diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root/completion.go b/pkg/cmd/completion/completion.go
similarity index 98%
rename from pkg/cmd/root/completion.go
rename to pkg/cmd/completion/completion.go
index a96b69840..3d3699b5d 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root/completion.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/completion/completion.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package root
+package completion
 
 import (
 	"errors"
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root/completion_test.go b/pkg/cmd/completion/completion_test.go
similarity index 98%
rename from pkg/cmd/root/completion_test.go
rename to pkg/cmd/completion/completion_test.go
index 505a65319..3ce03f9b6 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root/completion_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/completion/completion_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package root
+package completion
 
 import (
 	"strings"
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root/help.go b/pkg/cmd/root/help.go
index 400be3834..ae57c1328 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root/help.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/root/help.go
@@ -5,9 +5,11 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmdutil"
 	"github.com/cli/cli/pkg/text"
 	"github.com/cli/cli/utils"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 )
 
 func rootUsageFunc(command *cobra.Command) error {
@@ -33,6 +35,13 @@ func rootUsageFunc(command *cobra.Command) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func rootFlagErrrorFunc(cmd *cobra.Command, err error) error {
+	if err == pflag.ErrHelp {
+		return err
+	}
+	return &cmdutil.FlagError{Err: err}
+}
+
 var hasFailed bool
 
 // HasFailed signals that the main process should exit with non-zero status
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root/root.go b/pkg/cmd/root/root.go
index 334ee418d..7a82f0cbf 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root/root.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/root/root.go
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 package root
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
-	"regexp"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/MakeNowJust/heredoc"
 	"github.com/cli/cli/api"
@@ -13,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	aliasCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/alias"
 	apiCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/api"
 	authCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/auth"
+	completionCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/completion"
 	configCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/config"
 	"github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/factory"
 	gistCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/gist"
@@ -21,9 +19,9 @@ import (
 	releaseCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/release"
 	repoCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/repo"
 	creditsCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/repo/credits"
+	versionCmd "github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmd/version"
 	"github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmdutil"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
-	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 )
 
 func NewCmdRoot(f *cmdutil.Factory, version, buildDate string) *cobra.Command {
@@ -49,59 +47,31 @@ func NewCmdRoot(f *cmdutil.Factory, version, buildDate string) *cobra.Command {
 		},
 	}
 
-	version = strings.TrimPrefix(version, "v")
-	if buildDate == "" {
-		cmd.Version = version
-	} else {
-		cmd.Version = fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", version, buildDate)
-	}
-	versionOutput := fmt.Sprintf("gh version %s\n%s\n", cmd.Version, changelogURL(version))
-	cmd.AddCommand(&cobra.Command{
-		Use:    "version",
-		Hidden: true,
-		Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			fmt.Print(versionOutput)
-		},
-	})
-	cmd.SetVersionTemplate(versionOutput)
-	cmd.Flags().Bool("version", false, "Show gh version")
-
 	cmd.SetOut(f.IOStreams.Out)
 	cmd.SetErr(f.IOStreams.ErrOut)
 
 	cmd.PersistentFlags().Bool("help", false, "Show help for command")
 	cmd.SetHelpFunc(rootHelpFunc)
 	cmd.SetUsageFunc(rootUsageFunc)
+	cmd.SetFlagErrorFunc(rootFlagErrrorFunc)
 
-	cmd.SetFlagErrorFunc(func(cmd *cobra.Command, err error) error {
-		if err == pflag.ErrHelp {
-			return err
-		}
-		return &cmdutil.FlagError{Err: err}
-	})
-
-	cmdutil.DisableAuthCheck(cmd)
+	formattedVersion := versionCmd.Format(version, buildDate)
+	cmd.SetVersionTemplate(formattedVersion)
+	cmd.Version = formattedVersion
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("version", false, "Show gh version")
 
 	// Child commands
+	cmd.AddCommand(versionCmd.NewCmdVersion(f, version, buildDate))
 	cmd.AddCommand(aliasCmd.NewCmdAlias(f))
 	cmd.AddCommand(authCmd.NewCmdAuth(f))
 	cmd.AddCommand(configCmd.NewCmdConfig(f))
 	cmd.AddCommand(creditsCmd.NewCmdCredits(f, nil))
 	cmd.AddCommand(gistCmd.NewCmdGist(f))
-	cmd.AddCommand(NewCmdCompletion(f.IOStreams))
-
-	// Help topics
-	cmd.AddCommand(NewHelpTopic("environment"))
+	cmd.AddCommand(completionCmd.NewCmdCompletion(f.IOStreams))
 
 	// the `api` command should not inherit any extra HTTP headers
 	bareHTTPCmdFactory := *f
-	bareHTTPCmdFactory.HttpClient = func() (*http.Client, error) {
-		cfg, err := bareHTTPCmdFactory.Config()
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		return factory.NewHTTPClient(bareHTTPCmdFactory.IOStreams, cfg, version, false), nil
-	}
+	bareHTTPCmdFactory.HttpClient = bareHTTPClient(f, version)
 
 	cmd.AddCommand(apiCmd.NewCmdApi(&bareHTTPCmdFactory, nil))
 
@@ -114,9 +84,24 @@ func NewCmdRoot(f *cmdutil.Factory, version, buildDate string) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd.AddCommand(releaseCmd.NewCmdRelease(&repoResolvingCmdFactory))
 	cmd.AddCommand(repoCmd.NewCmdRepo(&repoResolvingCmdFactory))
 
+	// Help topics
+	cmd.AddCommand(NewHelpTopic("environment"))
+
+	cmdutil.DisableAuthCheck(cmd)
+
 	return cmd
 }
 
+func bareHTTPClient(f *cmdutil.Factory, version string) func() (*http.Client, error) {
+	return func() (*http.Client, error) {
+		cfg, err := f.Config()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return factory.NewHTTPClient(f.IOStreams, cfg, version, false), nil
+	}
+}
+
 func resolvedBaseRepo(f *cmdutil.Factory) func() (ghrepo.Interface, error) {
 	return func() (ghrepo.Interface, error) {
 		httpClient, err := f.HttpClient()
@@ -142,14 +127,3 @@ func resolvedBaseRepo(f *cmdutil.Factory) func() (ghrepo.Interface, error) {
 		return baseRepo, nil
 	}
 }
-
-func changelogURL(version string) string {
-	path := "https://github.com/cli/cli"
-	r := regexp.MustCompile(`^v?\d+\.\d+\.\d+(-[\w.]+)?$`)
-	if !r.MatchString(version) {
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s/releases/latest", path)
-	}
-
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/releases/tag/v%s", path, strings.TrimPrefix(version, "v"))
-	return url
-}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/version/version.go b/pkg/cmd/version/version.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..040a3132e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cmd/version/version.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package version
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/cli/cli/pkg/cmdutil"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+func NewCmdVersion(f *cmdutil.Factory, version, buildDate string) *cobra.Command {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:    "version",
+		Hidden: true,
+		Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+			fmt.Fprint(f.IOStreams.Out, Format(version, buildDate))
+		},
+	}
+
+	cmdutil.DisableAuthCheck(cmd)
+
+	return cmd
+}
+
+func Format(version, buildDate string) string {
+	version = strings.TrimPrefix(version, "v")
+
+	if buildDate != "" {
+		version = fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", version, buildDate)
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("gh version %s\n%s\n", version, changelogURL(version))
+}
+
+func changelogURL(version string) string {
+	path := "https://github.com/cli/cli"
+	r := regexp.MustCompile(`^v?\d+\.\d+\.\d+(-[\w.]+)?$`)
+	if !r.MatchString(version) {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s/releases/latest", path)
+	}
+
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/releases/tag/v%s", path, strings.TrimPrefix(version, "v"))
+	return url
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root/root_test.go b/pkg/cmd/version/version_test.go
similarity index 98%
rename from pkg/cmd/root/root_test.go
rename to pkg/cmd/version/version_test.go
index 714032ec3..9a1d49db3 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root/root_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/version/version_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package root
+package version
 
 import (
 	"testing"