makeLABSCO SUMMARY
One tool, and your Makefile is the API.
The scope is exactly right for what it is: rather than a broad shell tool, the assistant can run only the targets you already decided are safe to run. The one rough edge is stated plainly in the README — there is no target discovery, so start each session by having it run make help or by naming the targets yourself.
What it is
A deliberately minimal MCP server: one tool that runs a make target and returns what it printed. Because your Makefile already encodes how to test, lint, format and build the project, this gives an assistant those capabilities without inventing shell commands. The Makefile path and working directory are fixed when the server starts, not chosen per call.
What you get
- A named make target executed with its output captured and returned —
make, taking a requiredtargetstring - Any valid Makefile, yours or the opinionated one the repository includes
- The working directory respected, so relative paths inside your targets behave as they do in your terminal
- Errors surfaced rather than swallowed, which is what lets the assistant read a failing test run and react to it
Requirements
No account and no key. Install with uv pip install mcp-server-make or pip, then run uvx mcp-server-make --make-path <YOUR_PATH_TO_MAKEFILE> --working-dir <YOUR_PATH_TO_WORKING_DIR>. One behaviour to plan around: the server does not discover the targets in your Makefile. Ask it to run make help first, or tell the assistant which targets exist — and expect to do that again in each new conversation, since it does not carry over.
Setup effort
One command — uv pip install mcp-server-make
USE CASES
01
Having an assistant run and read your test suite
Point it at the test target and let it interpret the failures instead of you pasting the output back.
02
Formatting and checking before a commit
Run format then lint through the same targets your CI uses, so local and pipeline behaviour match.
03
Telling the assistant what it can run
Start with the help target so it discovers your targets from the Makefile rather than guessing at conventional names.
1 tool
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
1 tool named in the project's documentation.
Requires
pip on PATH
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
uv pip install mcp-server-makeMCP Clients
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"make": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-server-make",
"--make-path",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_MAKEFILE>",
"--working-dir",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_WORKING_DIR>"
]
}
}
}
