diff --git a/maketgz b/maketgz
index c2c359aafa..1824ff7f88 100755
--- a/maketgz
+++ b/maketgz
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ echo "produce CHANGES"
 git log --pretty=fuller --no-color --date=short --decorate=full -1000 | ./scripts/log2changes.pl > CHANGES.dist
 
 echo "produce RELEASE-TOOLS.md"
-./scripts/release-tools.sh > docs/RELEASE-TOOLS.md.dist
+./scripts/release-tools.sh "$timestamp" "$version" > docs/RELEASE-TOOLS.md.dist
 
 ############################################################################
 #
diff --git a/scripts/release-tools.sh b/scripts/release-tools.sh
index 57c8c2fb01..86cde74902 100755
--- a/scripts/release-tools.sh
+++ b/scripts/release-tools.sh
@@ -25,8 +25,13 @@
 
 set -eu
 
+# this should ideally be passed in
+timestamp=${1:-unknown}
+version=${2:-unknown}
+tag=$(echo "curl-$version" | tr '.' '_')
+
 cat <<MOO
-# Release tools
+# Release tools used for curl $version
 
 The following tools and their Debian package version numbers were used to
 produce this release tarball.
@@ -53,7 +58,7 @@ cat <<MOO
 
 # Reproduce the tarball
 
-- Clone the repo and checkout the release tag
+- Clone the repo and checkout the tag: $tag
 - Install the same set of tools + versions as listed above
 
 ## Do a standard build
@@ -62,8 +67,9 @@ cat <<MOO
 - ./configure [...]
 - make
 
-## Generate the tarball
+## Generate the tarball with the same timestamp
 
+- export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$timestamp
 - ./maketgz [version]
 
 MOO