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.

Related MCP server: MCP Python Toolbox

Quick Start

Installation

Using uv (recommended):

uv pip install mcp-server-make

Using pip:

pip install mcp-server-make

Basic Usage

# Run with default Makefile in current directory
uvx mcp-server-make

# Run with specific Makefile and working directory
uvx mcp-server-make --make-path /path/to/Makefile --working-dir /path/to/working/dir

MCP Client Configuration

To use with Claude Desktop, add to your Claude configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "make": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-make",
        "--make-path", "/absolute/path/to/Makefile",
        "--working-dir", "/absolute/path/to/working/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

1. Automated Assistance

   • Let Claude run and interpret test results

   • Get build system suggestions and improvements

   • Automate repetitive development tasks

2. 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:

1. Start with make help: Most well-designed Makefiles include a help target

   Human: Please run make help to see what commands are available.

2. Tell Claude about your targets: Explicitly mention available targets and their purpose

   Human: Our project has these make targets: test, lint, format, build, and clean.

3. Use standard conventions: Common targets that many Makefiles include:

   • make test - Run tests

   • make lint - Check code quality

   • make format - Format code

   • make build - Build the project

   • make 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:

Human: Can you run our test suite and format any code that needs it?

Claude: I'll help run the tests and format the code:

1. First, let's format the code:
[Calling make tool with args {"target": "format"}]
2 files reformatted, 3 files left unchanged

2. Now let's run the tests:
[Calling make tool with args {"target": "test"}]
Running tests...
4 passed, 0 failed

All formatting and tests completed successfully. The code is now properly formatted and all tests are passing.

Available Tools

The server exposes a single tool:

• make - Run a make target from the Makefile

  • target (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