diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 8fe5e071..c6dbdf71 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        rust-toolchain: [stable, stable 12 months ago]
+        rust-toolchain: [stable, "1.88.0"]
     steps:
       - name: Install libudev
         run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/clippy-linting.yml b/.github/workflows/clippy-linting.yml
index c731d44a..68ee2e2b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/clippy-linting.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/clippy-linting.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        rust-toolchain: [stable, stable 12 months ago]
+        rust-toolchain: [stable, "1.88.0"]
     steps:
       - name: Install libudev
         run: |
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 1504117e..31693d8e 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 name = "azure-init"
 version = "0.1.1"
 edition = "2021"
-rust-version = "1.74"
+rust-version = "1.88"
 repository = "https://github.com/Azure/azure-init/"
 homepage = "https://github.com/Azure/azure-init/"
 license = "MIT"
@@ -19,9 +19,7 @@ clap = { version = "4.5.21", features = ["derive", "cargo", "env"] }
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.18", features = ["env-filter"] }
 tokio-util = "0.7" 
 
-# Pin sysinfo to <=0.36 for MSRV issues with Rust < 1.85.0.
-# This should be unpinned around 2026-02-17 if we continue with our ~1 year MSRV policy
-sysinfo = "=0.36"
+sysinfo = "0.38"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 assert_cmd = "2.0.16"
@@ -30,7 +28,8 @@ predicates-core = "1.0.8"
 predicates-tree = "1.0.11"
 tempfile = "3.3.0"
 
-# Pin idna_adapter to <=1.2.0 for MSRV issues with cargo-clippy of Rust 1.78.0.
+# Pin idna_adapter to <=1.2.0 for MSRV issues with older Rust versions.
+# With MSRV 1.88, this pin may no longer be necessary.
 idna_adapter = "<=1.2.0"
 
 [dependencies.libazureinit]
@@ -61,7 +60,3 @@ useradd = []
 systemd_linux = ["passwd", "hostnamectl", "useradd"]
 
 default = ["systemd_linux"]
-
-[build-dependencies]
-vergen = { version = "9.0.6", features = ["build", "cargo", "rustc", "si"] }
-vergen-gitcl = "1"
diff --git a/build.rs b/build.rs
index b8682d0b..b97edbe4 100644
--- a/build.rs
+++ b/build.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 use std::env;
-use vergen::Emitter;
-use vergen_gitcl::GitclBuilder;
+use std::process::Command;
 
 fn main() {
     // Re-run if the packaging version override changes
@@ -9,16 +8,11 @@ fn main() {
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=.git/HEAD");
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=.git/index");
 
-    let mut gitcl_builder = GitclBuilder::default();
-    // Parameters: use_tag=true, dirty=true, pattern=None
-    gitcl_builder.describe(true, true, None);
-    let git = gitcl_builder.build().ok();
-
-    let mut emitter = Emitter::default();
-    if let Some(g) = git.as_ref() {
-        let _ = emitter.add_instructions(g);
+    if let Some(git_version) = git_describe() {
+        println!("cargo:rustc-env=AZURE_INIT_BUILD_VERSION={git_version}");
+    } else if let Some(git_sha) = git_sha() {
+        println!("cargo:rustc-env=AZURE_INIT_BUILD_SHA={git_sha}");
     }
-    let _ = emitter.emit();
 
     // Allow packaging to supply a custom version
     if let Ok(custom_version) = env::var("AZURE_INIT_VERSION") {
@@ -26,3 +20,35 @@ fn main() {
         println!("cargo:rustc-env=AZURE_INIT_BUILD_VERSION={custom_version}");
     }
 }
+
+fn git_describe() -> Option<String> {
+    let output = Command::new("git")
+        .args(["describe", "--dirty", "--tags"])
+        .output()
+        .ok()?;
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let describe = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).trim().to_string();
+    if describe.is_empty() {
+        None
+    } else {
+        Some(describe)
+    }
+}
+
+fn git_sha() -> Option<String> {
+    let output = Command::new("git")
+        .args(["rev-parse", "HEAD"])
+        .output()
+        .ok()?;
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let sha = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).trim().to_string();
+    if sha.is_empty() {
+        None
+    } else {
+        Some(sha)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/libazureinit/Cargo.toml b/libazureinit/Cargo.toml
index a036993c..55fa0a99 100644
--- a/libazureinit/Cargo.toml
+++ b/libazureinit/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 name = "libazureinit"
 version = "0.1.1"
 edition = "2021"
-rust-version = "1.74"
+rust-version = "1.88"
 build = "build.rs"
 repository = "https://github.com/Azure/azure-init/"
 homepage = "https://github.com/Azure/azure-init/"
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ thiserror = "2.0.3"
 tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
 serde-xml-rs = "0.8.0"
 serde_json = "1.0.96"
-nix = {version = "0.30.1", features = ["fs", "user"]}
+nix = {version = "0.31.1", features = ["fs", "user"]}
 block-utils = "0.11.1"
 tracing = "0.1.40"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.18", features = ["env-filter"] }
@@ -24,9 +24,7 @@ opentelemetry = "0.31.0"
 opentelemetry_sdk = "0.31.0"
 tracing-opentelemetry = "0.32"
 tokio-util = "0.7"
-# Pin sysinfo to <=0.36 for MSRV issues with Rust < 1.85.0.
-# This should be unpinned around 2026-02-17 if we continue with our ~1 year MSRV policy
-sysinfo = "=0.36"
+sysinfo = "0.38"
 anyhow = "1"
 fstab = "0.4.0"
 toml = "0.9"
@@ -44,7 +42,7 @@ tracing-test = { version = "0.2", features = ["no-env-filter"] }
 tempfile = "3"
 tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
 tokio-util = "0.7.11"
-whoami = "1"
+whoami = "2"
 anyhow = "1.0.81"
 gag = "1.0.0"
 serial_test = "3.0.0"
diff --git a/libazureinit/src/config.rs b/libazureinit/src/config.rs
index 942653c7..a6f0951d 100644
--- a/libazureinit/src/config.rs
+++ b/libazureinit/src/config.rs
@@ -433,12 +433,11 @@ impl Config {
 
         figment
             .extract::<Config>()
-            .map(|config| {
+            .inspect(|_config| {
                 tracing::info!(
                     target: "libazureinit::config::success",
                     "Configuration successfully loaded."
                 );
-                config
             })
             .map_err(|e| {
                 tracing::error!("Failed to extract configuration: {:?}", e);
diff --git a/libazureinit/src/provision/ssh.rs b/libazureinit/src/provision/ssh.rs
index 48a12dc8..96f7665b 100644
--- a/libazureinit/src/provision/ssh.rs
+++ b/libazureinit/src/provision/ssh.rs
@@ -335,10 +335,11 @@ mod tests {
         let home_dir =
             tempfile::TempDir::new().expect("Failed to create temp directory");
 
-        let mut user =
-            nix::unistd::User::from_name(whoami::username().as_str())
-                .expect("Failed to get user")
-                .expect("User does not exist");
+        let mut user = nix::unistd::User::from_name(
+            whoami::username().expect("Failed to get username").as_str(),
+        )
+        .expect("Failed to get user")
+        .expect("User does not exist");
         user.dir = home_dir.path().into();
 
         if create_ssh_dir {
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 3a925b48..2b3812f5 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -31,14 +31,15 @@ fn version_string() -> String {
         return v.to_string();
     }
 
-    if let Some(desc) = option_env!("VERGEN_GIT_DESCRIBE") {
-        format!("{PKG_VERSION}-{desc}")
-    } else if let Some(sha) = option_env!("VERGEN_GIT_SHA") {
+    if let Some(build) = option_env!("AZURE_INIT_BUILD_VERSION") {
+        return format!("{PKG_VERSION}-{build}");
+    }
+    if let Some(sha) = option_env!("AZURE_INIT_BUILD_SHA") {
         let short = &sha[..std::cmp::min(7, sha.len())];
-        format!("{PKG_VERSION}-{short}")
-    } else {
-        PKG_VERSION.to_string()
+        return format!("{PKG_VERSION}-{short}");
     }
+
+    PKG_VERSION.to_string()
 }
 
 /// Minimal provisioning agent for Azure