diff --git a/.build/release_artifacts.sh b/.build/release_artifacts.sh
index fbf3aec9c..7fc0a524a 100755
--- a/.build/release_artifacts.sh
+++ b/.build/release_artifacts.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ PROJ_ROOT="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )"/.. >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd )"
 cd $PROJ_ROOT
 
 # get the current version
-export VERSION=$(cat cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/version.txt)
+export VERSION=$(cat proxy/util/version.txt)
 if [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
   echo "error: No version.txt found in $PROJ_ROOT"
   exit 1
diff --git a/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy.go b/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy.go
index fb8a9c43e..1de80ff5f 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy.go
@@ -274,28 +274,6 @@ Information for all flags:
 
 var defaultTmp = filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "cloudsql-proxy-tmp")
 
-// versionString indiciates the version of the proxy currently in use.
-//
-//go:embed version.txt
-var versionString string
-
-// metadataString indiciates additional build or distribution metadata.
-var metadataString = ""
-
-// semanticVersion returns the version of the proxy in a semver format.
-func semanticVersion() string {
-	v := strings.TrimSpace(versionString)
-	if metadataString != "" {
-		v += "+" + metadataString
-	}
-	return v
-}
-
-// userAgentFromVersionString returns an appropriate user agent string for identifying this proxy process.
-func userAgentFromVersionString() string {
-	return "cloud_sql_proxy/" + semanticVersion()
-}
-
 const accountErrorSuffix = `Please create a new VM with Cloud SQL access (scope) enabled under "Identity and API access". Alternatively, create a new "service account key" and specify it using the -credential_file parameter`
 
 type stringListValue []string
@@ -548,7 +526,7 @@ use the value from the flag, Not compatible with -fuse.`,
 	flag.Parse()
 
 	if *version {
-		fmt.Println("Cloud SQL Auth proxy:", semanticVersion())
+		fmt.Println("Cloud SQL Auth proxy:", util.SemanticVersion())
 		return 0
 	}
 
@@ -664,7 +642,7 @@ use the value from the flag, Not compatible with -fuse.`,
 		Certs: certs.NewCertSourceOpts(client, certs.RemoteOpts{
 			APIBasePath:    *host,
 			IgnoreRegion:   !*checkRegion,
-			UserAgent:      userAgentFromVersionString(),
+			UserAgent:      util.UserAgentFromVersionString(),
 			IPAddrTypeOpts: ipAddrTypeOptsInput,
 			EnableIAMLogin: *enableIAMLogin,
 			TokenSource:    tokSrc,
diff --git a/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy_test.go b/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy_test.go
index f9cde6b76..4d3df8ca9 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy_test.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/cloud_sql_proxy_test.go
@@ -15,25 +15,11 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 )
 
-func TestVersionStripsNewline(t *testing.T) {
-	v, err := os.ReadFile("version.txt")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to read verion.txt: %v", err)
-	}
-	want := strings.TrimSpace(string(v))
-
-	if got := semanticVersion(); got != want {
-		t.Fatalf("want = %q, got = %q", want, got)
-	}
-}
-
 func TestAuthenticatedClient(t *testing.T) {
 	tcs := []struct {
 		desc    string
diff --git a/proxy/certs/certs.go b/proxy/certs/certs.go
index e26aa572e..9257e0c7a 100644
--- a/proxy/certs/certs.go
+++ b/proxy/certs/certs.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ import (
 	sqladmin "google.golang.org/api/sqladmin/v1beta4"
 )
 
-const defaultUserAgent = "custom cloud_sql_proxy version >= 1.10"
+var defaultUserAgent = util.UserAgentFromVersionString()
 
 // NewCertSource returns a CertSource which can be used to authenticate using
 // the provided client, which must not be nil.
diff --git a/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil.go b/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil.go
index c4a033784..8af8100db 100644
--- a/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil.go
+++ b/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil.go
@@ -15,7 +15,10 @@
 // Package util contains utility functions for use throughout the Cloud SQL Auth proxy.
 package util
 
-import "strings"
+import (
+	_ "embed"
+	"strings"
+)
 
 // SplitName splits a fully qualified instance into its project, region, and
 // instance name components. While we make the transition to regionalized
@@ -44,3 +47,26 @@ func SplitName(instance string) (project, region, name string) {
 		return spl[0], spl[1], spl[2]
 	}
 }
+
+// versionString indicates the version of the proxy currently in use.
+//
+//go:embed version.txt
+var versionString string
+
+// metadataString indicates additional build or distribution metadata.
+var metadataString = ""
+
+// semanticVersion returns the version of the proxy in a semver format.
+func SemanticVersion() string {
+	v := strings.TrimSpace(versionString)
+	if metadataString != "" {
+		v += "+" + metadataString
+	}
+	return v
+}
+
+// userAgentFromVersionString returns an appropriate user agent string
+// for identifying this proxy process.
+func UserAgentFromVersionString() string {
+	return "cloud_sql_proxy/" + SemanticVersion()
+}
diff --git a/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil_test.go b/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil_test.go
index d614f33db..d61fdd566 100644
--- a/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil_test.go
+++ b/proxy/util/cloudsqlutil_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,35 @@
 
 package util
 
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestSemanticVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	v, err := os.ReadFile("version.txt")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to read version.txt: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := strings.TrimSpace(string(v))
+
+	if got := SemanticVersion(); got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("want = %q, got = %q", want, got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUserAgentFromVersionString(t *testing.T) {
+	v, err := os.ReadFile("version.txt")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to read version.txt: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := "cloud_sql_proxy/" + strings.TrimSpace(string(v))
+
+	if got := UserAgentFromVersionString(); got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("want = %q, got = %q", want, got)
+	}
+}
 
 func TestSplitName(t *testing.T) {
 	table := []struct{ in, wantProj, wantRegion, wantInstance string }{
diff --git a/cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/version.txt b/proxy/util/version.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/cloud_sql_proxy/version.txt
rename to proxy/util/version.txt