diff --git a/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptions.java b/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptions.java
index 1ef0276faf95..970ca555fea6 100644
--- a/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptions.java
+++ b/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptions.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.firstNonNull;
 
 import com.google.api.client.extensions.appengine.http.UrlFetchTransport;
+import com.google.api.client.http.HttpHeaders;
 import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequest;
 import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequestInitializer;
 import com.google.api.client.http.HttpTransport;
@@ -154,10 +155,26 @@ public void initialize(HttpRequest httpRequest) throws IOException {
         if (readTimeout >= 0) {
           httpRequest.setReadTimeout(readTimeout);
         }
+
+        HttpHeaders headers = httpRequest.getHeaders();
+        headers.set("x-goog-api-client", getXGoogApiClientHeader());
       }
     };
   }
 
+  String getXGoogApiClientHeader() {
+    return String.format(
+        "gl-java/%s %s/%s",
+        getJavaVersion(),
+        ServiceOptions.getGoogApiClientLibName(),
+        ServiceOptions.getLibraryVersion());
+  }
+
+  private static String getJavaVersion() {
+    String javaVersion = Runtime.class.getPackage().getImplementationVersion();
+    return javaVersion != null ? javaVersion : "";
+  }
+
   /**
    * Returns the timeout in milliseconds to establish a connection. 0 is an infinite timeout, a
    * negative number is the default value (20000).
diff --git a/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/ServiceOptions.java b/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/ServiceOptions.java
index 843f775eca01..55f2c08ac4c5 100644
--- a/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/ServiceOptions.java
+++ b/google-cloud-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/ServiceOptions.java
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ public TransportOptions getTransportOptions() {
   /**
    * Returns the application's name as a string in the format {@code gcloud-java/[version]}.
    */
-  public String getApplicationName() {
+  public static String getApplicationName() {
     return APPLICATION_NAME;
   }
 
@@ -533,21 +533,21 @@ public String getApplicationName() {
   /**
    * Returns the library's name, {@code gcloud-java}, as a string.
    */
-  public String getLibraryName() {
+  public static String getLibraryName() {
     return LIBRARY_NAME;
   }
 
   /**
    * Returns the library's name used by x-goog-api-client header as a string.
    */
-  public String getGoogApiClientLibName() {
+  public static String getGoogApiClientLibName() {
     return X_GOOGLE_CLIENT_HEADER_NAME;
   }
 
   /**
    * Returns the library's version as a string.
    */
-  public String getLibraryVersion() {
+  public static String getLibraryVersion() {
     return LIBRARY_VERSION;
   }
 
diff --git a/google-cloud-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptionsTest.java b/google-cloud-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptionsTest.java
index f5013181b2a5..23a2c10a5084 100644
--- a/google-cloud-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptionsTest.java
+++ b/google-cloud-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/HttpTransportOptionsTest.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 import com.google.auth.http.HttpTransportFactory;
 import com.google.cloud.HttpTransportOptions.DefaultHttpTransportFactory;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 import org.easymock.EasyMock;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -60,4 +61,12 @@ public void testBaseHashCode() {
     assertEquals(OPTIONS.hashCode(), OPTIONS_COPY.hashCode());
     assertNotEquals(DEFAULT_OPTIONS.hashCode(), OPTIONS.hashCode());
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testHeader() {
+    String expectedHeaderPattern = "^gl-java/.* gccl/.*";
+    assertTrue(Pattern.compile(expectedHeaderPattern)
+        .matcher(DEFAULT_OPTIONS.getXGoogApiClientHeader())
+        .find());
+  }
 }
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 1d0e44083488..e78b87aba329 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
     <github.global.server>github</github.global.server>
     <google.auth.version>0.6.0</google.auth.version>
     <grpc.version>1.0.3</grpc.version>
-    <gax.version>0.6.0</gax.version>
+    <gax.version>0.6.1</gax.version>
     <generatedProto.version>0.1.5</generatedProto.version>
     <core.version>0.10.1-alpha-SNAPSHOT</core.version>
     <beta.version>0.10.1-beta-SNAPSHOT</beta.version>