makefile

name	makefile
description	Makefile structure and install workflow
metadata	{"globs":"Makefile"}

Makefile Conventions

Installation constraint: Always use the Makefile for installing tools and applications. Never run brew install, npm install -g, or other package manager commands directly — the Makefile is the single source of truth for what is installed and how it is configured.

Structure targets to be self-documenting: the target name should clearly indicate its purpose, avoiding the need for comments.

Sections (respect this organization)

• terminal: Shell and terminal tools (fish, tmux, nvim, wezterm...)
• work: Development tools (cursor, docker, gh, terraform...)
• personal: Personal apps (obsidian, rust, spotify...)
• utils: Utility applications (cleanshot, keycast...)

Target Patterns

• Tool targets depend on brew and the binary path
• Config targets create symlinks from ~/.dotfiles/ to ~/.config/ or ~/
• Use ${BREW_BIN} and ${APP_BIN} variables for paths
• GUI apps (.app) are macOS-only; CLI tools should work on both macOS and Linux

Example

newtool: brew ${BREW_BIN}/newtool
${BREW_BIN}/newtool:
	brew install newtool

Note: Homebrew works on both macOS and Linux. For Linux-only alternatives, consider adding conditional targets.

Installation Workflow

When adding a new tool: (1) add it to the Makefile in the right section, (2) run make <tool-name>. Do not install via brew install or npm install -g outside the Makefile.