diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 57e45dab0316e8844f8088d60d7ee0d7e1e18c84..be89ce3df26e1ec72b97dc334f8856a0c337f3e2 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ cta_rpm:
     - yum -y install yum-plugin-priorities yum-plugin-versionlock
     - yum install -y git
     - git submodule update --init --recursive
-    - cd xrootd-ssi-protobuf-interface && export XROOTD_SSI_PROTOBUF_INTERFACE_VERSION=$(git describe --abbrev=0) && cd ..
+    - cd xrootd-ssi-protobuf-interface && export XROOTD_SSI_PROTOBUF_INTERFACE_VERSION=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0) && cd ..
     - cp -f continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list /etc/yum/pluginconf.d/
     - yum-builddep --nogpgcheck -y build_srpm/RPM/SRPMS/*
     - mkdir build_rpm
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ cta_tagged_rpm:
     - yum -y install yum-plugin-priorities yum-plugin-versionlock
     - yum install -y git
     - git submodule update --init --recursive
-    - cd xrootd-ssi-protobuf-interface && export XROOTD_SSI_PROTOBUF_INTERFACE_VERSION=$(git describe --abbrev=0) && cd ..
+    - cd xrootd-ssi-protobuf-interface && export XROOTD_SSI_PROTOBUF_INTERFACE_VERSION=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0) && cd ..
     - cp -f continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list /etc/yum/pluginconf.d/
     - yum-builddep --nogpgcheck -y build_srpm/RPM/SRPMS/*
     - mkdir build_tagged_rpm