diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 4c33aa3..a38e033 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ echo_run mkdir -p "${dest_dir}"
 echo_run tar -C "${dest_dir}" -x -f "${tmp_dir}/atomvm_packbeam-${version}.tar"
 
 echo_run mkdir -p "${prefix}/bin"
-echo_run sed "s|PACKBEAM_INSTALL_LOCATION|${dest_dir}|g" "${root_dir}/release/packbeam.in" > "${prefix}/bin/packbeam"
+echo_run mv "${dest_dir}/bin/packbeam.sh" "${prefix}/bin/packbeam"
 echo_run chmod 755 "${prefix}/bin/packbeam"
 
 echo_run rm -rf "${tmp_dir}"
diff --git a/rebar.config b/rebar.config
index cbce9c3..6eb4277 100644
--- a/rebar.config
+++ b/rebar.config
@@ -38,11 +38,18 @@
     {mode, prod},
     {generate_start_script, false},
     {overlay, [
-        {copy, "src/packbeam.erl", "bin/packbeam.escript"}
+        {template, "release/packbeam.in", "bin/packbeam.sh"}
     ]}
 ]}.
 
-%% copy and rename escript next to `packbeam.escript` (See escript man page)
+%% make sure escriptize is run before we release
+{provider_hooks, [
+    {pre, [
+        {release, escriptize}
+    ]}
+]}.
+
+%% copy the generated escript into the release
 {post_hooks, [
-    {release, "cp ${REBAR_BUILD_DIR}/rel/atomvm_packbeam/erts-${ERLANG_ERTS_VER}/bin/escript ${REBAR_BUILD_DIR}/rel/atomvm_packbeam/bin/packbeam"}
+    {release, "cp ${REBAR_BUILD_DIR}/bin/packbeam ${REBAR_BUILD_DIR}/rel/atomvm_packbeam/bin/packbeam"}
 ]}.
diff --git a/release/packbeam.in b/release/packbeam.in
index f1bfdc4..239748e 100644
--- a/release/packbeam.in
+++ b/release/packbeam.in
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/sh -e
 #
 # This file is part of AtomVM.
 #
@@ -19,4 +19,10 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 OR LGPL-2.1-or-later
 #
 
-exec PACKBEAM_INSTALL_LOCATION/bin/packbeam "$@"
+root_dir="$(cd $(dirname $0)/.. && pwd)"
+pkg_root="${root_dir}/atomvm_packbeam"
+
+PATH="${pkg_root}/erts-{{ release_erts_version }}/bin:${PATH}"
+export PATH
+
+exec ${pkg_root}/bin/packbeam "$@"
diff --git a/src/packbeam.erl b/src/packbeam.erl
index 9d784fc..06b231d 100644
--- a/src/packbeam.erl
+++ b/src/packbeam.erl
@@ -28,13 +28,6 @@
 %% escript
 -export([main/1]).
 
-%%
-%% MAINTENANCE NOTE.  Due to an issue loading our atomvm_packbeam
-%% application from an escript in a release, we need to fall back to
-%% a hard-wired version string.
-%%
--define(CURRENT_VERSION, "0.7.0").
-
 %%
 %% Public API
 %%
@@ -177,10 +170,10 @@ get_version() ->
                 {_, _, Version} ->
                     Version;
                 false ->
-                    ?CURRENT_VERSION
+                    "Error!  Unable to find atomvm_packbeam in loaded applications"
             end;
         {error, _Reason} ->
-            ?CURRENT_VERSION
+            "Error!  Unable to load atomvm_packbeam application"
     end.
 
 %% @private