diff --git a/commit_check/__init__.py b/commit_check/__init__.py
index fb2cffbb..e3c59b11 100644
--- a/commit_check/__init__.py
+++ b/commit_check/__init__.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
         __version__ (package version)
 """
 
-from importlib.metadata import version
+from importlib.metadata import version, PackageNotFoundError
 
 # Exit codes used across the package
 PASS = 0
@@ -76,4 +76,7 @@
 DEFAULT_AI_ATTRIBUTION = "ignore"  # "ignore" | "forbid"
 
 
-__version__ = version("commit-check")
+try:
+    __version__ = version("commit-check")
+except PackageNotFoundError:
+    __version__ = "0.0.0.dev"
diff --git a/tests/version_test.py b/tests/version_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8923d476
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/version_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+"""Tests for commit_check.__version__."""
+
+import importlib
+import pytest
+from unittest.mock import patch
+from importlib.metadata import PackageNotFoundError
+import commit_check
+
+
+class TestVersion:
+    """Tests for __version__ resolution."""
+
+    @pytest.mark.benchmark
+    def test_version_is_string_when_installed(self):
+        """When the package is installed, __version__ must be a non-empty string."""
+        assert isinstance(commit_check.__version__, str)
+        assert len(commit_check.__version__) > 0
+
+    @pytest.mark.benchmark
+    def test_version_fallback_when_not_installed(self):
+        """When PackageNotFoundError is raised, __version__ must fall back to '0.0.0.dev'."""
+        with patch("importlib.metadata.version", side_effect=PackageNotFoundError):
+            importlib.reload(commit_check)
+            assert commit_check.__version__ == "0.0.0.dev"
+
+        # Reload again to restore original version
+        importlib.reload(commit_check)
+        assert isinstance(commit_check.__version__, str)