diff --git a/changes/bug3577 b/changes/bug3577
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..63352727520d187f6906baf0219b06628137b53f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug3577
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes:
+    - Allow GETINFO fingerprint to return a fingerprint even when
+      we have not yet built a router descriptor. Fixes bug 3577;
+      bugfix on 0.2.0.1-alpha.
diff --git a/src/or/control.c b/src/or/control.c
index da0a95da155aa59d38b7cf7c987eaa1cc871a506..d33d33734e443c6ee921b6e404d79c4838ea2daa 100644
--- a/src/or/control.c
+++ b/src/or/control.c
@@ -1394,14 +1394,14 @@ getinfo_helper_misc(control_connection_t *conn, const char *question,
   } else if (!strcmp(question, "dir-usage")) {
     *answer = directory_dump_request_log();
   } else if (!strcmp(question, "fingerprint")) {
-    routerinfo_t *me = router_get_my_routerinfo();
-    if (!me) {
+    crypto_pk_env_t *server_key;
+    if (!server_mode(get_options())) {
       *errmsg = "No routerdesc known; am I really a server?";
       return -1;
     }
+    server_key = get_server_identity_key();
     *answer = tor_malloc(HEX_DIGEST_LEN+1);
-    base16_encode(*answer, HEX_DIGEST_LEN+1, me->cache_info.identity_digest,
-                  DIGEST_LEN);
+    crypto_pk_get_fingerprint(server_key, *answer, 0);
   }
   return 0;
 }