diff --git a/.github/workflows/lint.yaml b/.github/workflows/lint.yaml
index ff71306374..88f688d18a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lint.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lint.yaml
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repo
         uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.2
+        with:
+          # we want to use `git describe` to find the latest tag
+          fetch-depth: 50
+          fetch-tags: true
 
       - name: Lint Yaml
         uses: ibiqlik/action-yamllint@2576378a8e339169678f9939646ee3ee325e845c # v3.1.1
@@ -36,15 +40,6 @@ jobs:
           pip install secrules-parsing==${{ env.SECRULES_PARSING_VERSION }}
           secrules-parser -c --output-type github -f rules/*.conf
 
-      - name: "Fetch git tags"
-        run: |
-          git tag -l
-          git fetch --tags
-
-      - name: "Show current tag"
-        run: |
-          git describe --tags
-
       - name: "Check CRS formatting"
         run: |
           pip install --upgrade setuptools
diff --git a/util/crs-rules-check/rules-check.py b/util/crs-rules-check/rules-check.py
index 9b448b3d18..2b7ba5cc0d 100755
--- a/util/crs-rules-check/rules-check.py
+++ b/util/crs-rules-check/rules-check.py
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ def check_tags(self, fname, tagslist):
                     aidx += 1
 
     def check_lowercase_ignorecase(self):
-        ruleid = 0 
+        ruleid = 0
         for d in self.data:
             if d['type'].lower() == "secrule":
                 if d['operator'] == "@rx":
@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ def check_lowercase_ignorecase(self):
                             aidx = 0        # stores the index of current action
                             while aidx < len(d['actions']):
                                 # read the action into 'a'
-                                a = d['actions'][aidx]               
+                                a = d['actions'][aidx]
                                 if a['act_name'] == "id":
                                     ruleid = int(a['act_arg'])
                                 if a['act_name'] == 't':
@@ -816,8 +816,10 @@ def generate_version_string():
       v4.5.0-6-g872a90ab -> "4.6.0-dev"
       v4.5.0-0-abcd01234 -> "4.5.0"
     """
-    result = subprocess.run(["git", "describe", "--tags"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+    result = subprocess.run(["git", "describe", "--tags", "--match", "v*.*.*", "main"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+    print(result)
     version = re.sub("^v", "", result.stdout.strip())
+    print(version)
     ver, commits = version.split("-")[0:2]
     if int(commits) > 0:
         version = ver.split(".")
@@ -1074,7 +1076,7 @@ def generate_version_string():
                 a['title']  = "new unlisted tag"
                 errmsgf(a)
                 retval = 1
-        ### check for t:lowercase in combination with (?i) in regex       
+        ### check for t:lowercase in combination with (?i) in regex
         c.check_lowercase_ignorecase()
         if len(c.ignorecase) == 0:
             msg(" No t:lowercase and (?i) flag used.")
@@ -1130,4 +1132,3 @@ def generate_version_string():
         msg(" No unused TX variable")
 
     sys.exit(retval)
-