diff --git a/Documentation/RelNotes-1.5.5.txt b/Documentation/RelNotes-1.5.5.txt
index e31ae6a2938..14beed49ba0 100644
--- a/Documentation/RelNotes-1.5.5.txt
+++ b/Documentation/RelNotes-1.5.5.txt
@@ -124,6 +124,9 @@ Updates since v1.5.4
  * "git gc" now automatically prunes unreachable objects that are two
    weeks old or older.
 
+ * "git gc --auto" can be disabled more easily by just setting gc.auto
+   to zero.  It also tolerates more packfiles by default.
+
  * "git grep" now knows "--name-only" is a synonym for the "-l" option.
 
  * "git help <alias>" now reports "'git <alias>' is alias to <what>",
@@ -201,6 +204,6 @@ this release, unless otherwise noted.
 
 ---
 exec >/var/tmp/1
-O=v1.5.4.4-620-gc817faa
+O=v1.5.5-rc1
 echo O=`git describe refs/heads/master`
 git shortlog --no-merges $O..refs/heads/master ^refs/heads/maint
diff --git a/GIT-VERSION-GEN b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
index 6ddf04d2161..d0b60f40d80 100755
--- a/GIT-VERSION-GEN
+++ b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
 GVF=GIT-VERSION-FILE
-DEF_VER=v1.5.4.GIT
+DEF_VER=v1.5.5-rc1.GIT
 
 LF='
 '