diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index 4535508026..a72d38f803 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ endif()
 
 
 set_dist_list(cmake_DIST CMakeLists.txt README_CMAKE.txt cmake_uninstall.cmake.in
-    configure-appdata.cmake configure-manpage.cmake git2version-info.cmake
+    insert-vcs-data.cmake configure-manpage.cmake git2version-info.cmake
     version-info2env.cmake
 )
diff --git a/cmake/configure-appdata.cmake b/cmake/insert-vcs-data.cmake
similarity index 96%
rename from cmake/configure-appdata.cmake
rename to cmake/insert-vcs-data.cmake
index 11cc7b7653..2e0ce92ca0 100644
--- a/cmake/configure-appdata.cmake
+++ b/cmake/insert-vcs-data.cmake
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 
 include (${SRC_DIR}/cmake/version-info2env.cmake)
 versioninfo2env (${VCS_INFO_FILE})
-configure_file(${SRC} ${DST} )
+configure_file(${SRC} ${DST})
diff --git a/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt b/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt
index 7a05b38b09..3a96d9169b 100644
--- a/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -153,62 +153,91 @@ install(TARGETS gnc-gnome
 
 # No headers to install
 
-add_custom_command(OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
-DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE}
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -D SRC=${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in
-                             -D DST=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
-                             -D VCS_INFO_FILE=${VCS_INFO_FILE}
-                             -D SRC_DIR=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
-                             -P ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/configure-appdata.cmake)
-
-if (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_APPDATA)
+set (GNC_APPDATA_IN ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in)
+if (NOT BUILDING_FROM_VCS)
+    # We're building from a dist tarball.
+    # As a convenience to packagers we have included a pretranslated
+    # intermediate appdata file in the dist tarball.
+    set (GNC_APPDATA_IN ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in)
+elseif (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_APPDATA)
     # FIXME: where does LC_ALL=C come from?
     add_custom_command (
-        OUTPUT gnucash.appdata.xml
+        OUTPUT ${GNC_APPDATA_IN}
         COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env
             LC_ALL=C
             ${GETTEXT_MSGFMT_EXECUTABLE}
-                --xml --template ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
+                --xml --template ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in
                 -d ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/po
-                -o gnucash.appdata.xml
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE})
+                -o ${GNC_APPDATA_IN}
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in)
 else()
-    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge an appdata file.
+    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge a desktop file
+    # and we're building from git.
     # Fall back to providing an unmerged (and hence untranslated) appdata file.
+    # Note the build system won't allow generating a dist tarball in this scenario.
     add_custom_command (
-        OUTPUT gnucash.appdata.xml
+        OUTPUT ${GNC_APPDATA_IN}
         COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
-           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
-           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml
-
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE})
+            ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in
+            ${GNC_APPDATA_IN}
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in)
 endif()
 
+add_custom_command(
+    OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml
+    DEPENDS ${GNC_APPDATA_IN} ${VCS_INFO_FILE}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -D SRC=${GNC_APPDATA_IN}
+                             -D DST=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml
+                             -D VCS_INFO_FILE=${VCS_INFO_FILE}
+                             -D PROJECT_VERSION=${PROJECT_VERSION}
+                             -D SRC_DIR=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
+                             -P ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/insert-vcs-data.cmake)
+
 add_custom_target(gnucash-appdata ALL DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml)
 
 install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml DESTINATION  ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/metainfo)
 
 #=======
 
-configure_file(gnucash.desktop.in.in gnucash.desktop.in)
-
-if (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_DESKTOP)
+set (GNC_DESKTOP_IN ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in)
+if (NOT BUILDING_FROM_VCS)
+    # We're building from a dist tarball.
+    # As a convenience to packagers we have included a pretranslated
+    # intermediate desktop file in the dist tarball.
+    set (GNC_DESKTOP_IN ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in)
+elseif (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_DESKTOP)
     add_custom_command (
-        OUTPUT gnucash.desktop
+        OUTPUT ${GNC_DESKTOP_IN}
         COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env
             LC_ALL=C
             ${GETTEXT_MSGFMT_EXECUTABLE}
-                --desktop --template gnucash.desktop.in
+                --desktop --template ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in.in
                 -d ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/po
-                -o gnucash.desktop
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in)
+                -o ${GNC_DESKTOP_IN}
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in.in)
 else()
-    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge a desktop file.
+    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge a desktop file
+    # and we're building from git.
     # Fall back to providing an unmerged (and hence untranslated) desktop file.
-    configure_file (${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in
-                    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop COPYONLY)
+    # Note the build system won't allow generating a dist tarball in this scenario.
+    add_custom_command (
+        OUTPUT ${GNC_DESKTOP_IN}
+        COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
+            ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in.in
+            ${GNC_DESKTOP_IN}
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in.in)
 endif()
 
+add_custom_command (
+    OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop
+    DEPENDS ${GNC_DESKTOP_IN} ${VCS_INFO_FILE}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -D SRC=${GNC_DESKTOP_IN}
+                             -D DST=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop
+                             -D VCS_INFO_FILE=${VCS_INFO_FILE}
+                             -D PROJECT_VERSION=${PROJECT_VERSION}
+                             -D SRC_DIR=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
+                             -P ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/insert-vcs-data.cmake)
+
 add_custom_target(gnucash-desktop ALL DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop)
 
 install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop DESTINATION  ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/applications)
@@ -216,3 +245,4 @@ install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop DESTINATION  ${CMAKE_I
 set_dist_list(gnome_DIST
         CMakeLists.txt gnome.i gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in gnucash.desktop.in.in
         ${gnc_gnome_noinst_HEADERS} ${gnc_gnome_SOURCES})
+dist_add_generated(${BUILDING_FROM_VCS} gnucash.appdata.xml.in gnucash.desktop.in)