configure-justfile

created	"2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z"
modified	"2026-04-19T00:00:00.000Z"
reviewed	"2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z"
description	Check and configure Justfiles with standard recipes. Use when setting up a Justfile, auditing for missing recipes, or migrating from Makefile to Justfile.
allowed-tools	Glob, Grep, Read, Write, Edit, Bash, AskUserQuestion, TodoWrite
args	[--check-only] [--fix]
argument-hint	[--check-only] [--fix]
name	configure-justfile

/configure:justfile

Check and configure project Justfile against project standards.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use another approach when...
Setting up a new Justfile for a project	Project already uses Make exclusively and migration is not desired — use /configure:makefile
Auditing existing Justfile for missing standard recipes	Writing complex custom recipes — use justfile-expert skill
Migrating from Makefile to Justfile	Project has no task runner needs (single-file scripts)
Ensuring Justfile follows team conventions (groups, comments, settings)	Debugging a specific recipe failure — use direct just commands
Running CI/CD compliance checks on project task runners	Only need to list available recipes — run just --list directly

Context

• Project root: !pwd
• Justfile: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'justfile' -o -name 'Justfile' \)
• Makefile: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name 'Makefile'
• Package files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'package.json' -o -name 'pyproject.toml' -o -name 'Cargo.toml' -o -name 'go.mod' \)
• Docker files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'Dockerfile' -o -name 'docker-compose.yml' \)
• Env file: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.env'
• Project standards: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.project-standards.yaml'

Parameters

Parse from command arguments:

• --check-only: Report compliance status without modifications (CI/CD mode)
• --fix: Apply fixes automatically without prompting

Execution

Execute this Justfile compliance check:

Step 1: Detect Justfile and project type

1. Check for justfile or Justfile in project root
2. If exists, read and analyze current recipes and settings
3. Detect project type from file indicators:

Indicator	Project Type
pyproject.toml or requirements.txt	Python
package.json	Node.js
Cargo.toml	Rust
go.mod	Go
None of the above	Generic

Step 2: Analyze required and optional recipes

Check for required recipes:

Recipe	Purpose	Severity
default	Alias to help (first recipe)	FAIL if missing
help	Display available recipes	FAIL if missing
test	Run test suite	FAIL if missing
lint	Run linters	FAIL if missing
build	Build project artifacts	WARN if missing
clean	Remove temporary files	WARN if missing

Check for context-dependent recipes:

Recipe	When Required	Severity
format	If project uses auto-formatters	WARN
start	If project has runnable service	INFO
stop	If project has background service	INFO
dev	If project supports watch mode	INFO

Step 3: Check compliance settings

Validate Justfile settings:

Check	Standard	Severity
File exists	justfile present	FAIL if missing
Default recipe	First recipe is default	WARN if missing
Dotenv loading	set dotenv-load present	INFO
Help recipe	Lists all recipes	FAIL if missing
Language-specific	Commands match project type	FAIL if mismatched
Recipe comments	Recipes have descriptions	INFO

Step 4: Generate compliance report

Print a formatted compliance report:

Justfile Compliance Report
==============================
Project Type: python (detected)
Justfile: Found

Recipe Status:
  default ✅ PASS
  help    ✅ PASS (just --list)
  test    ✅ PASS (uv run pytest)
  lint    ✅ PASS (uv run ruff check)
  build   ✅ PASS (docker build)
  clean   ✅ PASS
  format  ✅ PASS (uv run ruff format)
  start   ⚠️  INFO (not applicable)
  stop    ⚠️  INFO (not applicable)
  dev     ✅ PASS (uv run uvicorn --reload)

Settings Status:
  dotenv-load         ✅ PASS
  positional-arguments ℹ️  INFO (not set)

Missing Recipes: none
Issues: 0 found

If --check-only, stop here.

Step 5: Create or update Justfile (if --fix or user confirms)

If --fix flag or user confirms:

1. Missing Justfile: Create from standard template based on project type
2. Missing recipes: Add recipes with appropriate commands
3. Missing settings: Add set dotenv-load if .env exists
4. Missing help: Add help recipe with just --list

Use language-specific commands from the template section below.

Step 6: Update standards tracking

Update .project-standards.yaml:

components:
  justfile: "2025.1"

Justfile Template

Universal Structure

# Justfile for {{PROJECT_NAME}}
# Run `just` or `just help` to see available recipes

set dotenv-load
set positional-arguments

# Default recipe - show help
default:
    @just --list

# Show available recipes with descriptions
help:
    @just --list --unsorted

####################
# Development
####################

# Run linters
lint:
    {{LINT_COMMAND}}

# Format code
format:
    {{FORMAT_COMMAND}}

# Run tests
test *args:
    {{TEST_COMMAND}} {{args}}

# Development mode with watch
dev:
    {{DEV_COMMAND}}

####################
# Build & Deploy
####################

# Build project
build:
    {{BUILD_COMMAND}}

# Clean build artifacts
clean:
    {{CLEAN_COMMAND}}

# Start service
start:
    {{START_COMMAND}}

# Stop service
stop:
    {{STOP_COMMAND}}

Language-Specific Commands

Python (uv-based):

lint:
    uv run ruff check .

format:
    uv run ruff format .
    uv run ruff check --fix .

test *args:
    uv run pytest {{args}}

dev:
    uv run uvicorn app:app --reload

build:
    docker build -t {{PROJECT_NAME}} .

clean:
    find . -type f -name "*.pyc" -delete
    find . -type d -name "__pycache__" -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true
    rm -rf .pytest_cache .ruff_cache .coverage htmlcov dist build *.egg-info

Node.js (Bun-based):

lint:
    bun run lint

format:
    bun run format

test *args:
    bun test {{args}}

dev:
    bun run dev

build:
    bun run build

clean:
    rm -rf node_modules dist .next .turbo .cache

Rust:

lint:
    cargo clippy -- -D warnings

format:
    cargo fmt

test *args:
    cargo nextest run {{args}}

dev:
    cargo watch -x run

build:
    cargo build --release

clean:
    cargo clean

Go:

lint:
    golangci-lint run

format:
    gofmt -s -w .
    goimports -w .

test *args:
    go test ./... {{args}}

dev:
    air

build:
    go build -o bin/{{PROJECT_NAME}} ./cmd/{{PROJECT_NAME}}

clean:
    rm -rf bin dist
    go clean -cache

Detection Logic

Service detection (start/stop needed):

• Has docker-compose.yml -> Docker Compose service
• Has Dockerfile + HTTP server code -> Container service
• Has src/server.* or src/main.* -> Application service

Dev mode detection:

• Python: Has FastAPI/Flask/Django -> uvicorn/flask/manage.py with reload
• Node: Has dev script in package.json
• Rust: Has cargo-watch in dependencies
• Go: Has air.toml or main.go

Migration from Makefile

If a Makefile exists but no Justfile:

1. Detect project type from Makefile commands
2. Suggest creating Justfile with equivalent recipes
3. Optionally keep Makefile for backwards compatibility

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
Quick compliance check	/configure:justfile --check-only
Auto-fix all issues	/configure:justfile --fix
List existing recipes	just --list
Verify specific recipe exists	just --summary
Check Justfile syntax	just --evaluate 2>&1

Flags

Flag	Description
--check-only	Report status without offering fixes
--fix	Apply fixes automatically

Examples

# Check current Justfile compliance
/configure:justfile --check-only

# Create/update Justfile for Python project
/configure:justfile --fix

# Check compliance and prompt for fixes
/configure:justfile

See Also

• /configure:makefile - Makefile configuration (legacy)
• /configure:all - Run all compliance checks
• /configure:workflows - GitHub Actions workflows
• /configure:dockerfile - Docker configuration
• justfile-expert skill - Comprehensive Just expertise