make

Q: How do I install make?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills --skill make in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/make/ (personal) or .claude/skills/make/ (project).

Q: Which AI agents can use make?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Q: Is make safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Q: Who maintains make?

It is published by mohitmishra786 in mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills. It has 652 recorded installs.

by mohitmishra786Code Quality & Workflow

GNU Make skill for C/C++ build systems. Use when writing or debugging Makefiles, understanding pattern rules and automatic dependency generation, managing CFLAGS/LDFLAGS, converting ad-hoc compile commands into maintainable Makefiles, or diagnosing incremental build issues. Activates on queries about Makefiles, make targets, pattern rules, phony targets, dependency tracking, recursive make, or make errors.

Installs: 652
Last 24h: —
Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills --skill make

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads make automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

GNU Make

Purpose

Guide agents through idiomatic Makefile patterns for C/C++ projects: phony targets, pattern rules, automatic dependency generation, and common build idioms.

Triggers

"How do I write a Makefile for my C project?"
"My Makefile rebuilds everything every time"
"How do I add dependency tracking to Make?"
"What does $@, $<, $^ mean?"
"I'm getting 'make: Nothing to be done for all'"
"How do I convert my shell compile script to a Makefile?"

Workflow

1. Minimal correct Makefile for C

CC      := gcc
CFLAGS  := -std=c11 -Wall -Wextra -g -O2
LDFLAGS :=
LDLIBS  :=

SRCS    := $(wildcard src/*.c)
OBJS    := $(SRCS:src/%.c=build/%.o)
TARGET  := build/prog

.PHONY: all clean

all: $(TARGET)

$(TARGET): $(OBJS)
	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LDLIBS)

build/%.o: src/%.c | build
	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

build:
	mkdir -p build

clean:
	rm -rf build

Automatic variables:

$@ — target name
$< — first prerequisite
$^ — all prerequisites (deduplicated)
$* — stem (the % part in a pattern rule)
$(@D) — directory part of $@

2. Automatic dependency generation

Without this, changing a header doesn't trigger a rebuild of .c files that include it.

CC      := gcc
CFLAGS  := -std=c11 -Wall -Wextra -g -O2
DEPFLAGS = -MMD -MP            # -MMD: generate .d file; -MP: phony targets for headers

SRCS    := $(wildcard src/*.c)
OBJS    := $(SRCS:src/%.c=build/%.o)
DEPS    := $(OBJS:.o=.d)
TARGET  := build/prog

.PHONY: all clean

all: $(TARGET)

$(TARGET): $(OBJS)
	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LDLIBS)

build/%.o: src/%.c | build
	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(DEPFLAGS) -MF $(@:.o=.d) -c -o $@ $<

-include $(DEPS)    # '-' ignores errors on first build (no .d files yet)

build:
	mkdir -p build

clean:
	rm -rf build

3. Pattern rules cheatsheet

# Compile C
%.o: %.c
	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

# Compile C++
%.o: %.cpp
	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

# Generate assembly
%.s: %.c
	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -S -o $@ $<

# Run a tool on each file
build/%.processed: src/%.raw | build
	mytool $< > $@

4. Common Make patterns

Debug and release builds

BUILD ?= release

ifeq ($(BUILD),debug)
  CFLAGS += -g -Og -DDEBUG
else
  CFLAGS += -O2 -DNDEBUG
endif

Usage: make BUILD=debug

Parallel builds

make -j$(nproc)     # use all CPUs
make -j4            # exactly 4 jobs

Add -Otarget (or -O) for ordered output: make -j$(nproc) -O

Verbose output

# In Makefile: suppress with @
build/%.o: src/%.c | build
	@echo "  CC  $<"
	@$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

Override silence: make V=1 if you guard with $(V):

Q := $(if $(V),,@)
build/%.o: src/%.c
	$(Q)$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

Installing

PREFIX ?= /usr/local

install: $(TARGET)
	install -d $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin
	install -m 0755 $(TARGET) $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin/

5. Multi-directory projects

For medium projects, avoid recursive make (fragile, slow). Use a flat Makefile that includes sub-makefiles:

# project/Makefile
include lib/module.mk
include src/app.mk

# lib/module.mk
LIB_SRCS := $(wildcard lib/*.c)
LIB_OBJS := $(LIB_SRCS:lib/%.c=build/lib_%.o)
OBJS      += $(LIB_OBJS)

build/lib_%.o: lib/%.c
	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

6. Common errors

Error	Cause	Fix
`No rule to make target 'foo.o'`	Missing source or rule	Check source path and pattern rule
`Nothing to be done for 'all'`	Targets up to date	Touch a source file or run `make clean`
`Circular dependency dropped`	Target depends on itself	Check dependency chain
`missing separator`	Tab vs spaces	Recipes must use a tab, not spaces
`*** multiple target patterns`	Pattern rule syntax error	Check `%` placement
Rebuilds everything every time	Timestamps wrong, or PHONY missing	Check `date`; ensure `all` is `.PHONY`
Header change not detected	No dep tracking	Add `-MMD -MP` and `-include $(DEPS)`

For a full variable and function reference, see references/cheatsheet.md.

Related skills

Use skills/build-systems/cmake for CMake-based projects
Use skills/build-systems/ninja for Ninja as a make backend
Use skills/compilers/gcc for CFLAGS details

FAQ

What does the make skill do?

How do I install make?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills --skill make in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/make/ (personal) or .claude/skills/make/ (project).

Which AI agents can use make?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is make safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains make?

It is published by mohitmishra786 in mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills. It has 652 recorded installs.