diff --git a/fftools/cmdutils.c b/fftools/cmdutils.c
index 4b50e15eef..869b5ec012 100644
--- a/fftools/cmdutils.c
+++ b/fftools/cmdutils.c
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/ffversion.h"
 #include "libavutil/version.h"
 #include "libavcodec/bsf.h"
+#include "libavcodec/version.h"
 #include "cmdutils.h"
 #if HAVE_SYS_RESOURCE_H
 #include <sys/time.h>
diff --git a/fftools/ffmpeg.c b/fftools/ffmpeg.c
index 9a3fdc636d..7b8342fd0e 100644
--- a/fftools/ffmpeg.c
+++ b/fftools/ffmpeg.c
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/thread.h"
 #include "libavutil/threadmessage.h"
 #include "libavcodec/mathops.h"
+#include "libavcodec/version.h"
 #include "libavformat/os_support.h"
 
 # include "libavfilter/avfilter.h"
diff --git a/fftools/ffprobe.c b/fftools/ffprobe.c
index 66206b66d9..6f4ce52eb5 100644
--- a/fftools/ffprobe.c
+++ b/fftools/ffprobe.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 #include "libavformat/avformat.h"
 #include "libavcodec/avcodec.h"
+#include "libavcodec/version.h"
 #include "libavutil/avassert.h"
 #include "libavutil/avstring.h"
 #include "libavutil/bprint.h"
diff --git a/libavcodec/Makefile b/libavcodec/Makefile
index cd929da8e6..22063e43a7 100644
--- a/libavcodec/Makefile
+++ b/libavcodec/Makefile
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ HEADERS = ac3_parser.h                                                  \
           qsv.h                                                         \
           vdpau.h                                                       \
           version.h                                                     \
+          version_major.h                                               \
           videotoolbox.h                                                \
           vorbis_parser.h                                               \
           xvmc.h                                                        \
diff --git a/libavcodec/aacenc.c b/libavcodec/aacenc.c
index a1004c3e98..38f2d15f78 100644
--- a/libavcodec/aacenc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/aacenc.c
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 #include "mpeg4audio.h"
 #include "sinewin.h"
 #include "profiles.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 #include "aac.h"
 #include "aactab.h"
diff --git a/libavcodec/avcodec.c b/libavcodec/avcodec.c
index 92639dda6b..838c009a19 100644
--- a/libavcodec/avcodec.c
+++ b/libavcodec/avcodec.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #include "frame_thread_encoder.h"
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "thread.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 #include "libavutil/ffversion.h"
 const char av_codec_ffversion[] = "FFmpeg version " FFMPEG_VERSION;
diff --git a/libavcodec/avcodec.h b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
index 79af8dcc05..6e2be910dc 100644
--- a/libavcodec/avcodec.h
+++ b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 #include "codec_id.h"
 #include "defs.h"
 #include "packet.h"
-#include "version.h"
+#include "version_major.h"
 
 /**
  * @defgroup libavc libavcodec
diff --git a/libavcodec/codec.h b/libavcodec/codec.h
index a8147ec21f..42dd95d225 100644
--- a/libavcodec/codec.h
+++ b/libavcodec/codec.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/samplefmt.h"
 
 #include "libavcodec/codec_id.h"
-#include "libavcodec/version.h"
+#include "libavcodec/version_major.h"
 
 /**
  * @addtogroup lavc_core
diff --git a/libavcodec/dpxenc.c b/libavcodec/dpxenc.c
index 0db6aa832d..c4f9ae09bb 100644
--- a/libavcodec/dpxenc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/dpxenc.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include "avcodec.h"
 #include "encode.h"
 #include "internal.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 typedef struct DPXContext {
     int big_endian;
diff --git a/libavcodec/j2kenc.c b/libavcodec/j2kenc.c
index c06752f43a..95573c6799 100644
--- a/libavcodec/j2kenc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/j2kenc.c
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "bytestream.h"
 #include "jpeg2000.h"
+#include "version.h"
 #include "libavutil/common.h"
 #include "libavutil/pixdesc.h"
 #include "libavutil/opt.h"
diff --git a/libavcodec/libvorbisenc.c b/libavcodec/libvorbisenc.c
index b657f0157a..36f3d78654 100644
--- a/libavcodec/libvorbisenc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/libvorbisenc.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "audio_frame_queue.h"
 #include "encode.h"
 #include "internal.h"
+#include "version.h"
 #include "vorbis.h"
 #include "vorbis_parser.h"
 
diff --git a/libavcodec/mjpegenc_common.c b/libavcodec/mjpegenc_common.c
index 995e2b7670..7b82644763 100644
--- a/libavcodec/mjpegenc_common.c
+++ b/libavcodec/mjpegenc_common.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include "mjpegenc.h"
 #include "mjpegenc_common.h"
 #include "mjpeg.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 /* table_class: 0 = DC coef, 1 = AC coefs */
 static int put_huffman_table(PutBitContext *p, int table_class, int table_id,
diff --git a/libavcodec/mpeg4videoenc.c b/libavcodec/mpeg4videoenc.c
index 094c4e5fb3..4a4adeb1c3 100644
--- a/libavcodec/mpeg4videoenc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/mpeg4videoenc.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include "mpeg4videoenc.h"
 #include "mpegvideoenc.h"
 #include "profiles.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 /* The uni_DCtab_* tables below contain unified bits+length tables to encode DC
  * differences in MPEG-4. Unified in the sense that the specification specifies
diff --git a/libavcodec/options_table.h b/libavcodec/options_table.h
index 130341a2ec..7eb974672e 100644
--- a/libavcodec/options_table.h
+++ b/libavcodec/options_table.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 
 #include "libavutil/opt.h"
 #include "avcodec.h"
-#include "version.h"
+#include "version_major.h"
 
 #define OFFSET(x) offsetof(AVCodecContext,x)
 #define DEFAULT 0 //should be NAN but it does not work as it is not a constant in glibc as required by ANSI/ISO C
diff --git a/libavcodec/packet.h b/libavcodec/packet.h
index 4a349fe051..40a26db3a7 100644
--- a/libavcodec/packet.h
+++ b/libavcodec/packet.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/dict.h"
 #include "libavutil/rational.h"
 
-#include "libavcodec/version.h"
+#include "libavcodec/version_major.h"
 
 /**
  * @defgroup lavc_packet AVPacket
diff --git a/libavcodec/pthread_frame.c b/libavcodec/pthread_frame.c
index 33b5a2e628..6c6a1342e0 100644
--- a/libavcodec/pthread_frame.c
+++ b/libavcodec/pthread_frame.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 #include "pthread_internal.h"
 #include "thread.h"
 #include "threadframe.h"
-#include "version.h"
+#include "version_major.h"
 
 #include "libavutil/avassert.h"
 #include "libavutil/buffer.h"
diff --git a/libavcodec/tiffenc.c b/libavcodec/tiffenc.c
index a6c523364a..d350a5b826 100644
--- a/libavcodec/tiffenc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/tiffenc.c
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 #include "put_bits.h"
 #include "rle.h"
 #include "tiff.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 #define TIFF_MAX_ENTRY 32
 
diff --git a/libavcodec/vaapi_encode_h264.c b/libavcodec/vaapi_encode_h264.c
index ff37de1f7e..1ca885fdbc 100644
--- a/libavcodec/vaapi_encode_h264.c
+++ b/libavcodec/vaapi_encode_h264.c
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 #include "h264_sei.h"
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "vaapi_encode.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 enum {
     SEI_TIMING         = 0x01,
diff --git a/libavcodec/vc2enc.c b/libavcodec/vc2enc.c
index bfa43b3c03..6b77c67844 100644
--- a/libavcodec/vc2enc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/vc2enc.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "encode.h"
 #include "put_bits.h"
 #include "internal.h"
+#include "version.h"
 
 #include "vc2enc_dwt.h"
 #include "diractab.h"
diff --git a/libavcodec/version.h b/libavcodec/version.h
index 408ee978ab..728ab8839d 100644
--- a/libavcodec/version.h
+++ b/libavcodec/version.h
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@
 
 #include "libavutil/version.h"
 
-#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR  59
+#include "version_major.h"
+
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR  23
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MICRO 100
 
@@ -41,29 +42,4 @@
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_IDENT        "Lavc" AV_STRINGIFY(LIBAVCODEC_VERSION)
 
-/**
- * FF_API_* defines may be placed below to indicate public API that will be
- * dropped at a future version bump. The defines themselves are not part of
- * the public API and may change, break or disappear at any time.
- *
- * @note, when bumping the major version it is recommended to manually
- * disable each FF_API_* in its own commit instead of disabling them all
- * at once through the bump. This improves the git bisect-ability of the change.
- */
-
-#define FF_API_OPENH264_SLICE_MODE (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_OPENH264_CABAC      (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_UNUSED_CODEC_CAPS   (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_THREAD_SAFE_CALLBACKS (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_DEBUG_MV          (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_GET_FRAME_CLASS     (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_AUTO_THREADS        (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_INIT_PACKET         (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_AVCTX_TIMEBASE    (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_MPEGVIDEO_OPTS      (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_FLAG_TRUNCATED      (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_SUB_TEXT_FORMAT     (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_MJPEG_PRED          (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-#define FF_API_IDCT_NONE           (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
-
 #endif /* AVCODEC_VERSION_H */
diff --git a/libavcodec/version_major.h b/libavcodec/version_major.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..56a9aff042
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libavcodec/version_major.h
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+ * This file is part of FFmpeg.
+ *
+ * FFmpeg is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * FFmpeg is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with FFmpeg; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
+ */
+
+#ifndef AVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR_H
+#define AVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR_H
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * @ingroup libavc
+ * Libavcodec version macros.
+ */
+
+#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR  59
+
+/**
+ * FF_API_* defines may be placed below to indicate public API that will be
+ * dropped at a future version bump. The defines themselves are not part of
+ * the public API and may change, break or disappear at any time.
+ *
+ * @note, when bumping the major version it is recommended to manually
+ * disable each FF_API_* in its own commit instead of disabling them all
+ * at once through the bump. This improves the git bisect-ability of the change.
+ */
+
+#define FF_API_OPENH264_SLICE_MODE (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_OPENH264_CABAC      (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_UNUSED_CODEC_CAPS   (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_THREAD_SAFE_CALLBACKS (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_DEBUG_MV          (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_GET_FRAME_CLASS     (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_AUTO_THREADS        (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_INIT_PACKET         (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_AVCTX_TIMEBASE    (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_MPEGVIDEO_OPTS      (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_FLAG_TRUNCATED      (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_SUB_TEXT_FORMAT     (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_MJPEG_PRED          (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+#define FF_API_IDCT_NONE           (LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR < 60)
+
+#endif /* AVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR_H */
diff --git a/libavformat/movenc.c b/libavformat/movenc.c
index 4c868919ae..8e3f803b38 100644
--- a/libavformat/movenc.c
+++ b/libavformat/movenc.c
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 #include "libavcodec/put_bits.h"
 #include "libavcodec/vc1_common.h"
 #include "libavcodec/raw.h"
+#include "libavcodec/version.h"
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "libavutil/avstring.h"
 #include "libavutil/channel_layout.h"
