diff --git a/lib/puppet/version.rb b/lib/puppet/version.rb
index 38514580e..87efa3963 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/version.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/version.rb
@@ -1,89 +1,89 @@
 # The version method and constant are isolated in puppet/version.rb so that a
 # simple `require 'puppet/version'` allows a rubygems gemspec or bundler
 # Gemfile to get the Puppet version of the gem install.
 #
 # The version is programatically settable because we want to allow the
 # Raketasks and such to set the version based on the output of `git describe`
 
 
 module Puppet
-  PUPPETVERSION = '3.8.0'
+  PUPPETVERSION = '3.8.1'
 
   ##
   # version is a public API method intended to always provide a fast and
   # lightweight way to determine the version of Puppet.
   #
   # The intent is that software external to Puppet be able to determine the
   # Puppet version with no side-effects.  The expected use is:
   #
   #     require 'puppet/version'
   #     version = Puppet.version
   #
   # This function has the following ordering precedence.  This precedence list
   # is designed to facilitate automated packaging tasks by simply writing to
   # the VERSION file in the same directory as this source file.
   #
   #  1. If a version has been explicitly assigned using the Puppet.version=
   #     method, return that version.
   #  2. If there is a VERSION file, read the contents, trim any
   #     trailing whitespace, and return that version string.
   #  3. Return the value of the Puppet::PUPPETVERSION constant hard-coded into
   #     the source code.
   #
   # If there is no VERSION file, the method must return the version string of
   # the nearest parent version that is an officially released version.  That is
   # to say, if a branch named 3.1.x contains 25 patches on top of the most
   # recent official release of 3.1.1, then the version method must return the
   # string "3.1.1" if no "VERSION" file is present.
   #
   # By design the version identifier is _not_ intended to vary during the life
   # a process.  There is no guarantee provided that writing to the VERSION file
   # while a Puppet process is running will cause the version string to be
   # updated.  On the contrary, the contents of the VERSION are cached to reduce
   # filesystem accesses.
   #
   # The VERSION file is intended to be used by package maintainers who may be
   # applying patches or otherwise changing the software version in a manner
   # that warrants a different software version identifier.  The VERSION file is
   # intended to be managed and owned by the release process and packaging
   # related tasks, and as such should not reside in version control.  The
   # PUPPETVERSION constant is intended to be version controlled in history.
   #
   # Ideally, this behavior will allow package maintainers to precisely specify
   # the version of the software they're packaging as in the following example:
   #
   #     $ git describe --match "3.0.*" > lib/puppet/VERSION
   #     $ ruby -r puppet -e 'puts Puppet.version'
   #     3.0.1-260-g9ca4e54
   #
   # @api public
   #
   # @return [String] containing the puppet version, e.g. "3.0.1"
   def self.version
     version_file = File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'VERSION')
     return @puppet_version if @puppet_version
     if version = read_version_file(version_file)
       @puppet_version = version
     end
     @puppet_version ||= PUPPETVERSION
   end
 
   def self.version=(version)
     @puppet_version = version
   end
 
   ##
   # read_version_file reads the content of the "VERSION" file that lives in the
   # same directory as this source code file.
   #
   # @api private
   #
   # @return [String] for example: "1.6.14-6-gea42046" or nil if the VERSION
   #   file does not exist.
   def self.read_version_file(path)
     if File.exist?(path)
       File.read(path).chomp
     end
   end
   private_class_method :read_version_file
 end