diff --git a/utils.py b/utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3194d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import os
+from datetime import datetime
+
+
+def format_date(dt):
+    """Format a datetime object to ISO string, with None safety."""
+    if dt is None:
+        return None
+    return dt.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
+
+
+def get_app_version():
+    """Return the current app version from environment."""
+    return os.getenv("APP_VERSION", "0.0.1-dev")