diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/Version.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/Version.kt
index e767fa8725..322b933f9c 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/Version.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/Version.kt
@@ -7,25 +7,29 @@ package software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.smithy
 
 import software.amazon.smithy.codegen.core.CodegenException
 
-// generated as part of the build in the "{smithy_rs_version}\n{git_commit_hash}" format,
-// see codegen/build.gradle.kts
+// generated as part of the build, see codegen/build.gradle.kts
 private const val VERSION_FILENAME = "runtime-crate-version.txt"
 
-class Version(private val content: String) {
-    // Returns full version in the "{smithy_rs_version}-{git_commit_hash}" format
-    fun fullVersion(): String = content.lines().joinToString("-")
-
-    fun crateVersion(): String = content.lines().first()
-
+data class Version(val fullVersion: String, val crateVersion: String) {
     companion object {
+        // Version must be in the "{smithy_rs_version}\n{git_commit_hash}" format
+        fun parse(content: String): Version {
+            val lines = content.lines()
+            if (lines.size != 2) {
+                throw IllegalArgumentException("Invalid version format, it should contain `2` lines but contains `${lines.size}` line(s)")
+            }
+            return Version(lines.joinToString("-"), lines.first())
+        }
+
+        // Returns full version in the "{smithy_rs_version}-{git_commit_hash}" format
         fun fullVersion(): String =
-            fromDefaultResource().fullVersion()
+            fromDefaultResource().fullVersion
 
         fun crateVersion(): String =
-            fromDefaultResource().crateVersion()
+            fromDefaultResource().crateVersion
 
         private fun fromDefaultResource(): Version =
-            Version(
+            parse(
                 object {}.javaClass.getResource(VERSION_FILENAME)?.readText()
                     ?: throw CodegenException("$VERSION_FILENAME does not exist"),
             )
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGenerator.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGenerator.kt
index 975e1060c7..b932cac262 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGenerator.kt
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ class CargoTomlGenerator(
                 "repository" to settings.moduleRepository,
                 "metadata" to listOfNotNull(
                     "smithy" to listOfNotNull(
-                        "codegen-version" to smithyCodegenVersion(),
+                        "codegen-version" to Version.fullVersion(),
                     ).toMap(),
                 ).toMap(),
             ).toMap(),
@@ -80,5 +80,3 @@ class CargoTomlGenerator(
         writer.writeWithNoFormatting(TomlWriter().write(cargoToml))
     }
 }
-
-fun smithyCodegenVersion(): String = Version.fullVersion()
diff --git a/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/VersionTest.kt b/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/VersionTest.kt
index def4ba6bd7..56c254c2d6 100644
--- a/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/VersionTest.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/VersionTest.kt
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 package software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.smithy
 
+import io.kotest.assertions.throwables.shouldThrowAny
 import io.kotest.matchers.shouldBe
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments
@@ -18,8 +19,17 @@ class VersionTest {
         fullVersion: String,
         crateVersion: String,
     ) {
-        Version(content).fullVersion() shouldBe fullVersion
-        Version(content).crateVersion() shouldBe crateVersion
+        val version = Version.parse(content)
+        version.fullVersion shouldBe fullVersion
+        version.crateVersion shouldBe crateVersion
+    }
+
+    @ParameterizedTest()
+    @MethodSource("invalidVersionProvider")
+    fun `fails to parse version`(
+        content: String,
+    ) {
+        shouldThrowAny { Version.parse(content) }
     }
 
     companion object {
@@ -50,16 +60,9 @@ class VersionTest {
                 "0.27.0-alpha.1-643f2ee",
                 "0.27.0-alpha.1",
             ),
-            Arguments.of(
-                "0.0.0",
-                "0.0.0",
-                "0.0.0",
-            ),
-            Arguments.of(
-                "",
-                "",
-                "",
-            ),
         )
+
+        @JvmStatic
+        fun invalidVersionProvider() = listOf("0.0.0", "")
     }
 }
diff --git a/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGeneratorTest.kt b/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGeneratorTest.kt
index 26b06fbd1f..ecc20a7f02 100644
--- a/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGeneratorTest.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/test/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/generators/CargoTomlGeneratorTest.kt
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ package software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.smithy.generators
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
 import software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.rustlang.CargoDependency
 import software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.rustlang.CratesIo
+import software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.smithy.Version
 import software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.testutil.TestWorkspace
 import software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.testutil.compileAndTest
 import software.amazon.smithy.rust.codegen.testutil.unitTest
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ class CargoTomlGeneratorTest {
                     .expect("missing `smithy.codegen-version` field")
                     .as_str()
                     .expect("`smithy.codegen-version` is not str");
-                assert_eq!(codegen_version, "${smithyCodegenVersion()}");
+                assert_eq!(codegen_version, "${Version.fullVersion()}");
                 """,
             )
         }