Make Tools

Execute Makefile targets with intelligent failure analysis and suggestions.

Overview

Make tools provide a standardized interface for executing common Makefile targets like lint, test, build, clean, and depend. These tools integrate with the MCP DevTools intelligent caching and failure analysis systems.

Available Tools

make_lint

Run make lint to check code quality and style.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Working directory for the make command
target	string	No	Specific make target (default: lint)
args	string[]	No	Additional arguments to pass to make
parallel	number	No	Number of parallel jobs (1-16, -j flag)

Returns:

{
  success: boolean;
  output: string;
  error?: string;
  duration: number;
  target: string;
  suggestions?: string[];
}

make_test

Run make test to execute test suites.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Working directory for the make command
target	string	No	Specific make target (default: test)
args	string[]	No	Additional arguments (e.g., test patterns)
parallel	number	No	Number of parallel jobs (1-16)

make_depend

Run make depend or equivalent to install dependencies.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Working directory for the make command
target	string	No	Specific make target (default: depend)
args	string[]	No	Additional arguments
parallel	number	No	Number of parallel jobs (1-16)

make_build

Run make build or make all to build the project.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Working directory for the make command
target	string	No	Specific make target (default: build)
args	string[]	No	Additional arguments
parallel	number	No	Number of parallel jobs (1-16)

make_clean

Run make clean to remove build artifacts.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Working directory for the make command
target	string	No	Specific make target (default: clean)
args	string[]	No	Additional arguments
parallel	number	No	Number of parallel jobs (1-16)

make_status

Analyze Makefile and available targets.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Working directory to analyze

Returns:

{
  hasMakefile: boolean;
  availableTargets: string[];
  recommendedTargets: string[];
  projectContext: string;
  makefileLocation?: string;
}

Usage Examples

Basic Linting

Run default lint target:

{
  "tool": "make_lint",
  "arguments": {}
}

Custom Lint Target

Run a custom linting target:

{
  "tool": "make_lint",
  "arguments": {
    "target": "lint-all"
  }
}

Parallel Build

Build with parallel jobs for faster execution:

{
  "tool": "make_build",
  "arguments": {
    "parallel": 4
  }
}

Test with Pattern

Run tests matching a specific pattern:

{
  "tool": "make_test",
  "arguments": {
    "args": ["TESTS=integration/*"]
  }
}

Custom Directory

Execute make in a specific directory:

{
  "tool": "make_build",
  "arguments": {
    "directory": "./backend"
  }
}

Check Makefile Status

Discover available targets:

{
  "tool": "make_status",
  "arguments": {
    "directory": "."
  }
}

Example Output:

{
  "hasMakefile": true,
  "availableTargets": [
    "lint",
    "test",
    "build",
    "clean",
    "install",
    "help"
  ],
  "recommendedTargets": ["lint", "test", "build"],
  "projectContext": "Node.js project with TypeScript",
  "makefileLocation": "/path/to/project/Makefile"
}

Common Issues and Solutions

Makefile Not Found

Error: "No Makefile found"

Solution:

• Ensure Makefile exists in the project root
• Check spelling (case-sensitive on Unix systems)
• Use directory parameter to specify correct location

Target Not Found

Error: "make: *** No rule to make target 'lint'"

Solution:

• Run make_status to see available targets
• Check Makefile for correct target name
• Add missing target to Makefile

Parallel Job Issues

Error: "make: *** [target] Error 1" with parallel jobs

Solution:

• Some targets don't support parallel execution
• Reduce parallel value or omit it
• Ensure Makefile targets have proper dependencies

Permission Denied

Error: "make: Permission denied"

Solution:

# Fix execute permissions
chmod +x Makefile

# Or run with appropriate permissions

Integration Patterns

CI/CD Integration

Integrate make tools into your CI pipeline:

.github/workflows/ci.yml:

name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run linting
        run: make lint

  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run tests
        run: make test

  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Build project
        run: make build

Pre-commit Hook

Run make lint before committing:

.husky/pre-commit:

#!/bin/sh
. "$(dirname "$0")/_/husky.sh"

# Run linting
make lint || exit 1

MCP Configuration

Configure make tools in .mcp-devtools.json:

{
  "tools": {
    "make": {
      "enabled": true,
      "defaultParallel": 4,
      "timeout": 300000
    }
  },
  "workflows": {
    "pre-commit": ["make_lint"],
    "pre-push": ["make_test", "make_build"]
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Use Parallel Jobs - Speed up builds with -j flag (be cautious with I/O-heavy tasks)
2. Define Standard Targets - Use conventional target names (lint, test, build, clean)
3. Add Help Target - Include a help target listing all available targets
4. Handle Failures Gracefully - Make tools provide intelligent suggestions on failure
5. Set Timeouts - Prevent hanging builds with appropriate timeout values (default: 5 minutes)

Makefile Best Practices

Standard Target Structure

.PHONY: help lint test build clean depend

help:  ## Show this help message
	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | \
		awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  \033[36m%-15s\033[0m %s\n", $$1, $$2}'

lint:  ## Run linting checks
	npm run lint
	npm run lint:md
	npm run lint:yaml

test:  ## Run test suite
	npm test

build:  ## Build the project
	npm run build

clean:  ## Remove build artifacts
	rm -rf dist/ coverage/ .nyc_output/

depend:  ## Install dependencies
	npm install

.DEFAULT_GOAL := help

Parallel-Safe Targets

.PHONY: test-all

# Targets can run in parallel
test-unit test-integration test-e2e: install
	npm run $@

# Aggregate target
test-all: test-unit test-integration test-e2e

Performance Considerations

• Parallel Execution: -j4 can reduce build times by 2-4x
• Target Dependencies: Properly defined dependencies prevent redundant work
• Timeout: Default 5-minute timeout; adjust for long-running builds
• Caching: Make tools don't cache results (use native Make caching)

Related Tools

• test-tools - Framework-specific test execution
• lint-tools - Language-specific linting tools
• git-tools - Git workflow integration
• smart-suggestions - AI-powered failure analysis

External Resources

• GNU Make Manual
• Make Best Practices
• Managing Projects with GNU Make