/configure:makefile

Check and configure project Makefile against project standards.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use another approach when...
Setting up a new Makefile for a project that requires Make	Project can use Just instead — use /configure:justfile (preferred)
Auditing existing Makefile for missing standard targets	Writing complex build rules with dependencies — consult GNU Make documentation
Ensuring Makefile follows team conventions (help target, PHONY, colors)	Project uses a language-native build system (cargo, go build) exclusively
Running CI/CD compliance checks on Makefile structure	Migrating from Makefile to Justfile — use /configure:justfile which handles migration
Adding language-specific build/test/lint targets to existing Makefile	Debugging a specific Make target — run make -n <target> directly

Context

• Project root: !pwd
• Makefile exists: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name 'Makefile'
• Makefile targets: !grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:' Makefile
• Package files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'package.json' -o -name 'pyproject.toml' -o -name 'Cargo.toml' -o -name 'go.mod' \)
• Docker files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'Dockerfile' -o -name 'docker-compose.yml' -o -name 'compose.yml' \)
• Server files: !find src -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'server.*' -o -name 'main.*' \)

Parameters

Parse from $ARGUMENTS:

• --check-only: Report Makefile compliance status without modifications
• --fix: Apply fixes automatically without prompting

Required Makefile targets: help, test, build, clean, lint

Execution

Execute this Makefile compliance check:

Step 1: Detect project type

Read the context values and determine project type (in order):

1. Python: pyproject.toml or requirements.txt present
2. Node: package.json present
3. Rust: Cargo.toml present
4. Go: go.mod present
5. Generic: None of the above

Check for service indicators (start/stop needed):

• Has docker-compose.yml or compose.yml -> Docker Compose service
• Has Dockerfile + HTTP server code -> Container service
• Has src/server.* or src/main.* -> Application service

Step 2: Analyze existing Makefile targets

If Makefile exists, check against required targets:

Required targets for all projects:

Target	Purpose
help	Display available targets (default goal)
test	Run test suite
build	Build project artifacts
clean	Remove temporary files and build artifacts
lint	Run linters

Additional targets (context-dependent):

Target	When Required
start	If project has runnable service
stop	If project has background service
format	If project uses auto-formatters

Step 3: Run compliance checks

Check	Standard	Severity
File exists	Makefile present	FAIL if missing
Default goal	.DEFAULT_GOAL := help	WARN if missing
PHONY declarations	All targets marked .PHONY	WARN if missing
Colored output	Color variables defined	INFO
Help target	Auto-generated from comments	WARN if missing
Language-specific	Commands match project type	FAIL if mismatched

Step 4: Generate compliance report

Print a report showing:

• Project type (detected)
• Each target with PASS/FAIL status and the command used
• Makefile structural checks (default goal, PHONY, colors, help)
• Missing targets list
• Issue count

If --check-only is set, stop here.

Step 5: Create or update Makefile (if --fix or user confirms)

1. Missing Makefile: Create from standard template using the detected project type
2. Missing targets: Add targets with appropriate language-specific commands
3. Missing defaults: Add .DEFAULT_GOAL, .PHONY, color variables
4. Missing help: Add auto-generated help target using awk comment parsing

Use the language-specific commands below:

Python (uv-based):

• lint: @uv run ruff check .
• format: @uv run ruff format .
• test: @uv run pytest
• build: @docker build -t {{PROJECT_NAME}} .
• clean: @find . -type f -name "*.pyc" -delete + remove cache dirs

Node.js:

• lint: @npm run lint
• format: @npm run format
• test: @npm test
• build: @npm run build
• clean: @rm -rf node_modules/ dist/ .next/ .turbo/

Rust:

• lint: @cargo clippy -- -D warnings
• format: @cargo fmt
• test: @cargo nextest run
• build: @cargo build --release
• clean: @cargo clean

Go:

• lint: @golangci-lint run
• format: @gofmt -s -w .
• test: @go test ./...
• build: @go build -o bin/{{PROJECT_NAME}}
• clean: @rm -rf bin/ dist/ + @go clean

Step 6: Update standards tracking

Update .project-standards.yaml:

components:
  makefile: "2025.1"

Step 7: Print final report

Print a summary of changes applied, targets added, and suggest running make help to verify.

For the universal Makefile template structure, see REFERENCE.md.

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
Quick compliance check	/configure:makefile --check-only
Auto-fix all issues	/configure:makefile --fix
List existing targets	grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:' Makefile
Dry-run a target	make -n <target>
Show default goal	make -p | grep '.DEFAULT_GOAL'

Flags

Flag	Description
--check-only	Report status without offering fixes
--fix	Apply fixes automatically

Examples

# Check current Makefile compliance
/configure:makefile --check-only

# Create/update Makefile for Python project
/configure:makefile --fix

# Check compliance and prompt for fixes
/configure:makefile

See Also

• /configure:all - Run all compliance checks
• /configure:workflows - GitHub Actions workflows
• /configure:dockerfile - Docker configuration