diff --git a/ipc/testshell/XPCShellEnvironment.cpp b/ipc/testshell/XPCShellEnvironment.cpp
index 8e247a29c919..40980f5010f6 100644
--- a/ipc/testshell/XPCShellEnvironment.cpp
+++ b/ipc/testshell/XPCShellEnvironment.cpp
@@ -305,10 +305,10 @@ Version(JSContext *cx,
         JS::Value *vp)
 {
     JS::Value *argv = JS_ARGV(cx, vp);
+    JS_SET_RVAL(cx, vp, INT_TO_JSVAL(JS_GetVersion(cx)));
     if (argc > 0 && JSVAL_IS_INT(argv[0]))
-        JS_SET_RVAL(cx, vp, INT_TO_JSVAL(JS_SetVersion(cx, JSVersion(JSVAL_TO_INT(argv[0])))));
-    else
-        JS_SET_RVAL(cx, vp, INT_TO_JSVAL(JS_GetVersion(cx)));
+        JS_SetVersionForCompartment(js::GetContextCompartment(cx),
+                                    JSVersion(JSVAL_TO_INT(argv[0])));
     return JS_TRUE;
 }
 
diff --git a/js/src/jsapi.cpp b/js/src/jsapi.cpp
index e381474a8bca..8571b44c2a39 100644
--- a/js/src/jsapi.cpp
+++ b/js/src/jsapi.cpp
@@ -1362,6 +1362,12 @@ JS_SetVersion(JSContext *cx, JSVersion newVersion)
     return oldVersionNumber;
 }
 
+JS_PUBLIC_API(void)
+JS_SetVersionForCompartment(JSCompartment *compartment, JSVersion version)
+{
+    compartment->options().setVersion(version);
+}
+
 static struct v2smap {
     JSVersion   version;
     const char  *string;
diff --git a/js/src/jsapi.h b/js/src/jsapi.h
index 91f02cb56e9e..261591109ad3 100644
--- a/js/src/jsapi.h
+++ b/js/src/jsapi.h
@@ -1898,6 +1898,15 @@ JS_GetVersion(JSContext *cx);
 extern JS_PUBLIC_API(JSVersion)
 JS_SetVersion(JSContext *cx, JSVersion version);
 
+// Mutate the version on the compartment. This is generally discouraged, but
+// necessary to support the version mutation in the js and xpc shell command
+// set.
+//
+// It would be nice to put this in jsfriendapi, but the linkage requirements
+// of the shells make that impossible.
+JS_PUBLIC_API(void)
+JS_SetVersionForCompartment(JSCompartment *compartment, JSVersion version);
+
 extern JS_PUBLIC_API(const char *)
 JS_VersionToString(JSVersion version);
 
diff --git a/js/src/shell/js.cpp b/js/src/shell/js.cpp
index 8cfb382b2c26..924b4ff4dc56 100644
--- a/js/src/shell/js.cpp
+++ b/js/src/shell/js.cpp
@@ -625,9 +625,10 @@ static JSBool
 Version(JSContext *cx, unsigned argc, jsval *vp)
 {
     CallArgs args = CallArgsFromVp(argc, vp);
+    JSVersion origVersion = JS_GetVersion(cx);
     if (args.length() == 0 || JSVAL_IS_VOID(args[0])) {
         /* Get version. */
-        args.rval().setInt32(JS_GetVersion(cx));
+        args.rval().setInt32(origVersion);
     } else {
         /* Set version. */
         int32_t v = -1;
@@ -642,7 +643,8 @@ Version(JSContext *cx, unsigned argc, jsval *vp)
             JS_ReportErrorNumber(cx, my_GetErrorMessage, NULL, JSSMSG_INVALID_ARGS, "version");
             return false;
         }
-        args.rval().setInt32(JS_SetVersion(cx, JSVersion(v)));
+        JS_SetVersionForCompartment(js::GetContextCompartment(cx), JSVersion(v));
+        args.rval().setInt32(origVersion);
     }
     return true;
 }
diff --git a/js/xpconnect/shell/xpcshell.cpp b/js/xpconnect/shell/xpcshell.cpp
index 5500d7a0db3c..ad39a77c170d 100644
--- a/js/xpconnect/shell/xpcshell.cpp
+++ b/js/xpconnect/shell/xpcshell.cpp
@@ -491,10 +491,11 @@ Load(JSContext *cx, unsigned argc, jsval *vp)
 static JSBool
 Version(JSContext *cx, unsigned argc, jsval *vp)
 {
+    JSVersion origVersion = JS_GetVersion(cx);
+    JS_SET_RVAL(cx, vp, INT_TO_JSVAL(origVersion));
     if (argc > 0 && JSVAL_IS_INT(JS_ARGV(cx, vp)[0]))
-        JS_SET_RVAL(cx, vp, INT_TO_JSVAL(JS_SetVersion(cx, JSVersion(JSVAL_TO_INT(JS_ARGV(cx, vp)[0])))));
-    else
-        JS_SET_RVAL(cx, vp, INT_TO_JSVAL(JS_GetVersion(cx)));
+        JS_SetVersionForCompartment(js::GetContextCompartment(cx),
+                                    JSVersion(JSVAL_TO_INT(JS_ARGV(cx, vp)[0])));
     return true;
 }
 
@@ -1318,7 +1319,8 @@ ProcessArgs(JSContext *cx, JS::Handle<JSObject*> obj, char **argv, int argc, XPC
             if (++i == argc) {
                 return usage();
             }
-            JS_SetVersion(cx, JSVersion(atoi(argv[i])));
+            JS_SetVersionForCompartment(js::GetContextCompartment(cx),
+                                        JSVersion(atoi(argv[i])));
             break;
         case 'W':
             reportWarnings = false;