Makefile MCP

Name: Makefile MCP
Author: ai-ronin-systems

by ai-ronin-systemsversion 0.3.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.ai-ronin-systems/makefile-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Expose trusted GNU Make targets as governed MCP tools without a generic shell.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiVery new↓ 90/wk · ★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Developer tools

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
The registry lists no key to fill in.

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "makefile": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "makefile-mcp",
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add makefile -- uvx makefile-mcp serve

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "makefile": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "makefile-mcp",
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "makefile": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "makefile-mcp",
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 9, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account ai-ronin-systems, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

More stars than 0% of the other 5556 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 64% of the other 5556 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 5556 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Makefile MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.3.0) reached the registry 14 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: GitHub, Desktop Commander, Cloudflare MCP

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:↓ Downloads per weeki★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

GitHub

GitHub’s official server lets AI read and manage code, issues and pull requests in your account. Use GitHub’s hosted version or run it locally with Docker.

by githubWidely used★ 34.2KUpdated 5 days ago

Computer or cloud

Install

Desktop Commander

MCP server for terminal commands, file operations, and process management

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Runs on your computer

Install

Cloudflare MCP

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by cloudflareWidely used★ 4.4KUpdated 14 months ago

Runs in the cloud✓ mcp.cloudflare.com

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Makefile MCP

Expose trusted GNU Make targets to AI agents — without exposing a generic shell or replacing Make with another workflow system.

Makefile MCP turns an existing Makefile into typed MCP tools. It is zero-config and run-safe by default, and deny-by-default when governed.

Makefile  →  Makefile MCP  →  Codex / Claude / LangChain / Cursor / VS Code / MCP client

Threat model

Design for a compromised agent: any text it reads can carry a prompt injection. Makefile MCP keeps the worst case short. A hijacked agent can run only the targets you listed, with values you typed, and a human approves the risky ones. Read the [threat model](https://github.com/ai-ronin-systems/makefile-mcp/blob/main/docs/threat-model.md) for the threats, controls, tests that prove them, and limits.

Protected	Not protected
Agents cannot run arbitrary shell commands, only exposed Make targets.	A malicious or buggy Makefile: recipes are trusted code, not sandboxed.
Without config, agents can only run `test`, `lint`, `check`, and `fmt`.	A target the operator chose to expose doing something destructive.
Governed mode runs only allow-listed `(context, target)` pairs with typed, validated inputs.	Host or container privileges granted outside Makefile MCP.
`dangerous` tasks need explicit human approval through the MCP client; no approval, no run.	An MCP client that auto-approves elicitation without a human.
Every governed run attempt, refused, approved, or cancelled, can be written to an audit log, with secret inputs masked.	Secrets a recipe prints in ways that differ from the input value.
The approval prompt shows the exact arguments; agent-supplied text cannot reshape it.	An agent that can edit unpinned Make code or scripts: editing a recipe is a shell.
With `pin`, any edit to the Makefile, its includes, or listed scripts stops the server until a human restarts it.	Prompt injection in output the agent does read; `agent_output: tail` or `none` narrows it.
Audit records are hash-chained; `doctor` reports edits. A CI test replays a hijacked agent.	A same-user process rewriting the whole log and its chain.

Details: threat model, SECURITY.md, and security model.

Quick start

pipx install makefile-mcp        # or: uv tool install makefile-mcp

makefile-mcp serve

Given:

test: ## Run tests

pytest -q

lint: ## Run lint ruff check .

Makefile MCP exposes make_test and make_lint as MCP tools. Other targets are listed but not runnable until you govern them.

makefile-mcp list

makefile-mcp doctor makefile-mcp run test makefile-mcp run test --preview # GNU Make --dry-run; not a sandbox

One-shot use: uvx makefile-mcp serve.

Why Makefile MCP

Makefile MCP is intentionally narrow: the repository's Makefile remains the executable source of truth, while Makefile MCP supplies a governed agent-facing capability boundary.

Principle	What it means
Make stays authoritative	No duplicate workflow DSL, plugin command language, scheduler, database, or second execution engine.
No generic shell capability	Agents invoke discovered or explicitly governed Make targets, not arbitrary host commands.
Trusted Makefile, untrusted invocation	Repository automation is trusted; caller-selected tasks and declared values are authorized, validated, and bounded. GNU Make's own variable/function semantics are treated as an interpreter boundary.
One execution path	CLI, direct MCP tools, generic MCP tools, preview, contexts, and capabilities share the same catalog, authorization, validation, and executor.
Conservative discovery	Makefile MCP statically exposes only Make syntax it can classify confidently; ambiguous constructs are omitted rather than guessed.
Bounded Unix runtime	Foreground execution has bounded input/output, timeout/cancellation cleanup, stdin isolation, process-group handling, and physical-context locking.

See Design rationale for the full capability/property map and the alternatives deliberately left out.

Architecture

                         Makefile

One catalog. One execution path. Thin CLI and MCP adapters.

See Architecture.

Governed mode

Without .makefile-mcp.yaml, Makefile MCP runs in auto mode: every conservatively discovered root target is listed, but only test, lint, check, and fmt can run, with no caller-controlled Make variables. --legacy-auto-run restores the old run-everything behavior (deprecated).

Add .makefile-mcp.yaml to switch to explicit governance:

schema_version: 1

contexts: backend: directory: backend

tasks: test: contexts: [root, backend] risk: safe

deploy: risk: dangerous variables: ENV: type: enum values: [staging, production] required: true

capabilities: verify: test

audit: path: .makefile-mcp/audit.jsonl

pin: paths: [scripts] # freeze Make code and scripts the agent must not change

Only enabled (context, target) pairs are callable. dangerous tasks additionally need human approval (defaults.require_approval), and audit writes one JSON line per call. See Governed mode, Configuration, and Contexts and capabilities.

MCP presentations

Makefile MCP supports three MCP presentations over the same callable catalog. Choose the presentation that best fits your requirements.

makefile-mcp serve --tools direct    # default: one typed tool per callable target

makefile-mcp serve --tools generic # list_tasks / describe_task / run_task makefile-mcp serve --tools both # both views, same execution core

See MCP presentations and client setup.

Security

Makefile MCP assumes the repository, Makefiles, included Make code, wrapper scripts, and provisioned tools are trusted operator-controlled code. The security boundary is the invocation: an MCP/CLI caller chooses an exposed task/context and, in governed mode, supplies declared values. Makefile MCP authorizes and validates that request; it does not sandbox hostile Makefiles.

Runtime bounds, cancellation/process-group cleanup, stdin isolation, and locking are primarily execution-correctness properties. They limit failure modes around trusted automation rather than turning Make into a sandbox. The built-in MCP server is stdio-only: no HTTP listener, remote-auth layer, TLS, tenancy, or network-service lifecycle is hidden inside the product.

See [SECURITY.md](https://github.com/ai-ronin-systems/makefile-mcp/blob/main/SECURITY.md) for the security policy, reporting process, trust boundary, and limitations. Detailed implementation notes are in docs/security.md.

Intentional scope limits

GNU Make on Linux/macOS; Windows is not currently supported.
Trusted repository assumption: Makefiles, includes, scripts, and provisioned tools are operator-controlled code.
Static discovery is deliberately conservative, not a complete GNU Make parser.
Preview is GNU Make dry-run, not sandboxing; Make evaluation can still have side effects.
Direct tool inventory is registered at startup; generic catalog calls can observe supported Makefile changes.
.makefile-mcp.yaml is startup policy; changes require restart and fail closed until then.
Foreground/bounded tasks only; deliberately detached daemons are outside Makefile MCP's process-group containment model.
No HTTP server, auth stack, scheduler, job queue, workflow persistence, plugin execution framework, or arbitrary shell tool.
Reload behavior:
.makefile-mcp.yaml is startup policy. Restart Makefile MCP after adding, removing, or editing it.
Makefile discovery refreshes when the conventional Makefile or tracked literal includes change.
Generic calls see the refreshed catalog immediately.
Direct tool inventory is a startup snapshot: adding or removing direct tools requires a restart. Existing direct tools still re-check the live catalog when invoked.

Requirements

Python 3.11+ · GNU Make · Linux or macOS

Documentation

Threat model — why agents should not get a shell, threats and controls, the policy and audit log, guarantees and limits. Start here.
Architecture — runtime flow, responsibilities, lifecycle, invariants, and dependency rules.
Design rationale — key tradeoffs, full product-property map, and deliberately rejected alternatives.
CLI reference — commands, options, result model, root detection, and exit codes.
Configuration — authoritative .makefile-mcp.yaml fields, defaults, approval, audit log, and precedence.
Static Make discovery — supported syntax, fail-closed behavior, includes, limitations, and cache semantics.
Governed mode — explicit exposure, typed inputs, risk metadata, human approval, and operating model.
MCP presentations — direct, generic, both, schemas, result/error semantics, naming, and lifecycle.
[Contexts and capabilities](https://github.com/ai-ronin-syste

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Makefile MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

Common questions

Alternatives

GitHub

Desktop Commander

Cloudflare MCP

README from the maker

Makefile MCP

Threat model

Quick start

Why Makefile MCP

Architecture

Governed mode

MCP presentations

Security

Intentional scope limits

Requirements

Documentation