diff --git a/src/Composer/Command/BaseDependencyCommand.php b/src/Composer/Command/BaseDependencyCommand.php
index 2ca92fcef..a92167492 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Command/BaseDependencyCommand.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Command/BaseDependencyCommand.php
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ namespace Composer\Command;
 
 use Composer\Package\Link;
 use Composer\Package\PackageInterface;
+use Composer\Package\RootPackage;
 use Composer\Repository\InstalledArrayRepository;
 use Composer\Repository\CompositeRepository;
 use Composer\Repository\RootPackageRepository;
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ class BaseDependencyCommand extends BaseCommand
                     continue;
                 }
                 $doubles[$unique] = true;
-                $version = (strpos($package->getPrettyVersion(), 'No version set') === 0) ? '-' : $package->getPrettyVersion();
+                $version = $package->getPrettyVersion() === RootPackage::DEFAULT_PRETTY_VERSION ? '-' : $package->getPrettyVersion();
                 $rows[] = array($package->getPrettyName(), $version, $link->getDescription(), sprintf('%s (%s)', $link->getTarget(), $link->getPrettyConstraint()));
                 if ($children) {
                     $queue = array_merge($queue, $children);
@@ -223,7 +224,7 @@ class BaseDependencyCommand extends BaseCommand
             $color = $this->colors[$level % count($this->colors)];
             $prevColor = $this->colors[($level - 1) % count($this->colors)];
             $isLast = (++$idx == $count);
-            $versionText = (strpos($package->getPrettyVersion(), 'No version set') === 0) ? '' : $package->getPrettyVersion();
+            $versionText = $package->getPrettyVersion() === RootPackage::DEFAULT_PRETTY_VERSION ? '' : $package->getPrettyVersion();
             $packageText = rtrim(sprintf('<%s>%s</%1$s> %s', $color, $package->getPrettyName(), $versionText));
             $linkText = sprintf('%s <%s>%s</%2$s> %s', $link->getDescription(), $prevColor, $link->getTarget(), $link->getPrettyConstraint());
             $circularWarn = $children === false ? '(circular dependency aborted here)' : '';
diff --git a/src/Composer/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoader.php b/src/Composer/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoader.php
index 68a6224e9..e807cfd45 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoader.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoader.php
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ use Composer\Package\RootPackageInterface;
 use Composer\Repository\RepositoryFactory;
 use Composer\Package\Version\VersionGuesser;
 use Composer\Package\Version\VersionParser;
+use Composer\Package\RootPackage;
 use Composer\Repository\RepositoryManager;
 use Composer\Util\ProcessExecutor;
 
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ class RootPackageLoader extends ArrayLoader
         }
 
         if ($autoVersioned) {
-            $realPackage->replaceVersion($realPackage->getVersion(), 'No version set (parsed as 1.0.0)');
+            $realPackage->replaceVersion($realPackage->getVersion(), RootPackage::DEFAULT_PRETTY_VERSION);
         }
 
         if (isset($config['minimum-stability'])) {
diff --git a/src/Composer/Package/RootPackage.php b/src/Composer/Package/RootPackage.php
index 52e851a5c..7850cfba7 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Package/RootPackage.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Package/RootPackage.php
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ namespace Composer\Package;
  */
 class RootPackage extends CompletePackage implements RootPackageInterface
 {
+    const DEFAULT_PRETTY_VERSION = '1.0.0+no-version-set';
+
     protected $minimumStability = 'stable';
     protected $preferStable = false;
     protected $stabilityFlags = array();
diff --git a/tests/Composer/Test/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoaderTest.php b/tests/Composer/Test/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoaderTest.php
index eaa8070cd..ade220950 100644
--- a/tests/Composer/Test/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoaderTest.php
+++ b/tests/Composer/Test/Package/Loader/RootPackageLoaderTest.php
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ namespace Composer\Test\Package\Loader;
 use Composer\Config;
 use Composer\Package\Loader\RootPackageLoader;
 use Composer\Package\BasePackage;
+use Composer\Package\RootPackage;
 use Composer\Package\Version\VersionGuesser;
 use Composer\Semver\VersionParser;
 use Composer\Test\TestCase;
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ class RootPackageLoaderTest extends TestCase
         $package = $loader->load(array());
 
         $this->assertEquals("1.0.0.0", $package->getVersion());
-        $this->assertEquals("No version set (parsed as 1.0.0)", $package->getPrettyVersion());
+        $this->assertEquals(RootPackage::DEFAULT_PRETTY_VERSION, $package->getPrettyVersion());
     }
 
     public function testPrettyVersionForRootPackageInVersionBranch()