diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index f67f9c78b..27d3f3b3f 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -132,7 +132,8 @@ type Ethereum struct {
 
 	logger ethlogger.LogSystem
 
-	Mining bool
+	Mining  bool
+	version string
 }
 
 func New(config *Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
@@ -175,6 +176,7 @@ func New(config *Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
 		blacklist:    p2p.NewBlacklist(),
 		eventMux:     &event.TypeMux{},
 		logger:       logger,
+		version:      config.Name,
 	}
 
 	eth.chainManager = core.NewChainManager(db, eth.EventMux())
@@ -231,6 +233,7 @@ func (s *Ethereum) PeerCount() int                       { return s.net.PeerCoun
 func (s *Ethereum) Peers() []*p2p.Peer                   { return s.net.Peers() }
 func (s *Ethereum) MaxPeers() int                        { return s.net.MaxPeers }
 func (s *Ethereum) Coinbase() []byte                     { return nil } // TODO
+func (s *Ethereum) ClientVersion() string                { return s.version }
 
 // Start the ethereum
 func (s *Ethereum) Start() error {
diff --git a/rpc/api.go b/rpc/api.go
index 28ec04916..f023709ca 100644
--- a/rpc/api.go
+++ b/rpc/api.go
@@ -668,6 +668,8 @@ func (p *EthereumApi) GetRequestReply(req *RpcRequest, reply *interface{}) error
 			return err
 		}
 		return p.WhisperMessages(args, reply)
+	case "client_version":
+		*reply = p.eth.GetClientVersion()
 	default:
 		return NewErrorWithMessage(errNotImplemented, req.Method)
 	}
diff --git a/xeth/xeth.go b/xeth/xeth.go
index d4c188fec..8dd905b86 100644
--- a/xeth/xeth.go
+++ b/xeth/xeth.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ type Backend interface {
 	EventMux() *event.TypeMux
 	Whisper() *whisper.Whisper
 	Miner() *miner.Miner
+	ClientVersion() string
 }
 
 type XEth struct {
@@ -164,6 +165,10 @@ func (self *XEth) IsContract(address string) bool {
 	return len(self.State().SafeGet(address).Code()) > 0
 }
 
+func (self *XEth) GetClientVersion() string {
+	return self.eth.ClientVersion()
+}
+
 func (self *XEth) SecretToAddress(key string) string {
 	pair, err := crypto.NewKeyPairFromSec(fromHex(key))
 	if err != nil {