Clean up the Makefile: add make build, remove superseded targets #73

New Issue

2026-08-09T03:41:47+02:00

clawbot commented

2026-08-09 03:41:47 +02:00

Context

Policy: "The Makefile is authoritative documentation for how the repo is
used... If someone checks out the repo and types make<tab>, they should
see every meaningful operation available. A new contributor should be able
to understand the entire development workflow by reading the Makefile."

The current Makefile fails that test in both directions.

Missing. There is no build target. Policy names make build as an
expected target for building artifacts. The closest thing is a file rule,
bin/mfer: $(SOURCEFILES) mfer/mf.pb.go, which a new contributor will not
discover.

Superseded cruft still present, all predating the scripts-to-rule-them-all
migration and the current hash-pinned multistage Dockerfile:

vendor.tzst, modcache.tzst, sneak-mfer.$(ARCH).tzst.dockerimage — a
manual pre-BuildKit tarball-caching workflow the Dockerfile replaced. The
vendor.tzst rule runs rm -rf vendor, which is a destructive operation
sitting in a file nobody reads.
DOCKER_IMAGE_CACHE_DIR := $(HOME)/Library/Caches/Docker/... — macOS-only,
referenced nowhere else.
devprereqs — duplicates script/bootstrap with a weaker unpinned install
path (also covered by #68).
$(PROTOC_GEN_GO) at Makefile:35-36 — no target depends on it;
mfer/mf.pb.go: mfer/mf.proto does not list it as a prerequisite. Dead.
godoc — shells out to macOS open.
ci: test — leftover from before the Gitea workflow called
script/cibuild directly, and it is now actively misleading: make ci
runs only tests, not the real CI gate.
fixme — a grep wrapper; harmless but unreferenced by any policy or doc.

Definition of done

A make build target exists, is documented in the README Entrypoints
section, and produces the mfer binary. It goes through a script/build
entrypoint like every other target, per scripts-to-rule-them-all — the
Makefile target is a thin shim.
Every target listed above is either deleted or justified in a comment
explaining why it survives. Default to deleting.
make<tab> shows only operations that work and that a contributor would
actually run.
All remaining targets are declared in .PHONY where appropriate — the
current .PHONY line omits several and lists run, which has a real file
prerequisite.
make check, make build, and docker build . all succeed. TODO.md
updated in the same commit.

Implementation requirements

Verify nothing you delete is referenced before deleting it. Check the
Dockerfile, every file in script/, .gitea/workflows/check.yml,
README.md, AGENTS.md, and contrib/usage.sh. grep for each target
name across the whole repo.
make run depends on ./bin/mfer and the bin/ build rule; if you change
how the binary is built, keep make run working.
The build must keep the existing ldflags version/gitrev injection and the
urfave_cli_no_docs build tag. Losing either silently breaks
mfer --version, which the release checklist depends on.
Do not change the Dockerfile's build invocation to use the new target in
this PR unless you verify the Docker build still succeeds end to end.
script/build must be POSIX sh, set -eu, no bashisms, and locate the
repo root the same way the other scripts do.
Commit title must end with (closes #73).

## Context Policy: "The Makefile is authoritative documentation for how the repo is used... If someone checks out the repo and types `make<tab>`, they should see every meaningful operation available. A new contributor should be able to understand the entire development workflow by reading the Makefile." The current Makefile fails that test in both directions. **Missing.** There is no `build` target. Policy names `make build` as an expected target for building artifacts. The closest thing is a file rule, `bin/mfer: $(SOURCEFILES) mfer/mf.pb.go`, which a new contributor will not discover. **Superseded cruft still present**, all predating the scripts-to-rule-them-all migration and the current hash-pinned multistage Dockerfile: - `vendor.tzst`, `modcache.tzst`, `sneak-mfer.$(ARCH).tzst.dockerimage` — a manual pre-BuildKit tarball-caching workflow the Dockerfile replaced. The `vendor.tzst` rule runs `rm -rf vendor`, which is a destructive operation sitting in a file nobody reads. - `DOCKER_IMAGE_CACHE_DIR := $(HOME)/Library/Caches/Docker/...` — macOS-only, referenced nowhere else. - `devprereqs` — duplicates `script/bootstrap` with a weaker unpinned install path (also covered by #68). - `$(PROTOC_GEN_GO)` at `Makefile:35-36` — no target depends on it; `mfer/mf.pb.go: mfer/mf.proto` does not list it as a prerequisite. Dead. - `godoc` — shells out to macOS `open`. - `ci: test` — leftover from before the Gitea workflow called `script/cibuild` directly, and it is now actively misleading: `make ci` runs only tests, not the real CI gate. - `fixme` — a `grep` wrapper; harmless but unreferenced by any policy or doc. ## Definition of done - A `make build` target exists, is documented in the README Entrypoints section, and produces the `mfer` binary. It goes through a `script/build` entrypoint like every other target, per scripts-to-rule-them-all — the Makefile target is a thin shim. - Every target listed above is either deleted or justified in a comment explaining why it survives. Default to deleting. - `make<tab>` shows only operations that work and that a contributor would actually run. - All remaining targets are declared in `.PHONY` where appropriate — the current `.PHONY` line omits several and lists `run`, which has a real file prerequisite. - `make check`, `make build`, and `docker build .` all succeed. `TODO.md` updated in the same commit. ## Implementation requirements - Verify nothing you delete is referenced before deleting it. Check the `Dockerfile`, every file in `script/`, `.gitea/workflows/check.yml`, `README.md`, `AGENTS.md`, and `contrib/usage.sh`. `grep` for each target name across the whole repo. - `make run` depends on `./bin/mfer` and the `bin/` build rule; if you change how the binary is built, keep `make run` working. - The build must keep the existing ldflags version/gitrev injection and the `urfave_cli_no_docs` build tag. Losing either silently breaks `mfer --version`, which the release checklist depends on. - Do not change the `Dockerfile`'s build invocation to use the new target in this PR unless you verify the Docker build still succeeds end to end. - `script/build` must be POSIX sh, `set -eu`, no bashisms, and locate the repo root the same way the other scripts do. - Commit title must end with ` (closes #73)`.

clawbot added this to the 1.0.0 milestone 2026-08-09 03:41:47 +02:00

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Reference: sneak/mfer#73