Agent skill
makefile-first
Makefile-first policy for build, test, lint, format, and verification commands. Use when running any project commands or executing tests. Do NOT use when the project has no Makefile -- check for a Makefile before applying this policy.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/other/other/makefile-first
SKILL.md
Makefile-First Policy
Core Rule
ALWAYS use Makefile - Never run commands directly.
Decision Flow
1. Check if Makefile exists
├── YES → Use make targets (make test, make lint, etc.)
└── NO → See "When Makefile Doesn't Exist"
When Makefile Doesn't Exist
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| New project (creating from scratch) | Create Makefile |
| Existing codebase | Ask user before creating Makefile |
| User declines | Use language-specific commands |
Why Makefile
- Single entry point for all operations
- Self-documenting (serves as handover documentation)
- Language-agnostic interface
- Enables
make checkbefore every PR - Reproducible across team members and CI/CD
Common Targets
make help # Show available targets
make build # Build the project
make test # Run unit/integration tests
make lint # Run linter
make format # Format code
make check # Run all verification (lint + test + typecheck)
make e2e # Run E2E tests
make clean # Clean build artifacts
Discovering Targets
# List available targets
make help
# Or parse Makefile directly
grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:' Makefile
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Correct Approach |
|---|---|
Running npm run build directly |
Use make build |
Running go test ./... directly |
Use make test |
Running pytest directly |
Use make test |
Running ruff check . directly |
Use make lint |
Recommended Makefile Template
.PHONY: build test lint format check clean
build:
# Language-specific build command
test:
# Language-specific test command
lint:
# Language-specific lint command
format:
# Language-specific format command
check: lint test
@echo "All checks passed"
clean:
# Clean build artifacts
help:
@echo "Available targets:"
@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | sort | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf " %-15s %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
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