diff --git a/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.c b/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.c
index 6b2747a130..aad79d8f71 100644
--- a/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.c
+++ b/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.c
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ next_char(Eo_Lexer *ls)
 
 #define KW(x) #x
 #define KWAT(x) "@" #x
+#define KWH(x) "#" #x
 
 static const char * const tokens[] =
 {
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ static const char * const ctypes[] =
 
 #undef KW
 #undef KWAT
+#undef KWH
 
 #define is_newline(c) ((c) == '\n' || (c) == '\r')
 
@@ -989,10 +991,10 @@ lex(Eo_Lexer *ls, Eo_Token *tok)
                 return TOK_NUMBER;
              }
            if (ls->current && (isalnum(ls->current)
-               || ls->current == '@' || ls->current == '_'))
+               || ls->current == '@' || ls->current == '#' || ls->current == '_'))
              {
                 int col = ls->column;
-                Eina_Bool at_kw = (ls->current == '@');
+                Eina_Bool pfx_kw = (ls->current == '@') || (ls->current == '#');
                 const char *str;
                 eina_strbuf_reset(ls->buff);
                 do
@@ -1007,7 +1009,7 @@ lex(Eo_Lexer *ls, Eo_Token *tok)
                                                         str);
                 ls->column = col + 1;
                 tok->value.s = eina_stringshare_add(str);
-                if (at_kw && tok->kw == 0)
+                if (pfx_kw && tok->kw == 0)
                   eo_lexer_syntax_error(ls, "invalid keyword");
                 return TOK_VALUE;
              }
diff --git a/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.h b/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.h
index e9b5e7b0e0..5bc7064151 100644
--- a/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.h
+++ b/src/lib/eolian/eo_lexer.h
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ enum Tokens
     KWAT(private), KWAT(property), KWAT(protected), KWAT(restart), \
     KWAT(pure_virtual), \
     \
+    KWH(version), \
+    \
     KW(byte), KW(ubyte), KW(char), KW(short), KW(ushort), KW(int), KW(uint), \
     KW(long), KW(ulong), KW(llong), KW(ullong), \
     \
@@ -71,6 +73,7 @@ enum Tokens
 /* "regular" keyword and @ prefixed keyword */
 #define KW(x) KW_##x
 #define KWAT(x) KW_at_##x
+#define KWH(x) KW_hash_##x
 
 enum Keywords
 {
@@ -80,6 +83,7 @@ enum Keywords
 
 #undef KW
 #undef KWAT
+#undef KWH
 
 enum Numbers
 {
diff --git a/src/lib/eolian/eo_parser.c b/src/lib/eolian/eo_parser.c
index 524b31a383..74c76d3a7d 100644
--- a/src/lib/eolian/eo_parser.c
+++ b/src/lib/eolian/eo_parser.c
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include <assert.h>
+#include <limits.h>
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 # include "config.h"
@@ -2278,10 +2279,37 @@ found_class:
 static void
 parse_chunk(Eo_Lexer *ls, Eina_Bool eot)
 {
+   Eina_Bool parsing_header = EINA_TRUE;
+   Eina_Bool has_version = EINA_FALSE;
    while (ls->t.token >= 0)
-     /* set eot to EINA_TRUE so that we only allow parsing of one class */
-     if (parse_unit(ls, eot))
-       eot = EINA_TRUE;
+     switch (ls->t.kw)
+       {
+        case KW_hash_version:
+          {
+             CASE_LOCK(ls, version, "#version specifier");
+             if (!parsing_header)
+               eo_lexer_syntax_error(ls, "header keyword outside of unit header");
+             eo_lexer_get(ls);
+
+             check(ls, TOK_NUMBER);
+             if (ls->t.kw != NUM_INT)
+               eo_lexer_syntax_error(ls, "invalid #version value");
+             if (ls->t.value.u > USHRT_MAX)
+               eo_lexer_syntax_error(ls, "#version too high");
+             else if (ls->t.value.u < 0)
+               eo_lexer_syntax_error(ls, "#version too low");
+
+             ls->unit->version = (unsigned short)(ls->t.value.u);
+             eo_lexer_get(ls);
+             break;
+           }
+        default:
+          parsing_header = EINA_FALSE;
+          /* set eot to EINA_TRUE so that we only allow parsing of one class */
+          if (parse_unit(ls, eot))
+            eot = EINA_TRUE;
+          break;
+       }
 }
 
 Eolian_Unit *
diff --git a/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.c b/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.c
index 93e833e9a5..0fb5a134f6 100644
--- a/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.c
+++ b/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.c
@@ -572,6 +572,9 @@ database_unit_init(Eolian_State *state, Eolian_Unit *unit, const char *file)
    unit->structs    = eina_hash_stringshared_new(EINA_FREE_CB(database_typedecl_del));
    unit->enums      = eina_hash_stringshared_new(EINA_FREE_CB(database_typedecl_del));
    unit->objects    = eina_hash_stringshared_new(NULL);
+
+   /* baseline version; support for higher featurelevel must be specified explicitly */
+   unit->version    = 1;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.h b/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.h
index f74d0fa31a..0dce769370 100644
--- a/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.h
+++ b/src/lib/eolian/eolian_database.h
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ struct _Eolian_Unit
    Eina_Hash     *structs;
    Eina_Hash     *enums;
    Eina_Hash     *objects;
+   unsigned short version;
 };
 
 typedef struct _Eolian_State_Area