diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCSSLintLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCSSLintLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCSSLintLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCSSLintLinter.php
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
     return $this->getDeprecatedConfiguration('lint.csslint.bin', 'csslint');
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCoffeeLintLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCoffeeLintLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCoffeeLintLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCoffeeLintLinter.php
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
     return 'coffeelint';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCppcheckLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCppcheckLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCppcheckLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistCppcheckLinter.php
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
     }
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistExternalLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistExternalLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistExternalLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistExternalLinter.php
@@ -366,6 +366,22 @@
     }
   }
 
+  public /* final */ function getVersion() {
+    static $version = null;
+
+    // Cache the version so that we don't make lots of calls to
+    // `$LINTER --version`.
+    if (!$version) {
+      $version = $this->getActualVersion();
+    }
+
+    return $version;
+  }
+
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
+    return null;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Prepare the path to be added to the command string.
    *
@@ -406,6 +422,14 @@
   }
 
   final protected function resolveFuture($path, Future $future) {
+    $method = new ReflectionMethod($this, 'getVersion');
+
+    if ($method->getDeclaringClass()->getName() != __CLASS__) {
+      phutil_deprecated(
+        'The getVersion() method.',
+        'You should rename this method to getActualVersion().');
+    }
+
     list($err, $stdout, $stderr) = $future->resolve();
     if ($err && !$this->shouldExpectCommandErrors()) {
       $future->resolvex();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistFlake8Linter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistFlake8Linter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistFlake8Linter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistFlake8Linter.php
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     }
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistHLintLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistHLintLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistHLintLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistHLintLinter.php
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     return array('--json');
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout, $stderr) = execx(
       '%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSHintLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSHintLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSHintLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSHintLinter.php
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
     }
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     // NOTE: `jshint --version` emits version information on stderr, not stdout.
     list($stdout, $stderr) = execx(
       '%C --version',
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSONLintLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSONLintLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSONLintLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJSONLintLinter.php
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     return 'jsonlint';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  public function getActualVersion() {
     // NOTE: `jsonlint --version` returns a non-zero exit status.
     list($err, $stdout) = exec_manual(
       '%C --version',
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJscsLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJscsLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJscsLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistJscsLinter.php
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     return 'jscs';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  public function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistLesscLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistLesscLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistLesscLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistLesscLinter.php
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
     return 'lessc';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPEP8Linter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPEP8Linter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPEP8Linter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPEP8Linter.php
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
     return $arc_root.'/externals/pep8/pep8.py';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpLinter.php
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
     return 'php';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx(
       '%C --run %s',
       $this->getExecutableCommand(),
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpcsLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpcsLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpcsLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPhpcsLinter.php
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
     return $this->getDeprecatedConfiguration('lint.phpcs.bin', 'phpcs');
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPuppetLintLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPuppetLintLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPuppetLintLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPuppetLintLinter.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
     return 'puppet-lint';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPyFlakesLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPyFlakesLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPyFlakesLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistPyFlakesLinter.php
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
     }
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();
diff --git a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistRubyLinter.php b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistRubyLinter.php
--- a/src/lint/linter/ArcanistRubyLinter.php
+++ b/src/lint/linter/ArcanistRubyLinter.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
     return 'ruby';
   }
 
-  public function getVersion() {
+  protected function getActualVersion() {
     list($stdout) = execx('%C --version', $this->getExecutableCommand());
 
     $matches = array();