"""
Version information for Caracal Core.

This module reads the version from the VERSION file at the root of the package.
"""

from pathlib import Path

def get_version() -> str:
    """
    Read version from VERSION file.
    
    Returns:
        str: The version string (e.g., "0.5.0")
    """
    version_file = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "VERSION"
    if version_file.exists():
        return version_file.read_text().strip()
    return "unknown"

__version__ = get_version()
