diff --git a/Documentation/RelNotes/2.8.1.txt b/Documentation/RelNotes/2.8.1.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef6d80b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/RelNotes/2.8.1.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+Git v2.8.1 Release Notes
+========================
+
+Fixes since v2.8
+----------------
+
+ * "make rpmbuild" target was broken as its input, git.spec.in, was
+   not updated to match a file it describes that has been renamed
+   recently.  This has been fixed.
diff --git a/Documentation/git.txt b/Documentation/git.txt
index adc940b..8afe349 100644
--- a/Documentation/git.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git.txt
@@ -43,9 +43,10 @@
 branch of the `git.git` repository.
 Documentation for older releases are available here:
 
-* link:v2.8.0/git.html[documentation for release 2.8]
+* link:v2.8.1/git.html[documentation for release 2.8.1]
 
 * release notes for
+  link:RelNotes/2.8.1.txt[2.8.1].
   link:RelNotes/2.8.0.txt[2.8].
 
 * link:v2.7.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.7.3]
diff --git a/GIT-VERSION-GEN b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
index 4e9450b..46595da 100755
--- a/GIT-VERSION-GEN
+++ b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
 GVF=GIT-VERSION-FILE
-DEF_VER=v2.8.0
+DEF_VER=v2.8.1
 
 LF='
 '
diff --git a/RelNotes b/RelNotes
index 7db3040..d40c3e1 120000
--- a/RelNotes
+++ b/RelNotes
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Documentation/RelNotes/2.8.0.txt
\ No newline at end of file
+Documentation/RelNotes/2.8.1.txt
\ No newline at end of file