diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 83dc08f..1b1cfa6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -102,11 +102,9 @@ But there are some important differences:
   `:subprocess` config option, which defaults to "lein"
 * lein-modules supports automatic discovery of child modules so that
   you don't have to set `:dirs` at all
-* lein-modules simplifies your release process by eliminating the
-  redundant references to your project's current version in
-  interdependent modules, e.g.
-  `[:dependencies [[your-project/common :version]]`, resolving the
-  `:version` keyword to the value from the dependent's own project map
+* lein-modules resolves interdependent child modules automatically, so
+  you only need to specify the version of each child once, in its own
+  `project.clj`
 
 ### Release Management
 
@@ -188,9 +186,8 @@ any of the following keys:
   versions of your child modules' shared dependencies in a single
   place. And like the `:inherited` profile, when multiple `:versions`
   maps are found among ancestors, the most immediate take precedence.
-  The *project* map's `:version` is automatically included in the
-  `:versions` map, so your interdependent modules may use that without
-  configuring this option at all.
+  The versions of all child modules are automatically discovered and
+  included in this map for you.
 
 * `:dirs` - A vector of strings denoting the relative paths to the
   project's child modules. Normally, they're discovered automatically
@@ -267,8 +264,7 @@ version itself will be tried as a key.
                         midje                         "1.6.0"
                         ring                          "1.2.1"
                         :jbossas                      "7.2.x.slim.incremental.12"
-                        org.jboss.as                  :jbossas
-                        org.immutant                  :version}})
+                        org.jboss.as                  :jbossas}})
 ```
 
 ### Child
@@ -276,7 +272,7 @@ version itself will be tried as a key.
 (defproject org.immutant/web "1.0.3-SNAPSHOT"
   :plugins [[lein-modules "0.3.11"]]
   :description "The web component"
-  :dependencies [[org.immutant/core :version]
+  :dependencies [[org.immutant/core "_"]
                  [ring/ring-servlet "_"]
                  [potemkin "0.3.4"]])
 ```
diff --git a/src/lein_modules/common.clj b/src/lein_modules/common.clj
index b608239..ab4e380 100644
--- a/src/lein_modules/common.clj
+++ b/src/lein_modules/common.clj
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 (ns lein-modules.common
   (:require [leiningen.core.project :as prj]
             [leiningen.core.main :refer (version-satisfies? leiningen-version)]
+            [leiningen.core.utils :as utils]
             [clojure.java.io :as io]
             [lein-modules.compression :refer (compressed-profiles)]))
 
@@ -8,6 +9,18 @@
                     (load-string "#(prj/init-profiles (prj/project-with-profiles (prj/read-raw %)) [:default])")
                     prj/read))
 
+(def ^:dynamic *middleware-disabled* false)
+
+(defmacro without-middleware [& body]
+  `(binding [*middleware-disabled* true]
+     ~@body))
+
+(defmacro with-middleware [project & body]
+  `(if (or *middleware-disabled* (-> ~project meta ::middleware-applied))
+     ~project
+     (let [~project (vary-meta ~project assoc ::middleware-applied true)]
+       (vary-meta (do ~@body) dissoc ::middleware-applied))))
+
 (defn with-profiles
   "Apply profiles to project"
   [project profiles]
@@ -36,7 +49,62 @@
   "Traverse all parents to accumulate a list of :modules config,
   ordered by least to most immediate ancestors"
   [project]
-  (loop [p project, acc '()]
-    (if (nil? p)
-      (remove nil? acc)
-      (recur (parent p) (conj acc (-> p :modules))))))
+  (without-middleware
+    (loop [p project, acc '()]
+      (if (nil? p)
+        (remove nil? acc)
+        (recur (parent p) (conj acc (-> p :modules)))))))
+
+(defn id
+  "Returns fully-qualified symbol identifier for project"
+  [project]
+  (if project
+    (symbol (:group project) (:name project))))
+
+(defn child?
+  "Return true if child is an immediate descendant of project"
+  [project child]
+  (= (:root project) (:root (parent child))))
+
+(defn file-seq-sans-symlinks
+  "A tree seq on java.io.Files that aren't symlinks"
+  [dir]
+  (tree-seq
+    (fn [^java.io.File f] (and (.isDirectory f) (not (utils/symlink? f))))
+    (fn [^java.io.File d] (seq (.listFiles d)))
+    dir))
+
+(defn children
+  "Return the child maps for a project according to its active profiles"
+  [project]
+  (if-let [dirs (-> project :modules :dirs)]
+    (remove nil?
+      (map (comp #(try (read-project %) (catch Exception e (println (.getMessage e))))
+             (memfn getCanonicalPath)
+             #(io/file (:root project) % "project.clj"))
+        dirs))
+    (->> (file-seq-sans-symlinks (io/file (:root project)))
+      (filter #(= "project.clj" (.getName %)))
+      (remove #(= (:root project) (.getParent %)))
+      (map (comp #(try (read-project %) (catch Exception e (println (.getMessage e)))) str))
+      (remove nil?)
+      (filter #(child? project (with-profiles % (compressed-profiles project)))))))
+
+(defn progeny
+  "Recursively return the project's children in a map keyed by id"
+  ([project]
+     (progeny project (compressed-profiles project)))
+  ([project profiles]
+     (let [kids (children (with-profiles project profiles))]
+       (apply merge
+         (into {} (map (juxt id identity) kids))
+         (->> kids
+           (remove #(= (:root project) (:root %))) ; in case "." in :dirs
+           (map #(progeny % profiles)))))))
+
+(defn primogenitor
+  "The top-most parent of a project"
+  [project]
+  (if-let [p (parent project nil)]
+    (recur p)
+    project))
diff --git a/src/lein_modules/inheritance.clj b/src/lein_modules/inheritance.clj
index 1076862..5c0fc12 100644
--- a/src/lein_modules/inheritance.clj
+++ b/src/lein_modules/inheritance.clj
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 (ns lein-modules.inheritance
-  (:use [lein-modules.common :only (config parent)]
+  (:use [lein-modules.common :only (config parent without-middleware)]
         [lein-modules.compression :only (compressed-profiles)])
   (:require [leiningen.core.project :as prj]))
 
@@ -42,13 +42,14 @@
   ([project]
      (compositize-profiles project (compressed-profiles project)))
   ([project active-profiles]
+   (without-middleware
      (loop [p project, result nil]
        (if (nil? p)
          result
          (recur (parent p active-profiles)
            (reduce (compositor p) result
              (conj (select-keys (:modules p) [:inherited])
-               (filter-profiles (:profiles (meta p))))))))))
+               (filter-profiles (:profiles (meta p)))))))))))
 
 (defn inherit
   "Add profiles from parents, setting any :inherited ones if found,
diff --git a/src/lein_modules/plugin.clj b/src/lein_modules/plugin.clj
index fd31bb1..726c0ad 100644
--- a/src/lein_modules/plugin.clj
+++ b/src/lein_modules/plugin.clj
@@ -1,17 +1,15 @@
 (ns lein-modules.plugin
   (:use [lein-modules.versionization :only (versionize)]
         [lein-modules.inheritance    :only (inherit)]
-        [lein-modules.common         :only (config)]))
+        [lein-modules.common         :only (with-middleware)]))
 
 (defn middleware
   "Implicit Leiningen middleware, guarding recursive
   middleware calls with a metadata flag.
   See https://github.com/technomancy/leiningen/issues/1151"
   [project]
-  (if (-> project meta ::middleware-applied)
-    project
+  (with-middleware project
     (-> project
-      (vary-meta assoc ::middleware-applied true)
       inherit
-      versionize
-      (vary-meta dissoc ::middleware-applied))))
+      versionize)))
+
diff --git a/src/lein_modules/versionization.clj b/src/lein_modules/versionization.clj
index f5b5ff3..1816f18 100644
--- a/src/lein_modules/versionization.clj
+++ b/src/lein_modules/versionization.clj
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 (ns lein-modules.versionization
   (:use [lein-modules.common :only (config)]
-        [leiningen.core.project :only (artifact-map)]))
+        [leiningen.core.project :only (artifact-map)]
+        [lein-modules.common :only (primogenitor progeny without-middleware)]))
 
 (defn versions
   "Merge dependency management maps of :versions from the
@@ -33,11 +34,20 @@
         ver)
       opts)))
 
+(def related-module-versions
+  "Return a mapping of all related project symbols to their versions"
+  (memoize
+    (fn [project]
+      (without-middleware
+        (into {}
+          (for [[k v] (-> project primogenitor progeny)]
+            [k (:version v)]))))))
+
 (defn versionize
   "Substitute versions in dependency vectors with actual versions from
   the :versions modules config"
   [project]
-  (let [vmap (merge (select-keys project [:version]) (versions project))
+  (let [vmap (merge (related-module-versions project) (versions project))
         f #(with-meta (for [d %] (expand-version d vmap)) (meta %))]
     (-> project
       (update-in [:dependencies] f)
diff --git a/src/leiningen/modules.clj b/src/leiningen/modules.clj
index 2198d66..5837249 100644
--- a/src/leiningen/modules.clj
+++ b/src/leiningen/modules.clj
@@ -5,57 +5,9 @@
             [leiningen.core.utils :as utils]
             [clojure.java.io :as io]
             [clojure.string :as s])
-  (:use [lein-modules.inheritance :only (inherit)]
-        [lein-modules.common      :only (parent with-profiles read-project)]
+  (:use [lein-modules.common      :only (progeny)]
         [lein-modules.compression :only (compressed-profiles)]))
 
-(defn child?
-  "Return true if child is an immediate descendant of project"
-  [project child]
-  (= (:root project) (:root (parent child))))
-
-(defn file-seq-sans-symlinks
-  "A tree seq on java.io.Files that aren't symlinks"
-  [dir]
-  (tree-seq
-    (fn [^java.io.File f] (and (.isDirectory f) (not (utils/symlink? f))))
-    (fn [^java.io.File d] (seq (.listFiles d)))
-    dir))
-
-(defn children
-  "Return the child maps for a project according to its active profiles"
-  [project]
-  (if-let [dirs (-> project :modules :dirs)]
-    (remove nil?
-      (map (comp #(try (read-project %) (catch Exception e (println (.getMessage e))))
-             (memfn getCanonicalPath)
-             #(io/file (:root project) % "project.clj"))
-        dirs))
-    (->> (file-seq-sans-symlinks (io/file (:root project)))
-      (filter #(= "project.clj" (.getName %)))
-      (remove #(= (:root project) (.getParent %)))
-      (map (comp #(try (read-project %) (catch Exception e (println (.getMessage e)))) str))
-      (remove nil?)
-      (filter #(child? project (with-profiles % (compressed-profiles project)))))))
-
-(defn id
-  "Returns fully-qualified symbol identifier for project"
-  [project]
-  (if project
-    (symbol (:group project) (:name project))))
-
-(defn progeny
-  "Recursively return the project's children in a map keyed by id"
-  ([project]
-     (progeny project (compressed-profiles project)))
-  ([project profiles]
-     (let [kids (children (with-profiles project profiles))]
-       (apply merge
-         (into {} (map (juxt id identity) kids))
-         (->> kids
-           (remove #(= (:root project) (:root %))) ; in case "." in :dirs
-           (map #(progeny % profiles)))))))
-
 (defn interdependence
   "Turn a progeny map (symbols to projects) into a mapping of projects
   to their dependent projects"
diff --git a/test-resources/grandparent/parent/child/project.clj b/test-resources/grandparent/parent/child/project.clj
index 62a39db..1e66638 100644
--- a/test-resources/grandparent/parent/child/project.clj
+++ b/test-resources/grandparent/parent/child/project.clj
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@
                  [foo/b _]
                  [foo/c _]
                  [foo/d :ver]
-                 [sibling "0.1.0-SNAPSHOT"]]
+                 [sibling _]]
   :modules {:versions {parent "3.0"}}
   :profiles {:by-child  {}})
diff --git a/test-resources/grandparent/parent/sibling/project.clj b/test-resources/grandparent/parent/sibling/project.clj
index b465b15..1bcd6d7 100644
--- a/test-resources/grandparent/parent/sibling/project.clj
+++ b/test-resources/grandparent/parent/sibling/project.clj
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-(defproject sibling "0.1.0-SNAPSHOT"
+(defproject sibling "0.2.0-SNAPSHOT"
   :description "sibling"
 
   :profiles {:by-child {:modules {:parent nil}}})
diff --git a/test/lein_modules/versionization_test.clj b/test/lein_modules/versionization_test.clj
index cb60c11..f24970c 100644
--- a/test/lein_modules/versionization_test.clj
+++ b/test/lein_modules/versionization_test.clj
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
          '[foo/a "1"]
          '[foo/b "2"]
          '[foo/c "3"]
-         '[foo/d "2.0"])))
+         '[foo/d "2.0"]
+         '[sibling/sibling "0.2.0-SNAPSHOT"])))
 
 (deftest partial-composites-should-work
   (let [p (-> (prj/read "test-resources/lambda/project.clj")
diff --git a/test/leiningen/modules_test.clj b/test/leiningen/modules_test.clj
index 1c12e44..223c16b 100644
--- a/test/leiningen/modules_test.clj
+++ b/test/leiningen/modules_test.clj
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 (ns leiningen.modules-test
   (:use clojure.test
         leiningen.modules
-        [lein-modules.common :only (parent)]
+        [lein-modules.common :only (parent child? children progeny)]
         [lein-modules.inheritance :only (inherit)])
   (:require [leiningen.core.project :as prj]
             [leiningen.clean :refer [delete-file-recursively]]