diff --git a/doc/conf.py b/doc/conf.py
index fb47eab1d19..22c973073fb 100644
--- a/doc/conf.py
+++ b/doc/conf.py
@@ -150,7 +150,14 @@
 html_theme_options = {}
 repository = "GenericMappingTools/pygmt"
 repository_url = "https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt"
-commit_link = f'<a href="{repository_url}/commit/{ __commit__ }">{ __commit__[:8] }</a>'
+if __commit__:
+    commit_link = (
+        f'<a href="{repository_url}/commit/{ __commit__ }">{ __commit__[:8] }</a>'
+    )
+else:
+    commit_link = (
+        f'<a href="{repository_url}/releases/tag/{ __version__ }">{ __version__ }</a>'
+    )
 html_context = {
     "menu_links": [
         (
diff --git a/pygmt/__init__.py b/pygmt/__init__.py
index 2aeb76d10a6..033a21f631b 100644
--- a/pygmt/__init__.py
+++ b/pygmt/__init__.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 
 # Get semantic version through setuptools-scm
 __version__ = f'v{get_distribution("pygmt").version}'  # e.g. v0.1.2.dev3+g0ab3cd78
-__commit__ = __version__.split("+g")[-1]  # 0ab3cd78
+__commit__ = __version__.split("+g")[-1] if "+g" in __version__ else ""  # 0ab3cd78
 
 # Start our global modern mode session
 _begin()