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):

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

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

Makefile Executor