diff --git a/src/boot/boot.janet b/src/boot/boot.janet
index e542b60a..cf311c12 100644
--- a/src/boot/boot.janet
+++ b/src/boot/boot.janet
@@ -149,10 +149,15 @@
 (defmacro /= "Shorthand for (set x (/ x n))." [x n] ~(set ,x (,/ ,x ,n)))
 (defmacro %= "Shorthand for (set x (% x n))." [x n] ~(set ,x (,% ,x ,n)))
 
-(defn assert
-  "Throw an error if x is not truthy."
+(defmacro assert
+  "Throw an error if x is not truthy. Will not evaluate `err` if x is truthy."
   [x &opt err]
-  (if x x (error (if err err "assert failure"))))
+  (def v (gensym))
+  ~(do
+     (def ,v ,x)
+     (if ,v
+       ,v
+       (,error ,(if err err "assert failure")))))
 
 (defn errorf
   "A combination of error and string/format. Equivalent to (error (string/format fmt ;args))"
diff --git a/src/conf/janetconf.h b/src/conf/janetconf.h
index 9beb8657..8d0d7213 100644
--- a/src/conf/janetconf.h
+++ b/src/conf/janetconf.h
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
 #define JANET_VERSION_MAJOR 1
 #define JANET_VERSION_MINOR 17
 #define JANET_VERSION_PATCH 0
-#define JANET_VERSION_EXTRA "dev"
-#define JANET_VERSION "1.17.0-dev"
+#define JANET_VERSION_EXTRA ""
+#define JANET_VERSION "1.17.0"
 
 /* #define JANET_BUILD "local" */