.dockerignore

@@ -2,3 +2,7 @@
 # excluding a self-contained Go source here drops it from the lint silently.
 # Never exclude Go sources, go.mod/go.sum or .golangci.yml.
 .git
+
+# Generated artifacts only; `make build` puts a multi-megabyte binary here
+# and it would otherwise be shipped into the build context.
+/build/

.gitignore

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 *.log
 *.out
 *.test
+/build/
 /rogue

Makefile

@@ -10,11 +10,23 @@ GO_PKGS  := ./...
 MD_FILES  := $(shell git ls-files '*.md')
 PRETTIER  := prettier --tab-width 4 --prose-wrap always
 
-.PHONY: check fmt fmt-check lint test
+# Every generated artifact goes here, and the whole directory is
+# git-ignored. Targets that write outside it can commit their output.
+BUILD_DIR := build
+BIN       := $(BUILD_DIR)/rogue
 
-# Format, lint, and test — the full local pre-commit gate.
+.PHONY: build check fmt fmt-check lint test
+
+# Format, lint, and test — the full local pre-commit gate. Keep this list
+# to targets that write nothing into the working tree.
 check: fmt-check lint test
 
+# Build the executable into $(BUILD_DIR). `go build -o` does not create the
+# parent directory.
+build:
+	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
+	go build -o $(BIN) ./cmd/rogue
+
 # Format Go and Markdown in place.
 fmt:
 	gofmt -w .

README.md

@@ -21,19 +21,19 @@ original program structure and the design of this port.
 Requires Go 1.25 or later and a terminal at least 80x24.
 
 ```bash
-go build ./cmd/rogue
+make build
-./rogue
+./build/rogue
 ```
 
 ```bash
 # Restore a saved game
-./rogue ~/rogue.save
+./build/rogue ~/rogue.save
 
 # View high scores
-./rogue -s
+./build/rogue -s
 
 # Test the death screen (demo mode)
-./rogue -d
+./build/rogue -d
 ```
 
 ## In-game commands
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ Press `?` in game for the full list.
 export ROGUEOPTS="name=YourName,terse,jump,fruit=mango"
 
 # Wizard (debug) mode, with a reproducible dungeon
-ROGUE_WIZARD=1 SEED=12345 ./rogue
+ROGUE_WIZARD=1 SEED=12345 ./build/rogue
 ```
 
 The scoreboard is kept in `~/.rogue.scores`. Save files are Go gob snapshots
@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ For development, the `Makefile` wraps the toolchain: `make fmt` (gofmt +
 prettier), `make lint` (`script/lint`, which runs golangci-lint inside the
 pinned container built from `Dockerfile.lint` — it is never installed on the
 host, so docker is required), `make test` (the suite, under the race detector
-with coverage and a timeout), and `make check` (all three). Use the targets
+with coverage and a timeout), `make check` (all three), and `make build` (the
-rather than invoking `go test` directly — they carry the flags the project
+executable, into the git-ignored `build/`). Use the targets rather than the
-relies on.
+toolchain directly — they carry the flags the project relies on.
 
 ## License
 

TODO.md

@@ -35,6 +35,16 @@ is finished.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-08-10 `make build` added (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/rgoue/issues/19). The
+  executable is built to `build/rogue`; `README.md` no longer contains a raw
+  `go` invocation anywhere. `build` is in neither `check` nor `test` —
+  `make check` stays `fmt-check lint test` and still writes nothing into the
+  working tree.
+
+    Generated artifacts now all live under `build/`, which `.gitignore` covers
+    as a whole. Anything written outside it is committable, so a target that
+    puts its output elsewhere reintroduces the stray-artifact problem.
+
 - 2026-08-10 Linting moved into a container
   (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/rgoue/issues/41). `golangci-lint` is no longer
   invoked on the host anywhere in the repo: `Dockerfile.lint` pins