diff --git a/include/config.h b/include/config.h
index 7bcb6bbc9..b8e794bf9 100644
--- a/include/config.h
+++ b/include/config.h
@@ -7,7 +7,17 @@
 #define CONFIG_H
 
 /*
- * Section 1:   Operating and window systems selection.
+ * Section 1:   NetHack consolidated version, patchlevel, development status.
+ */
+
+#ifdef SHORT_FILENAMES
+#include "patchlev.h"
+#else
+#include "patchlevel.h"
+#endif
+
+/*
+ * Section 2:   Operating and window systems selection.
  *              Select the version of the OS you are using.
  *              For "UNIX" select BSD, ULTRIX, SYSV, or HPUX in unixconf.h.
  *              A "VMS" option is not needed since the VMS C-compilers
@@ -144,7 +154,7 @@
 #endif
 
 /*
- * Section 2:   Some global parameters and filenames.
+ * Section 3:   Some global parameters and filenames.
  *
  *              LOGFILE, XLOGFILE, NEWS and PANICLOG refer to files in
  *              the playground directory.  Commenting out LOGFILE, XLOGFILE,
@@ -373,7 +383,7 @@
 #endif /* CHDIR */
 
 /*
- * Section 3:   Definitions that may vary with system type.
+ * Section 4:   Definitions that may vary with system type.
  *              For example, both schar and uchar should be short ints on
  *              the AT&T 3B2/3B5/etc. family.
  */
@@ -466,7 +476,7 @@ typedef unsigned char uchar;
 #endif
 
 /*
- * Section 4:  EXPERIMENTAL STUFF
+ * Section 5:  EXPERIMENTAL STUFF
  *
  * Conditional compilation of new or experimental options are controlled here.
  * Enable any of these at your own risk -- there are almost certainly
@@ -576,7 +586,7 @@ typedef unsigned char uchar;
 
 #define USE_ISAAC64 /* Use cross-plattform, bundled RNG */
 
-/* End of Section 4 */
+/* End of Section 5 */
 
 #ifdef TTY_TILES_ESCCODES
 # ifndef USE_TILES
diff --git a/include/global.h b/include/global.h
index 09d744e37..20939108d 100644
--- a/include/global.h
+++ b/include/global.h
@@ -8,23 +8,6 @@
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 
-/*
- * Development status possibilities.
- */
-#define NH_STATUS_RELEASED    0         /* Released */
-#define NH_STATUS_WIP         1         /* Work in progress */
-#define NH_STATUS_BETA        2         /* BETA testing */
-#define NH_STATUS_POSTRELEASE 3         /* patch commit point only */
-
-/*
- * Development status of this NetHack version.
- */
-#define NH_DEVEL_STATUS NH_STATUS_WIP
-
-#ifndef DEBUG  /* allow tool chains to define without causing warnings */
-#define DEBUG
-#endif
-
 /*
  * Files expected to exist in the playground directory.
  */
diff --git a/include/patchlevel.h b/include/patchlevel.h
index 0abb28d85..b5cda35a8 100644
--- a/include/patchlevel.h
+++ b/include/patchlevel.h
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 /*-Copyright (c) Michael Allison, 2012. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
+#ifndef PATCHLEVEL_H
+#define PATCHLEVEL_H
+
 /* NetHack 3.7.x */
 #define VERSION_MAJOR 3
 #define VERSION_MINOR 7
@@ -16,6 +19,23 @@
  */
 #define EDITLEVEL 22
 
+/*
+ * Development status possibilities.
+ */
+#define NH_STATUS_RELEASED    0         /* Released */
+#define NH_STATUS_WIP         1         /* Work in progress */
+#define NH_STATUS_BETA        2         /* BETA testing */
+#define NH_STATUS_POSTRELEASE 3         /* patch commit point only */
+
+/*
+ * Development status of this NetHack version.
+ */
+#define NH_DEVEL_STATUS NH_STATUS_WIP
+
+#ifndef DEBUG  /* allow tool chains to define without causing warnings */
+#define DEBUG
+#endif
+
 #define COPYRIGHT_BANNER_A "NetHack, Copyright 1985-2020"
 #define COPYRIGHT_BANNER_B \
     "         By Stichting Mathematisch Centrum and M. Stephenson."
@@ -532,4 +552,5 @@
 
 /****************************************************************************/
 
+#endif /* PATHLEVEL_H */
 /*patchlevel.h*/
diff --git a/src/dlb.c b/src/dlb.c
index 6bad04fb1..8d4439894 100644
--- a/src/dlb.c
+++ b/src/dlb.c
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@
 
 #include "config.h"
 #include "dlb.h"
-#if defined(VERSION_IN_DLB_FILENAME)
-#include "patchlevel.h"
-#endif
 
 #ifdef __DJGPP__
 #include <string.h>
diff --git a/src/topten.c b/src/topten.c
index 73fee19a0..da418bf69 100644
--- a/src/topten.c
+++ b/src/topten.c
@@ -5,11 +5,6 @@
 
 #include "hack.h"
 #include "dlb.h"
-#ifdef SHORT_FILENAMES
-#include "patchlev.h"
-#else
-#include "patchlevel.h"
-#endif
 
 /* If UPDATE_RECORD_IN_PLACE is defined, we don't want to rewrite the
  * whole file, because that entails creating a new version which
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index 6973b6cbd..3d3ae6999 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -7,16 +7,6 @@
 #include "dlb.h"
 #include "date.h"
 
-/*
- * All the references to the contents of patchlevel.h have been moved
- * into makedefs....
- */
-#ifdef SHORT_FILENAMES
-#include "patchlev.h"
-#else
-#include "patchlevel.h"
-#endif
-
 #if defined(CROSSCOMPILE)
 struct cross_target_s cross_target = {
     /* https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/
diff --git a/util/makedefs.c b/util/makedefs.c
index 0af3d901f..7e70ed11a 100644
--- a/util/makedefs.c
+++ b/util/makedefs.c
@@ -23,13 +23,6 @@
 #include "flag.h"
 #include "dlb.h"
 
-/* version information */
-#ifdef SHORT_FILENAMES
-#include "patchlev.h"
-#else
-#include "patchlevel.h"
-#endif
-
 #include <ctype.h>
 #ifdef MAC
 #if defined(__SC__) || defined(__MRC__) /* MPW compilers */