diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index bac836e..675d897 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -193,6 +193,8 @@ if (BUILDSWIG)
       add_subdirectory (python)
     endif ()
     if (BUILDSWIGJAVA)
+      configure_file (${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/java/manifest.txt.in
+          ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/java/manifest.txt)
       add_subdirectory (java)
     endif ()
     if (BUILDSWIGNODE)
diff --git a/src/java/CMakeLists.txt b/src/java/CMakeLists.txt
index 3b63179..fbcbe6e 100644
--- a/src/java/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/java/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ add_custom_command (TARGET mraajava
   COMMAND cmake -E make_directory ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/mraa
   COMMAND ${JAVAC} *.java -d ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
   COMMAND cmake -E echo "Creating jar"
-  COMMAND ${JAR} cvf mraa.jar mraa
+  COMMAND ${JAR} cvmf manifest.txt mraa.jar mraa
 )
 
 if (DOXYGEN_FOUND)
diff --git a/src/java/manifest.txt.in b/src/java/manifest.txt.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1e98ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/manifest.txt.in
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+Manifest-version: 1.0
+
+Name: mraa/
+Specification-Title: mraa
+Specification-Version: @VERSION_SHORT@
+Package-Title: mraa
+Package-Version: @VERSION_SHORT@
diff --git a/src/java/mraajava.i b/src/java/mraajava.i
index 86abc53..52d8e5f 100644
--- a/src/java/mraajava.i
+++ b/src/java/mraajava.i
@@ -96,5 +96,34 @@ class Spi;
             System.err.println("Native code library failed to load. \n" + e);
             System.exit(1);
         }
+
+        String javaAPIVersion = mraa.class.getPackage().getSpecificationVersion();
+        String nativeAPIVersion = mraa.getVersion().substring(1);
+
+        String javaMajor = javaAPIVersion.substring(0, javaAPIVersion.indexOf('.'));
+        String nativeMajor = nativeAPIVersion.substring(0, nativeAPIVersion.indexOf('.'));
+
+        if(Integer.parseInt(javaMajor) < Integer.parseInt(nativeMajor)){
+            System.err.println("Java library is out of date. Please update the Java library.");
+            System.err.println("Native library version is " + nativeAPIVersion + ". Java library version is " + javaAPIVersion + ".");
+            System.exit(1);
+        }
+        if(Integer.parseInt(javaMajor) > Integer.parseInt(nativeMajor)){
+            System.err.println("Native library is out of date. Please update the Native library.");
+            System.err.println("Native library version is " + nativeAPIVersion + ". Java library version is " + javaAPIVersion + ".");
+            System.exit(1);
+        }
+
+        String javaMinor = javaAPIVersion.substring(javaMajor.length() + 1, javaAPIVersion.indexOf('.', javaMajor.length() + 1));
+        String nativeMinor = nativeAPIVersion.substring(nativeMajor.length() + 1, nativeAPIVersion.indexOf('.', nativeMajor.length() + 1));
+
+        if(Integer.parseInt(javaMinor) < Integer.parseInt(nativeMinor)){
+            System.err.println("Java library is out of date. Please consider updating the Java library.");
+            System.err.println("Native library version is " + nativeAPIVersion + ". Java library version is " + javaAPIVersion + ".");
+        }
+        if(Integer.parseInt(javaMinor) > Integer.parseInt(nativeMinor)){
+            System.err.println("Native library is out of date. Please consider updating the Native library.");
+            System.err.println("Native library version is " + nativeAPIVersion + ". Java library version is " + javaAPIVersion + ".");
+        }
     }
 %}