diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 53d51fc..25cf5c9 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-AC_INIT(libite, 1.7.0, https://github.com/troglobit/libite/issues)
+AC_INIT(libite, 1.7.1-rc1, https://github.com/troglobit/libite/issues)
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.11 foreign no-dist-gzip dist-xz])
 AM_SILENT_RULES([yes])