The MCP Server Make allows LLMs to securely execute and manage make targets from any Makefile.
- Run make targets safely: Execute targets with output capture and error handling
- Execute standard development tasks: Run tests, linting, formatting, building, and cleaning
- Automate development workflows: Perform repetitive tasks and project management steps
- Work with custom Makefiles: Use either the included opinionated Makefile or your own custom build scripts
- Respect context: Operates within the specified working directory for consistent results
Provides access to make functionality, allowing execution of targets from a Makefile in a controlled environment. Enables running build processes, tests, formatting, and other development tasks defined in Makefiles.
MCP Server Make
A Model Context Protocol server that provides make functionality. This server enables LLMs to execute make targets from any Makefile in a safe, controlled way.
Overview
The server exposes make functionality through the Model Context Protocol, allowing LLMs like Claude to:
- Run make targets safely with output capture
- Understand and navigate build processes
- Help with development tasks
- Handle errors appropriately
- Respect working directory context
MCP Server Make works with any valid Makefile - you can use the included opinionated Makefile or your own custom build scripts.
Quick Start
Installation
Using uv
(recommended):
Using pip:
Basic Usage
MCP Client Configuration
To use with Claude Desktop, add to your Claude configuration (claude_desktop_config.json
):
Documentation
For detailed information about using MCP Server Make, please see our documentation:
- User Guide - Complete guide to installation, configuration, and usage
- Custom Makefiles - Creating effective Makefiles for use with MCP Server Make
Enhancing Development Workflows
This server enables powerful development workflows by giving LLMs direct access to make functionality:
For Developers
- Automated Assistance
- Let Claude run and interpret test results
- Get build system suggestions and improvements
- Automate repetitive development tasks
- Project Management
- Let Claude handle dependency updates
- Automate release processes
- Maintain consistent code quality
Working with Make Targets
MCP Server Make does not automatically discover available targets in your Makefile. To effectively use it with Claude:
- Start with
make help
: Most well-designed Makefiles include a help target - Tell Claude about your targets: Explicitly mention available targets and their purpose
- Use standard conventions: Common targets that many Makefiles include:
make test
- Run testsmake lint
- Check code qualitymake format
- Format codemake build
- Build the projectmake clean
- Clean build artifacts
The repository includes an opinionated Makefile with additional utility targets - see the User Guide for details on these extended capabilities or for creating your own custom targets.
Note: Claude doesn't remember available targets between conversations. You'll need to introduce them at the start of each conversation.
Example Integration
Here's how Claude can help with development tasks:
Available Tools
The server exposes a single tool:
make
- Run a make target from the Makefiletarget
(string, required): Target name to execute
Contributing
We welcome contributions to improve mcp-server-make! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed instructions on setting up your development environment, using the project tools, and submitting changes.
License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details
hybrid server
The server is able to function both locally and remotely, depending on the configuration or use case.
Tools
A Model Context Protocol server that enables LLMs to safely execute make targets from a Makefile, allowing AI assistants to run tests, format code, and automate various development tasks through natural language interaction.
- Overview
- Quick Start
- Documentation
- Enhancing Development Workflows
- Example Integration
- Available Tools
- Contributing
- License
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