version.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+/**
+ * App version — derived from package.json at build time.
+ * Never hardcode version strings in components.
+ */
+export const APP_VERSION = `v${__APP_VERSION__}`
diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/_authenticated/about.tsx b/frontend/src/routes/_authenticated/about.tsx
index 4bf8e2e..9c24de2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/_authenticated/about.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/_authenticated/about.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
 import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { RugLogo } from '@/components/brand/RugLogo'
+import { APP_VERSION } from '@/lib/version'
 
 export const Route = createFileRoute('/_authenticated/about')({
   component: AboutPage,
@@ -509,7 +510,7 @@ function AboutPage() {
           MSP fleet management platform for RouterOS devices
         </p>
         <span className="inline-block px-3 py-1 text-xs font-mono font-medium text-accent bg-accent-muted rounded-full">
-          v9.6
+          {APP_VERSION}
         </span>
       </div>
 
diff --git a/frontend/vite.config.ts b/frontend/vite.config.ts
index 0caded4..28cc4ba 100644
--- a/frontend/vite.config.ts
+++ b/frontend/vite.config.ts
@@ -5,8 +5,14 @@ import { sri } from 'vite-plugin-sri3'
 import path from 'path'
 import fs from 'fs'
 
+// Read version from package.json for global define
+const pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, 'package.json'), 'utf-8'))
+
 // https://vite.dev/config/
 export default defineConfig({
+  define: {
+    __APP_VERSION__: JSON.stringify(pkg.version),
+  },
   plugins: [
     TanStackRouterVite({ target: 'react', autoCodeSplitting: true }),
     react(),
diff --git a/infrastructure/helm/Chart.yaml b/infrastructure/helm/Chart.yaml
index a1cd2b6..f0b4b31 100644
--- a/infrastructure/helm/Chart.yaml
+++ b/infrastructure/helm/Chart.yaml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name: tod
 description: The Other Dude — MikroTik fleet management platform
 type: application
 version: 1.0.0
-appVersion: "9.0.1"
+appVersion: "9.7.0"
 kubeVersion: ">=1.28.0-0"
 keywords:
   - mikrotik