diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fffc414a6b..f42c601e05 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -25,12 +25,13 @@ BIN_GOIMPORTS     ?= "$(PWD)/bin/goimports"
 # If the current commit does not have a semver tag, 'tip' is used, unless there
 # is a TAG environment variable. Precedence is git tag, environment variable, 'tip'
 HASH         := $(shell git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null)
+DATE         := $(shell git log -1 --format=%cI HEAD 2>/dev/null)
 VTAG         := $(shell git tag --points-at HEAD | head -1)
 VTAG         := $(shell [ -z $(VTAG) ] && echo $(ETAG) || echo $(VTAG))
 VERS         ?= $(shell git describe --tags --match 'v*')
 KVER         ?= $(shell git describe --tags --match 'knative-*')
 
-LDFLAGS      := -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.Vers=$(VERS) -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.Kver=$(KVER) -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.Hash=$(HASH)
+LDFLAGS      := -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.Vers=$(VERS) -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.Kver=$(KVER) -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.Hash=$(HASH) -X knative.dev/func/pkg/version.BuildDate=$(DATE)
 
 FUNC_UTILS_IMG ?= ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2
 LDFLAGS += -X knative.dev/func/pkg/k8s.SocatImage=$(FUNC_UTILS_IMG)
diff --git a/cmd/root_test.go b/cmd/root_test.go
index 555e1e6a83..21a22a5ba9 100644
--- a/cmd/root_test.go
+++ b/cmd/root_test.go
@@ -161,54 +161,207 @@ func TestRoot_CommandNameParameterized(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestVerbose(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name   string
-		args   []string
-		want   string
-		wantLF int
-	}{
-		{
-			name:   "verbose as version's flag",
-			args:   []string{"version", "-v"},
-			want:   "Version: v0.42.0",
-			wantLF: 24,
-		},
-		{
-			name:   "no verbose",
-			args:   []string{"version"},
-			want:   "v0.42.0",
-			wantLF: 1,
-		},
-	}
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			viper.Reset()
-
-			var out bytes.Buffer
-
-			cmd := NewRootCmd(RootCommandConfig{
-				Name: "func",
-				Version: Version{
-					Vers: "v0.42.0",
-					Hash: "cafe",
-					Kver: "v1.10.0",
-				}})
-
-			cmd.SetArgs(tt.args)
-			cmd.SetOut(&out)
-			if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
-				t.Fatal(err)
+	t.Run("no verbose", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+		var out bytes.Buffer
+		cmd := NewRootCmd(RootCommandConfig{
+			Name:    "func",
+			Version: Version{Vers: "v0.42.0"},
+		})
+		cmd.SetArgs([]string{"version"})
+		cmd.SetOut(&out)
+		if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if got := strings.TrimRight(out.String(), "\n"); got != "v0.42.0" {
+			t.Errorf("expected %q but got %q", "v0.42.0", got)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("verbose includes populated fields", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+		var out bytes.Buffer
+		cmd := NewRootCmd(RootCommandConfig{
+			Name: "func",
+			Version: Version{
+				Vers:      "v0.42.0",
+				Hash:      "cafe",
+				Kver:      "v1.10.0",
+				BuildDate: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+			},
+		})
+		cmd.SetArgs([]string{"version", "-v"})
+		cmd.SetOut(&out)
+		if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		output := out.String()
+		for _, want := range []string{
+			"Version: v0.42.0",
+			"Knative: v1.10.0",
+			"Commit: cafe",
+			"BuildDate: 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+		} {
+			if !strings.Contains(output, want) {
+				t.Errorf("expected output to contain %q but got:\n%s", want, output)
 			}
+		}
+	})
 
-			outLines := strings.Split(out.String(), "\n")
-			if len(outLines)-1 != tt.wantLF {
-				t.Errorf("expected output with %v line breaks but got %v:", tt.wantLF, len(outLines)-1)
+	t.Run("verbose omits empty fields", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+		var out bytes.Buffer
+		cmd := NewRootCmd(RootCommandConfig{
+			Name: "func",
+			// All fields except Vers are intentionally left empty.
+			Version: Version{Vers: "v0.42.0"},
+		})
+		cmd.SetArgs([]string{"version", "-v"})
+		cmd.SetOut(&out)
+		if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		output := out.String()
+		for _, absent := range []string{"Knative:", "Commit:", "BuildDate:"} {
+			if strings.Contains(output, absent) {
+				t.Errorf("expected output to omit %q but got:\n%s", absent, output)
 			}
-			if outLines[0] != tt.want {
-				t.Errorf("expected output: %q but got: %q", tt.want, outLines[0])
+		}
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(output, "Version: v0.42.0\n") {
+			t.Errorf("expected output to start with %q but got:\n%s", "Version: v0.42.0\n", output)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// kver prefix stripped verifies that a Knative version tag with the
+	// "knative-" prefix is stripped correctly for an exact release tag.
+	t.Run("kver prefix stripped exact tag", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{Vers: "v0.42.0", Kver: "knative-v1.10.0"}
+		output := v.StringVerbose()
+		if !strings.Contains(output, "Knative: v1.10.0") {
+			t.Errorf("expected 'knative-' prefix stripped for exact tag, got:\n%s", output)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// kver prefix stripped also verifies commit-distance suffixes are preserved
+	// (e.g. knative-v1.10.0-5-gabcdef1 → v1.10.0-5-gabcdef1).
+	t.Run("kver prefix stripped with commit distance", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{Vers: "v0.42.0", Kver: "knative-v1.10.0-5-gabcdef1"}
+		output := v.StringVerbose()
+		if !strings.Contains(output, "Knative: v1.10.0-5-gabcdef1") {
+			t.Errorf("expected 'knative-' prefix stripped with commit distance preserved, got:\n%s", output)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("output json", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+		var out bytes.Buffer
+		cmd := NewRootCmd(RootCommandConfig{
+			Name: "func",
+			Version: Version{
+				Vers:      "v0.42.0",
+				BuildDate: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+			},
+		})
+		cmd.SetArgs([]string{"version", "--output", "json"})
+		cmd.SetOut(&out)
+		if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		output := out.String()
+		for _, want := range []string{
+			`"version": "v0.42.0"`,
+			`"buildDate": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"`,
+		} {
+			if !strings.Contains(output, want) {
+				t.Errorf("expected JSON to contain %q, got:\n%s", want, output)
 			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("output yaml", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+		var out bytes.Buffer
+		cmd := NewRootCmd(RootCommandConfig{
+			Name:    "func",
+			Version: Version{Vers: "v0.42.0"},
 		})
-	}
+		cmd.SetArgs([]string{"version", "--output", "yaml"})
+		cmd.SetOut(&out)
+		if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "version: v0.42.0") {
+			t.Errorf("expected YAML to contain version field, got:\n%s", out.String())
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("url unsupported", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{Vers: "v0.42.0"}
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
+		if err := v.URL(&buf); err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected URL format to return an error, got nil")
+		}
+	})
+
+	// exact output guards against extra blank lines or whitespace being
+	// reintroduced between populated fields.
+	t.Run("verbose exact output", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{
+			Vers:       "v0.42.0",
+			Kver:       "knative-v1.10.0",
+			Hash:       "cafe",
+			BuildDate:  "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+			SocatImage: "ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2",
+			TarImage:   "ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2",
+		}
+		want := "Version: v0.42.0\n" +
+			"Knative: v1.10.0\n" +
+			"Commit: cafe\n" +
+			"BuildDate: 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z\n" +
+			"SocatImage: ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2\n" +
+			"TarImage: ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2\n"
+		if got := v.StringVerbose(); got != want {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected verbose output:\nwant:\n%s\ngot:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("middleware versions omitted when empty", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{
+			Vers:               "v0.42.0",
+			MiddlewareVersions: MiddlewareVersions{},
+		}
+		output := v.StringVerbose()
+		if strings.Contains(output, "Middleware Versions:") {
+			t.Errorf("expected empty MiddlewareVersions to be omitted, got:\n%s", output)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("socat and tar images omitted when empty", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{Vers: "v0.42.0"}
+		output := v.StringVerbose()
+		for _, absent := range []string{"SocatImage:", "TarImage:"} {
+			if strings.Contains(output, absent) {
+				t.Errorf("expected %q to be omitted when empty, got:\n%s", absent, output)
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("socat and tar images present when populated", func(t *testing.T) {
+		v := Version{
+			Vers:       "v0.42.0",
+			SocatImage: "ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2",
+			TarImage:   "ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2",
+		}
+		output := v.StringVerbose()
+		for _, want := range []string{
+			"SocatImage: ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2",
+			"TarImage: ghcr.io/knative/func-utils:v2",
+		} {
+			if !strings.Contains(output, want) {
+				t.Errorf("expected output to contain %q, got:\n%s", want, output)
+			}
+		}
+	})
 }
 
 // TestRoot_effectivePath ensures that the path method returns the effective path
diff --git a/cmd/version.go b/cmd/version.go
index e909a21ebb..df3caaea65 100644
--- a/cmd/version.go
+++ b/cmd/version.go
@@ -83,7 +83,8 @@ func runVersion(cmd *cobra.Command, v Version) error {
 		v.Vers = DefaultVersion
 	}
 
-	// Kver, Hash are already set from build
+	// Kver, Hash, BuildDate are already set from build via ldflags,
+	// injected into the Version struct at startup (see pkg/app/app.go).
 	// Populate image fields from k8s package constants
 	v.SocatImage = k8s.SocatImage
 	v.TarImage = k8s.TarImage
@@ -110,6 +111,8 @@ type Version struct {
 	Kver string `json:"knative,omitempty" yaml:"knative,omitempty"`
 	// Hash of the currently active git commit on build.
 	Hash string `json:"commit,omitempty" yaml:"commit,omitempty"`
+	// BuildDate is the UTC timestamp at which the binary was built.
+	BuildDate string `json:"buildDate,omitempty" yaml:"buildDate,omitempty"`
 	// SocatImage is the socat image used by the function.
 	SocatImage string `json:"socatImage,omitempty" yaml:"socatImage,omitempty"`
 	// TarImage is the tar image used by the function.
@@ -132,28 +135,29 @@ func (v Version) String() string {
 }
 
 // StringVerbose returns the version along with extended version metadata.
+// Fields with empty values are omitted.
 func (v Version) StringVerbose() string {
-	var (
-		vers = v.Vers
-		kver = v.Kver
-		hash = v.Hash
-	)
-	if strings.HasPrefix(kver, "knative-") {
-		kver = strings.Split(kver, "-")[1]
+	var sb strings.Builder
+	sb.WriteString("Version: " + v.Vers + "\n")
+	if v.Kver != "" {
+		sb.WriteString("Knative: " + strings.TrimPrefix(v.Kver, "knative-") + "\n")
 	}
-	return fmt.Sprintf(
-		"Version: %s\n"+
-			"Knative: %s\n"+
-			"Commit: %s\n"+
-			"SocatImage: %s\n"+
-			"TarImage: %s\n"+
-			"Middleware Versions: \n%s",
-		vers,
-		kver,
-		hash,
-		v.SocatImage,
-		v.TarImage,
-		v.MiddlewareVersions)
+	if v.Hash != "" {
+		sb.WriteString("Commit: " + v.Hash + "\n")
+	}
+	if v.BuildDate != "" {
+		sb.WriteString("BuildDate: " + v.BuildDate + "\n")
+	}
+	if v.SocatImage != "" {
+		sb.WriteString("SocatImage: " + v.SocatImage + "\n")
+	}
+	if v.TarImage != "" {
+		sb.WriteString("TarImage: " + v.TarImage + "\n")
+	}
+	if mw := v.MiddlewareVersions.String(); mw != "" {
+		sb.WriteString("Middleware Versions:\n" + mw)
+	}
+	return sb.String()
 }
 
 // Human prints version information in human-readable format.
diff --git a/pkg/app/app.go b/pkg/app/app.go
index eae55e63a8..a45669ca06 100644
--- a/pkg/app/app.go
+++ b/pkg/app/app.go
@@ -32,9 +32,10 @@ func Main() {
 	cfg := cmd.RootCommandConfig{
 		Name: "func",
 		Version: cmd.Version{
-			Vers: version.Vers,
-			Kver: version.Kver,
-			Hash: version.Hash,
+			Vers:      version.Vers,
+			Kver:      version.Kver,
+			Hash:      version.Hash,
+			BuildDate: version.BuildDate,
 		}}
 
 	if err := cmd.NewRootCmd(cfg).ExecuteContext(ctx); err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/version/version.go b/pkg/version/version.go
index 114c9658bc..a678deb98f 100644
--- a/pkg/version/version.go
+++ b/pkg/version/version.go
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 package version
 
-var Vers, Kver, Hash string
+var Vers, Kver, Hash, BuildDate string