diff --git a/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc b/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc
index 8091c7196..8d2fec11d 100644
--- a/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc
+++ b/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc
@@ -202,20 +202,6 @@ static int klayout_main_cont (int &argc, char **argv);
  */
 int
 klayout_main (int &argc, char **argv)
-{
-  //  This special initialization is required by the Ruby interpreter because it wants to mark the stack
-  int ret = rba::RubyInterpreter::initialize (argc, argv, &klayout_main_cont);
-
-  //  clean up all static data now, since we don't trust the static destructors.
-  //  NOTE: this needs to happen after the Ruby interpreter went down since otherwise the GC will
-  //  access objects that are already cleaned up.
-  tl::StaticObjects::cleanup ();
-
-  return ret;
-}
-
-int 
-klayout_main_cont (int &argc, char **argv)
 {
   //  install the version strings
   lay::Version::set_exe_name (prg_exe_name);
@@ -237,6 +223,37 @@ klayout_main_cont (int &argc, char **argv)
   about_text += prg_about_text;
   lay::Version::set_about_text (about_text.c_str ());
 
+  //  Capture the shortcut command line arguments
+  for (int i = 1; i < argc; ++i) {
+
+    if (argv [i] == std::string ("-v")) {
+
+      tl::info << lay::ApplicationBase::version ();
+      return 0;
+
+    } else if (argv [i] == std::string ("-h")) {
+
+      tl::info << lay::ApplicationBase::usage () << tl::noendl;
+      return 0;
+
+    }
+
+  }
+
+  //  This special initialization is required by the Ruby interpreter because it wants to mark the stack
+  int ret = rba::RubyInterpreter::initialize (argc, argv, &klayout_main_cont);
+
+  //  clean up all static data now, since we don't trust the static destructors.
+  //  NOTE: this needs to happen after the Ruby interpreter went down since otherwise the GC will
+  //  access objects that are already cleaned up.
+  tl::StaticObjects::cleanup ();
+
+  return ret;
+}
+
+int 
+klayout_main_cont (int &argc, char **argv)
+{
 #if QT_VERSION >= 0x050000
   qInstallMessageHandler (myMessageOutput);
 #else
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/gsiDeclLayApplication.cc b/src/lay/lay/gsiDeclLayApplication.cc
index f499f921e..a578881dd 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/gsiDeclLayApplication.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/gsiDeclLayApplication.cc
@@ -81,6 +81,12 @@ static std::string arch (C *)
   return tl::arch_string ();
 }
 
+template <class C>
+static std::string version (C *)
+{
+  return C::version ();
+}
+
 template <class C>
 static gsi::Methods application_methods ()
 {
@@ -213,7 +219,7 @@ static gsi::Methods application_methods ()
       "\n"
       "This method has been added in version 0.22."
     ) +
-    method<C, std::string> ("version", &C::version,
+    method_ext<C, std::string> ("version", &version<C>,
       "@brief Returns the application's version string\n"
     ) +
     method_ext<C, std::string> ("arch", &arch<C>,
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
index 21bc51c24..76a9000cd 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
@@ -483,16 +483,6 @@ ApplicationBase::parse_cmd (int &argc, char **argv)
 
       m_packages_with_dep = true;
 
-    } else if (a == "-v") {
-
-      tl::info << lay::Version::name () << " " << lay::Version::version ();
-      exit (0);
-
-    } else if (a == "-h") {
-
-      tl::info << usage () << tl::noendl;
-      exit (0);
-
     } else if (a == "-m" && (i + 1) < argc) {
 
       m_files.push_back (std::make_pair (rdb_file, std::make_pair (std::string (args [++i]), std::string ())));
@@ -929,7 +919,7 @@ ApplicationBase::instance ()
 }
 
 std::string
-ApplicationBase::version () const
+ApplicationBase::version ()
 {
   return std::string (lay::Version::name ()) + " " + lay::Version::version ();
 }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h
index 6aedf8d41..0e28ae394 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h
@@ -100,12 +100,12 @@ public:
   /**
    *  @brief Return the program's version
    */
-  std::string version () const;
+  static std::string version ();
 
   /**
    *  @brief Return the program's usage string
    */
-  std::string usage ();
+  static std::string usage ();
 
   /**
    *  @brief Returns the main window's reference
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layHelpSource.cc b/src/lay/lay/layHelpSource.cc
index 4b6f236f1..1460084d0 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layHelpSource.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layHelpSource.cc
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ HelpSource::initialize_index ()
       try {
         tl::XMLFileSource in (*c);
         help_index_structure.parse (in, *this);
-        if (m_klayout_version == lay::ApplicationBase::instance ()->version ()) {
+        if (m_klayout_version == lay::ApplicationBase::version ()) {
           ok = true;
         }
       } catch (tl::Exception &ex) {
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ HelpSource::create_index_file (const std::string &path)
 std::string
 HelpSource::klayout_version () const
 {
-  return lay::ApplicationBase::instance ()->version ();
+  return lay::ApplicationBase::version ();
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
index 41cf82007..9a33b027f 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
@@ -3543,9 +3543,9 @@ MainWindow::update_window_title ()
     if (current_view ()->is_dirty ()) {
       sep += "[+] ";
     }
-    setWindowTitle (tl::to_qstring (lay::ApplicationBase::instance ()->version () + sep + current_view ()->title ()));
+    setWindowTitle (tl::to_qstring (lay::ApplicationBase::version () + sep + current_view ()->title ()));
   } else {
-    setWindowTitle (tl::to_qstring (lay::ApplicationBase::instance ()->version ()));
+    setWindowTitle (tl::to_qstring (lay::ApplicationBase::version ()));
   }
 }