diff --git a/modules/git_info/git_info.cmake b/modules/git_info/git_info.cmake
index f33895c..8d33c20 100644
--- a/modules/git_info/git_info.cmake
+++ b/modules/git_info/git_info.cmake
@@ -5,22 +5,66 @@
 # Git repository version and status information
 # to the program output.
 #
-# autocmake.cfg configuration::
+# autocmake.yml configuration::
 #
-#   fetch: https://github.com/scisoft/autocmake/raw/master/modules/git_info/git_info_sub.cmake
-#          https://github.com/scisoft/autocmake/raw/master/modules/git_info/git_info.h.in
+#   url_root: https://github.com/coderefinery/autocmake/raw/master/
+#   fetch:
+#     - "%(url_root)modules/git_info/git_info_sub.cmake"
+#     - "%(url_root)modules/git_info/git_info.h.in"
 
-# CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR is undefined in CMake 2.8.2
-# see https://public.kitware.com/Bug/print_bug_page.php?bug_id=11675
-# workaround: create CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR 
-get_filename_component(CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE} PATH)
-add_custom_command(
-    OUTPUT ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/git_info.h
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -D_target_dir=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR} -P git_info_sub.cmake
-    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}
+# _header_location: where the Git info header file should be generated
+# _header_name: the Git info header name, complete with extension (.h, .hpp, .hxx or whatever)
+function(generate_git_info_header _header_location _header_name)
+  find_package(Git)
+
+  set(_git_last_commit_hash "unknown")
+  set(_git_last_commit_author "unknown")
+  set(_git_last_commit_date "unknown")
+  set(_git_branch "unknown")
+
+  if(GIT_FOUND)
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} --no-pager show -s --pretty=format:%h -n 1
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_last_commit_hash
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+      )
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} --no-pager show -s --pretty=format:%aN -n 1
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_last_commit_author
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+      )
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} --no-pager show -s --pretty=format:%ad -n 1
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_last_commit_date
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+      )
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_branch
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+      )
+  endif()
+
+  configure_file(
+    ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/downloaded/git_info.h.in
+    ${_header_location}/${_header_name}
+    @ONLY
     )
 
-add_custom_target(
+  unset(_git_last_commit_hash)
+  unset(_git_last_commit_author)
+  unset(_git_last_commit_date)
+  unset(_git_branch)
+
+  add_custom_target(
     git_info
-    ALL DEPENDS ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/git_info.h
+    ALL DEPENDS ${_header_location}/${_header_name}
     )
+endfunction()
diff --git a/modules/git_info/git_info_sub.cmake b/modules/git_info/git_info_sub.cmake
deleted file mode 100644
index de2a6ad..0000000
--- a/modules/git_info/git_info_sub.cmake
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,64 +0,0 @@
-#.rst:
-#
-# Creates git_info.h in the build directory.
-# This file can be included in sources to print
-# Git status information to the program output
-# for reproducibility reasons.
-
-find_package(Git)
-
-set(_git_last_commit_hash "unknown")
-set(_git_last_commit_author "unknown")
-set(_git_last_commit_date "unknown")
-set(_git_branch "unknown")
-
-if(GIT_FOUND)
-    execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-list --max-count=1 --abbrev-commit HEAD
-        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_last_commit_hash
-        ERROR_QUIET
-        )
-
-    if(_git_last_commit_hash)
-        string(STRIP ${_git_last_commit_hash} _git_last_commit_hash)
-    endif()
-
-    execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} log --max-count=1 HEAD
-        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_last_commit
-        ERROR_QUIET
-        )
-
-    if(_git_last_commit)
-        string(REGEX MATCH "Author: +(.+) <.*@" temp "${_git_last_commit}")
-        set(_git_last_commit_author ${CMAKE_MATCH_1})
-        string(STRIP ${_git_last_commit_author} _git_last_commit_author)
-        string(REGEX MATCH "Date: +(.+[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9] [+-][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9])" temp "${_git_last_commit}")
-        set(_git_last_commit_date ${CMAKE_MATCH_1})
-    endif()
-
-    execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
-        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _git_branch
-        ERROR_QUIET
-        )
-
-    if(_git_branch)
-        string(STRIP ${_git_branch} _git_branch)
-    endif()
-endif()
-
-# CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR is undefined in CMake 2.8.2
-# see https://public.kitware.com/Bug/print_bug_page.php?bug_id=11675
-# workaround: create CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR
-get_filename_component(CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE} PATH)
-configure_file(
-    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/git_info.h.in
-    ${_target_dir}/git_info.h
-    @ONLY
-    )
-
-unset(_git_last_commit_hash)
-unset(_git_last_commit_author)
-unset(_git_last_commit_date)
-unset(_git_branch)