diff --git a/.changeset/chilly-otters-act.md b/.changeset/chilly-otters-act.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0f56c826711e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/chilly-otters-act.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@sveltejs/kit': patch
+---
+
+docs: clarify that `version.name` should be deterministic
diff --git a/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts b/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
index 647a41125c96..721aa4cbde12 100644
--- a/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
@@ -542,8 +542,7 @@ export interface KitConfig {
 	 */
 	version?: {
 		/**
-		 * The current app version string.
-		 * @default Date.now().toString()
+		 * The current app version string. If specified, this must be deterministic (e.g. a commit ref rather than `Math.random()` or Date.now().toString()`), otherwise defaults to a timestamp of the build
 		 */
 		name?: string;
 		/**