diff --git a/crates/prover/src/lib.rs b/crates/prover/src/lib.rs
index db33e35652..5630a79f73 100644
--- a/crates/prover/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/prover/src/lib.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,11 @@ use utils::{sp1_committed_values_digest_bn254, sp1_vkey_digest_bn254, words_to_b
 
 use components::{DefaultProverComponents, SP1ProverComponents};
 
+/// The global version for all components of SP1.
+///
+/// This string should be updated whenever any step in verifying an SP1 proof changes, including
+/// core, recursion, and plonk-bn254. This string is used to download SP1 artifacts and the gnark
+/// docker image.
 pub const SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION: &str = include_str!("../../SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION");
 
 /// The configuration for the core prover.
diff --git a/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/docker.rs b/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/docker.rs
index b6384fccdd..874958d6a0 100644
--- a/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/docker.rs
+++ b/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/docker.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 use crate::ProofBn254;
-use crate::{Groth16Bn254Proof, PlonkBn254Proof};
+use crate::{Groth16Bn254Proof, PlonkBn254Proof, SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION};
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
 use std::{io::Write, process::Command};
 
-const SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION: &str = include_str!("../../../../SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION");
-
 /// Represents the proof system being used
 enum ProofSystem {
     Plonk,
diff --git a/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/native.rs b/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/native.rs
index fa46de6c81..f21b42aa5c 100644
--- a/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/native.rs
+++ b/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/ffi/native.rs
@@ -5,15 +5,13 @@
 //! Although we cast to *mut c_char because the Go signatures can't be immutable, the Go functions
 //! should not modify the strings.
 
-use crate::{Groth16Bn254Proof, PlonkBn254Proof};
+use crate::{Groth16Bn254Proof, PlonkBn254Proof, SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION};
 use cfg_if::cfg_if;
 use std::{
     ffi::{c_char, CStr, CString},
     mem::forget,
 };
 
-const SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION: &str = include_str!("../../../../SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION");
-
 #[allow(warnings, clippy::all)]
 mod bind {
     include!(concat!(env!("OUT_DIR"), "/bindings.rs"));
diff --git a/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/lib.rs b/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/lib.rs
index 4709ad15a5..287596ed91 100644
--- a/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/recursion/gnark-ffi/src/lib.rs
@@ -11,4 +11,9 @@ pub use plonk_bn254::*;
 pub use proof::*;
 pub use witness::*;
 
-const SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION: &str = include_str!("../../../SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION");
\ No newline at end of file
+/// The global version for all components of SP1.
+///
+/// This string should be updated whenever any step in verifying an SP1 proof changes, including
+/// core, recursion, and plonk-bn254. This string is used to download SP1 artifacts and the gnark
+/// docker image.
+const SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION: &str = include_str!("../../../SP1_CIRCUIT_VERSION");