diff --git a/scripts/load-into-counting.py b/scripts/load-into-counting.py
index c616d5a8d0..1d7a3ff41e 100755
--- a/scripts/load-into-counting.py
+++ b/scripts/load-into-counting.py
@@ -117,16 +117,17 @@ def main():
     check_space_for_graph(args.output_countgraph_filename, tablesize,
                           args.force)
 
+    info_filename = base + ".info"
     check_file_writable(base)
-    check_file_writable(base + ".info")
+    check_file_writable(info_filename)
 
     print('Saving k-mer countgraph to %s' % base, file=sys.stderr)
     print('Loading kmers from sequences in %s' %
           repr(filenames), file=sys.stderr)
 
     # clobber the '.info' file now, as we always open in append mode below
-    if os.path.exists(base + '.info'):
-        os.remove(base + '.info')
+    with open(info_filename, 'w') as info_fh:
+        print('khmer version:', khmer.__version__, file=info_fh)
 
     print('making countgraph', file=sys.stderr)
     countgraph = khmer_args.create_countgraph(args)
@@ -159,13 +160,13 @@ def main():
             print('mid-save', base, file=sys.stderr)
 
             countgraph.save(base)
-        with open(base + '.info', 'a') as info_fh:
+        with open(info_filename, 'a') as info_fh:
             print('through', filename, file=info_fh)
         total_num_reads += rparser.num_reads
 
     n_kmers = countgraph.n_unique_kmers()
     print('Total number of unique k-mers:', n_kmers, file=sys.stderr)
-    with open(base + '.info', 'a') as info_fp:
+    with open(info_filename, 'a') as info_fp:
         print('Total number of unique k-mers:', n_kmers, file=info_fp)
 
     print('saving', base, file=sys.stderr)
@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@ def main():
         khmer.calc_expected_collisions(
             countgraph, args.force, max_false_pos=.2)
 
-    with open(base + '.info', 'a') as info_fp:
+    with open(info_filename, 'a') as info_fp:
         print('fp rate estimated to be %1.3f\n' % fp_rate, file=info_fp)
 
     if args.summary_info:
@@ -209,7 +210,7 @@ def main():
     print('fp rate estimated to be %1.3f' % fp_rate, file=sys.stderr)
 
     print('DONE.', file=sys.stderr)
-    print('wrote to:', base + '.info', file=sys.stderr)
+    print('wrote to:', info_filename, file=sys.stderr)
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     main()