diff --git a/docs/subsystems/dependencies.md b/docs/subsystems/dependencies.md
index 9335eaa5db..4fa3512275 100644
--- a/docs/subsystems/dependencies.md
+++ b/docs/subsystems/dependencies.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ In `version.py`, we have a special parameter, `PROVISION_VERSION`,
 which is used to help ensure developers don't spend time debugging
 test/linter/etc. failures that actually were caused by the developer
 rebasing and forgetting to provision". `PROVISION_VERSION` has a
-format of `x.y`; when `x` doesn't match the value from the last time
+format of `(x, y)`; when `x` doesn't match the value from the last time
 the user provisioned, or `y` is higher than the value from last
 time, most Zulip tools will crash early and ask the user to provision.
 This has empirically made a huge impact on how often developers spend
diff --git a/tools/diagnose b/tools/diagnose
index 1b05167c38..b29375b55c 100755
--- a/tools/diagnose
+++ b/tools/diagnose
@@ -76,12 +76,12 @@ def check_django() -> bool:
 def provision_version() -> bool:
     fn = os.path.join(UUID_VAR_PATH, "provision_version")
     with open(fn) as f:
-        version = f.read().strip()
+        version = tuple(map(int, f.read().strip().split(".")))
     print("latest version provisioned:", version)
     from version import PROVISION_VERSION
 
     print("desired version:", PROVISION_VERSION)
-    if version != PROVISION_VERSION:
+    if not (PROVISION_VERSION <= version < (PROVISION_VERSION[0] + 1,)):
         print("You need to provision!")
         return False
     return True
diff --git a/tools/lib/provision_inner.py b/tools/lib/provision_inner.py
index c77f70eb33..acc1856ff0 100755
--- a/tools/lib/provision_inner.py
+++ b/tools/lib/provision_inner.py
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ def main(options: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     version_file = os.path.join(UUID_VAR_PATH, "provision_version")
     print(f"writing to {version_file}\n")
     with open(version_file, "w") as f:
-        f.write(PROVISION_VERSION + "\n")
+        f.write(".".join(map(str, PROVISION_VERSION)) + "\n")
 
     print()
     print(OKBLUE + "Zulip development environment setup succeeded!" + ENDC)
diff --git a/tools/lib/test_script.py b/tools/lib/test_script.py
index 07e767bd32..aefd1582d5 100644
--- a/tools/lib/test_script.py
+++ b/tools/lib/test_script.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import os
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from argparse import ArgumentParser
-from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 from typing import Iterable, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 from scripts.lib.zulip_tools import get_dev_uuid_var_path
@@ -12,10 +11,6 @@ from version import PROVISION_VERSION
 ZULIP_PATH = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))))
 
 
-def get_major_version(v: str) -> int:
-    return int(v.split(".")[0])
-
-
 def get_version_file() -> str:
     uuid_var_path = get_dev_uuid_var_path()
     return os.path.join(uuid_var_path, "provision_version")
@@ -30,7 +25,7 @@ properly.
 """
 
 
-def preamble(version: str) -> str:
+def preamble(version: Tuple[int, ...]) -> str:
     text = PREAMBLE.format(version, PROVISION_VERSION)
     text += "\n"
     return text
@@ -64,21 +59,16 @@ def get_provisioning_status() -> Tuple[bool, Optional[str]]:
         return True, None
 
     with open(version_file) as f:
-        version = f.read().strip()
-
-    # Normal path for people that provision--we're all good!
-    if version == PROVISION_VERSION:
-        return True, None
+        version = tuple(map(int, f.read().strip().split(".")))
 
     # We may be more provisioned than the branch we just moved to.  As
     # long as the major version hasn't changed, then we should be ok.
-    if LooseVersion(version) > LooseVersion(PROVISION_VERSION):
-        if get_major_version(version) == get_major_version(PROVISION_VERSION):
-            return True, None
-        else:
-            return False, preamble(version) + NEED_TO_DOWNGRADE
-
-    return False, preamble(version) + NEED_TO_UPGRADE
+    if version < PROVISION_VERSION:
+        return False, preamble(version) + NEED_TO_UPGRADE
+    elif version < (PROVISION_VERSION[0] + 1,):
+        return True, None
+    else:
+        return False, preamble(version) + NEED_TO_DOWNGRADE
 
 
 def assert_provisioning_status_ok(skip_provision_check: bool) -> None:
diff --git a/version.py b/version.py
index d58ea178fa..a364e21503 100644
--- a/version.py
+++ b/version.py
@@ -48,4 +48,4 @@ API_FEATURE_LEVEL = 133
 #   historical commits sharing the same major version, in which case a
 #   minor version bump suffices.
 
-PROVISION_VERSION = "195.0"
+PROVISION_VERSION = (195, 0)