Build Automation Generator

Generate or enhance a build automation file for any project. Supports Makefile, Taskfile.yml, Justfile, and Magefile.go.

Two modes:

• Generate — No build file exists → create one from scratch using best-practice templates
• Enhance — Build file already exists → analyze gaps, add missing targets, fix anti-patterns, preserve existing work

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Step 0: Load Project Context

Read the project description if available:

Read .ai-factory/DESCRIPTION.md

Store the project context (tech stack, framework, architecture) for use in later steps. If the file doesn't exist, that's fine — we'll detect everything in Step 2.

Read .ai-factory/skill-context/aif-build-automation/SKILL.md — MANDATORY if the file exists.

This file contains project-specific rules accumulated by /aif-evolve from patches, codebase conventions, and tech-stack analysis. These rules are tailored to the current project.

How to apply skill-context rules:

• Treat them as project-level overrides for this skill's general instructions
• When a skill-context rule conflicts with a general rule written in this SKILL.md, the skill-context rule wins (more specific context takes priority — same principle as nested CLAUDE.md files)
• When there is no conflict, apply both: general rules from SKILL.md + project rules from skill-context
• Do NOT ignore skill-context rules even if they seem to contradict this skill's defaults — they exist because the project's experience proved the default insufficient
• CRITICAL: skill-context rules apply to ALL outputs of this skill — including the generated build files (Makefile, Taskfile, justfile, magefile). Templates in this skill are base structures. If a skill-context rule says "build file MUST include target X" or "MUST follow convention Y" — you MUST comply. Generating build automation that violates skill-context rules is a bug.

Enforcement: After generating any output artifact, verify it against all skill-context rules. If any rule is violated — fix the output before presenting it to the user.

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Step 1: Detect Existing Build Files & Determine Mode

1.1 Scan for Existing Build Files

Before anything else, check if the project already has build automation:

Glob: Makefile, makefile, GNUmakefile, Taskfile.yml, Taskfile.yaml, taskfile.yml, justfile, Justfile, .justfile, magefile.go, magefiles/*.go

Build a list of EXISTING_FILES from the results.

1.2 Determine Mode

Mode A — Enhance Existing (if EXISTING_FILES is not empty):

• Set MODE = "enhance"
• Set TARGET_TOOL automatically from the detected file (Makefile → makefile, Taskfile.yml → taskfile, etc.)
• If multiple build files exist AND $ARGUMENTS specifies one, use the argument to pick which one to enhance
• If multiple build files exist AND no argument, ask which one to enhance:

AskUserQuestion: This project has multiple build files. Which one should I improve?

Options (dynamic, based on what exists):
1. Makefile — Enhance the existing Makefile
2. Taskfile.yml — Enhance the existing Taskfile
...

• Read the existing file content — this is the baseline for enhancement
• Store as EXISTING_CONTENT

Mode B — Generate New (if EXISTING_FILES is empty):

• Set MODE = "generate"
• Parse $ARGUMENTS to determine tool:

Argument	Tool	Output File
makefile or make	GNU Make	Makefile
taskfile or task	Taskfile	Taskfile.yml
justfile or just	Just	justfile
mage or magefile	Mage	magefile.go

• If $ARGUMENTS is empty or doesn't match, ask the user interactively:

AskUserQuestion: Which build automation tool do you want to generate?

Options:
1. Makefile — GNU Make (universal, no install needed)
2. Taskfile.yml — Task runner (YAML, modern, cross-platform)
3. justfile — Just command runner (simple, fast, ergonomic)
4. magefile.go — Mage (Go-native, type-safe, no shell scripts)

Store the chosen tool as TARGET_TOOL.

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Step 2: Analyze Project

Detect the project profile by scanning the repository with Glob and Grep. Use the same flow for every stack: primary language → package manager / build entrypoints → frameworks → Docker → CI → migrations → tests → linters → monorepo, then the Summary object. JVM projects are handled inside those steps (not a separate pipeline).

2.1 Primary Language

Check for these files (first match wins in the table order below). For Java / Kotlin (JVM), infer language from build files: default Java unless Kotlin plugins / kotlin("jvm") / dominant .kt layout suggests Kotlin.

File / signal	Language
go.mod	Go
package.json	Node.js / JavaScript / TypeScript
pyproject.toml or setup.py or setup.cfg	Python
Cargo.toml	Rust
composer.json	PHP
Gemfile	Ruby
JVM: Gradle root or wrapper (see §2.2)	Java / Kotlin (JVM)
JVM: pom.xml	Java / Kotlin (JVM)
*.csproj or *.sln	C# / .NET

2.2 Package manager & build entrypoints

Lock files and wrappers (same idea as package-lock.json → npm):

File	Package manager / tool
bun.lockb	bun
pnpm-lock.yaml	pnpm
yarn.lock	yarn
package-lock.json	npm
poetry.lock	poetry
uv.lock	uv
Pipfile.lock	pipenv
gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties	./gradlew
.mvn/wrapper/maven-wrapper.properties	./mvnw

Java / Kotlin (JVM) — Gradle vs Maven: Detect Gradle with one batch of checks (single Glob over the paths below, or parallel existence checks — avoid redundant sequential walks):

• settings.gradle, settings.gradle.kts, build.gradle, build.gradle.kts (repo root), gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties

If any Gradle signal matches → Gradle is in play. pom.xml indicates Maven. Set PROJECT_PROFILE.java_build.build_tool from this table:

Condition	build_tool	Notes
Gradle signals present	gradle	Wire targets to Gradle commands below.
No Gradle, pom.xml present	maven	Wire targets to Maven commands below.
Gradle and pom.xml	gradle	Set java_build.mixed_maven_gradle: true and append a warning to PROJECT_PROFILE.warnings (both builds present; recipes follow Gradle — user confirms authoritative build).

Concrete JVM Entrypoint: Persist the detected entrypoint in PROJECT_PROFILE.build_entrypoint based on wrapper presence:

• If build_tool is gradle: use ./gradlew if gradlew or gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties exists, else fallback to gradle.
• If build_tool is maven: use ./mvnw if mvnw or .mvn/wrapper/maven-wrapper.properties exists, else fallback to mvn.

Single source of truth: The predicate above is the same rule the JVM templates implement in shell (ENTRYPOINT / entrypoint — test ./gradlew or gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties; test ./mvnw or .mvn/wrapper/maven-wrapper.properties). When generating or enhancing build files, set PROJECT_PROFILE.build_entrypoint to the result those tests imply (./gradlew vs gradle, ./mvnw vs mvn). Do not emit a different entrypoint string than that predicate unless the user overrides (e.g. Makefile ENTRYPOINT=…). Templates re-resolve at recipe runtime so clones stay correct without editing.

Version catalog: If gradle/libs.versions.toml exists, set java_build.has_version_catalog and document PROJECT_PROFILE.build_entrypoint / catalog usage in comments where helpful.

Commands to wire into Makefile / Taskfile / Just for JVM (same role as npm run build / pytest for other stacks; use gradlew.bat on Windows):

Goal	Gradle	Maven
Full compile + checks	<build_entrypoint> build	<build_entrypoint> verify
Unit / integration tests	<build_entrypoint> test	<build_entrypoint> test
Verification (tests + static analysis where configured)	<build_entrypoint> check	<build_entrypoint> verify
Package only	<build_entrypoint> assemble (or jar / bootJar)	<build_entrypoint> package
Dev server — Spring Boot (see §2.3)	<build_entrypoint> bootRun	<build_entrypoint> spring-boot:run
Dev server — Quarkus	<build_entrypoint> quarkusDev	<build_entrypoint> quarkus:dev
Dev server — Micronaut	<build_entrypoint> run	<build_entrypoint> mn:run
Dev server — Vert.x	<build_entrypoint> vertxRun	<build_entrypoint> vertx:run
Spring Boot — runnable JAR	<build_entrypoint> bootJar	<build_entrypoint> package (spring-boot repackage)
Clean	<build_entrypoint> clean	<build_entrypoint> clean
Multi-module	<build_entrypoint> :subproject:build	<build_entrypoint> -pl module -am package

dev target (templates + generated files): Resolve the framework dev task/goal from the same signals as §2.3, fixed priority (first match wins): Quarkus → Micronaut → Vert.x → Spring Boot. Scan Gradle: build.gradle, build.gradle.kts, settings.gradle, settings.gradle.kts, gradle/libs.versions.toml with the same grep -E patterns you use for §2.3 (quarkus / io.quarkus; micronaut / io.micronaut; Vert.x Gradle plugin — vertx-plugin or io.vertx.vertx; Spring Boot — fallback). Scan Maven: pom.xml only; Vert.x Maven — vertx-maven-plugin or io.reactiverse. If the repo root is an aggregator and detection misses, override the template’s dev task variable (same idea as JVM_MODULE).

Templates: JVM Makefile/Taskfile/Just ship a fixed catalog: lint → Gradle check / Maven verify; fmt → spotlessApply / spotless:apply; lint-checkstyle, lint-spotbugs, lint-pmd, lint-spotless (Taskfile lint:*); db-migrate-liquibase, db-migrate-flyway (Taskfile db:migrate:*). Multi-module: module-* with JVM_MODULE. Step 5 removes catalog entries the repo does not wire (see JVM template rules).

2.3 Framework Detection

For Node.js projects, check package.json dependencies for:

• next → Next.js
• nuxt → Nuxt
• @remix-run/node → Remix
• express → Express
• fastify → Fastify
• hono → Hono
• @nestjs/core → NestJS

For Python projects, check pyproject.toml or imports for:

• fastapi → FastAPI
• django → Django
• flask → Flask

For PHP projects, check composer.json require for:

• laravel/framework → Laravel
• symfony/framework-bundle → Symfony
• slim/slim → Slim
• cakephp/cakephp → CakePHP

For Go projects, check go.mod for:

• gin-gonic/gin → Gin
• labstack/echo → Echo
• gofiber/fiber → Fiber
• go-chi/chi → Chi

For Rust projects, read Cargo.toml (workspace members and [dependencies] / [workspace.dependencies]) for:

• axum → Axum
• actix-web → Actix Web
• rocket → Rocket
• warp → Warp

For Ruby projects, read Gemfile for:

• rails → Ruby on Rails
• sinatra → Sinatra
• hanami → Hanami
• roda → Roda

For Java / JVM projects, read pom.xml, build.gradle*, and gradle/libs.versions.toml (when present) for dependencies and plugins — same discovery depth as package.json for Node:

• spring-boot, spring-boot-starter, spring-boot-parent → Spring Boot
• grpc, protobuf, spring-grpc or *.proto in repo → gRPC / protobuf
• quarkus, io.quarkus → Quarkus
• micronaut → Micronaut
• vertx / Vert.x stack → Vert.x
• liquibase in deps or db.changelog* → Liquibase (see §2.6)
• Flyway org.flywaydb / flyway-core / flyway-maven-plugin / Flyway Gradle plugin in pom.xml, build.gradle*, or gradle/libs.versions.toml → Flyway (see §2.6)
• Prefer Jakarta (jakarta.*) for Java 9+ / Spring Boot 3+; flag legacy javax.* migration if both appear

Map findings into framework / java_build flags (spring_boot, grpc, liquibase, flyway) like other ecosystems map Express vs NestJS.

2.4 Docker (Deep Scan)

Glob: Dockerfile, Dockerfile.*, docker-compose.yml, docker-compose.yaml, compose.yml, compose.yaml, .dockerignore

If any exist, set HAS_DOCKER=true and perform a deeper analysis:

Read the Dockerfile(s) to detect:

• Multi-stage builds (separate dev / prod stages) → DOCKER_MULTISTAGE=true
• Exposed ports → DOCKER_PORTS (e.g., 3000, 8080)
• Base image → DOCKER_BASE (e.g., node:20-alpine, golang:1.22)
• Entrypoint/CMD → understand how the app is started inside the container

Read docker-compose / compose file to detect:

• Service names → DOCKER_SERVICES (e.g., app, db, redis, worker)
• Volume mounts → understand dev vs prod setup
• Profiles (if any) → dev, production, test
• Dependency services (postgres, redis, rabbitmq, etc.) → DOCKER_DEPS

Store as DOCKER_PROFILE:

• has_compose: boolean
• has_multistage: boolean
• services: list of service names
• deps: list of infrastructure services (db, cache, queue)
• ports: exposed ports
• has_dev_stage: boolean (Dockerfile has a dev or development stage)

2.5 CI/CD

Glob: .github/workflows/*.yml, .gitlab-ci.yml, .circleci/config.yml, Jenkinsfile, .travis.yml

Note which CI system is in use.

2.6 Database & Migrations

Search for migration tools:

Grep: prisma|drizzle|knex|typeorm|sequelize|alembic|django.*migrate|goose|migrate|atlas|sqlx|liquibase|flyway

Check for:

• prisma/schema.prisma → Prisma
• drizzle.config.ts → Drizzle
• alembic/ directory → Alembic
• migrations/ directory → Generic migrations
• Liquibase — db.changelog*, liquibase in Gradle/Maven or resources → Liquibase (JVM and others); set java_build.liquibase: true
• Flyway — dependency or plugin (org.flywaydb, flyway-core, flyway-maven-plugin, Flyway Gradle plugin) in pom.xml, build.gradle*, or gradle/libs.versions.toml; set java_build.flyway: true

2.7 Test Framework

Language	Check For
Node.js	jest, vitest, mocha, ava in package.json
Python	pytest in pyproject.toml/requirements, unittest imports
Go	Go has built-in testing; check for testify in go.mod
Rust	Built-in; check for integration test directory tests/
Ruby	rspec in Gemfile → RSpec; minitest / minitest- gems → Minitest; else default rake test when Rakefile exists
Java / Kotlin (JVM)	junit-jupiter, junit-jupiter-api, JUnitPlatform, JUnit5, testcontainers, mockito, rest-assured, cucumber in Gradle/Maven / libs.versions.toml

2.8 Linters & Formatters

Scan for formatter/linter configs (EditorConfig, Checkstyle on JVM, ESLint/Prettier/Biome, Python tools, PHP, Go, Rust, Ruby):

Glob: .eslintrc*, eslint.config.*, .prettierrc*, biome.json, biome.jsonc, .golangci.yml, .golangci.yaml
Glob: checkstyle.xml, .checkstyle.xml, config/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml, .editorconfig
Glob: ruff.toml, .ruff.toml, .flake8, phpcs.xml, phpcs.xml.dist
Glob: rustfmt.toml, .rustfmt.toml, clippy.toml, .rubocop.yml, .rubocop_todo.yml, .standard.yml
Grep in pyproject.toml: ruff|black|flake8|pylint|isort
Grep in build.gradle*, pom.xml: spotless|spotbugs|pmd|errorprone|checkstyle (when not covered by config files alone)

Merge JVM matches into PROJECT_PROFILE.linters as normalized ids (e.g. checkstyle, spotless, spotbugs, pmd, errorprone) for use when wiring lint / fmt targets (Step 5).

2.9 Monorepo Detection

Glob: turbo.json, nx.json, lerna.json, pnpm-workspace.yaml

Summary

Build a PROJECT_PROFILE object with:

• language: primary language
• package_manager: detected PM (npm, pnpm, Gradle, Maven, …)
• build_entrypoint: the exact entrypoint command detected (e.g. ./gradlew, mvn, npm, cargo)
• framework: detected framework (if any); JVM frameworks map here the same way as NestJS or Django
• warnings: optional string array (e.g. mixed Maven+Gradle from §2.2)
• java_build: optional — when language is JVM: { build_tool: "gradle"|"maven", mixed_maven_gradle?: boolean, has_version_catalog: boolean, spring_boot: boolean, grpc: boolean, liquibase: boolean, flyway: boolean }
• has_docker: boolean
• docker_profile: DOCKER_PROFILE object (if has_docker)
• ci_system: detected CI (if any)
• has_migrations: boolean + tool name
• test_framework: detected test runner
• linters: list of detected linters
• is_monorepo: boolean
• has_dev_server: boolean (framework with dev server)

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Step 3: Read Best Practices

Read the best practices reference for the chosen tool:

Read skills/aif-build-automation/references/BEST-PRACTICES.md

Focus on the section matching TARGET_TOOL:

• Makefile → Section 1
• Taskfile → Section 2
• Justfile → Section 3
• Magefile → Section 4

Also read the "Cross-Cutting Concerns" section for standard targets.

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Step 4: Select & Read Template

Pick the closest matching template based on language + TARGET_TOOL:

Tool	Go	Node.js	Python	PHP	Rust	Ruby	Java / JVM	Other
Makefile	makefile-go.mk	makefile-node.mk	makefile-python.mk	makefile-php.mk	makefile-rust.mk	makefile-ruby.mk	makefile-gradle.mk or makefile-maven.mk	Use closest match
Taskfile	taskfile-go.yml	taskfile-node.yml	taskfile-python.yml	taskfile-php.yml	taskfile-rust.yml	taskfile-ruby.yml	taskfile-gradle.yml or taskfile-maven.yml	Use closest match
Justfile	justfile-go	justfile-node	justfile-python	justfile-php	justfile-rust	justfile-ruby	justfile-gradle or justfile-maven	Use closest match
Magefile	magefile-basic.go	magefile-full.go	magefile-full.go	N/A (use Makefile)	N/A (use Makefile)	N/A (use Makefile)	N/A (use Makefile)	N/A (use Makefile)

For Java / JVM, select the Gradle or Maven template based on PROJECT_PROFILE.java_build.build_tool.

If language is not among Go, Node.js, Python, PHP, Rust, Ruby, or Java / JVM in the table above, use the Node.js template as the structural fallback and adapt it to the detected build_entrypoint and language conventions (e.g., dotnet build).

For Magefile: use magefile-full.go if HAS_DOCKER or has_migrations is true, otherwise magefile-basic.go.

For PHP, Rust, Ruby, or Java/JVM + Magefile: Mage is Go-specific and not generally applicable to these stacks. If the user explicitly requested mage for such a project, explain this and suggest Makefile as the closest alternative (universal, no install needed). Ask via AskUserQuestion whether to proceed with Makefile instead.

Read the selected template:

Read skills/aif-build-automation/templates/<selected-template>

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Step 5: Generate or Enhance File

Mode B — Generate New File

Using the PROJECT_PROFILE, best practices, and template as reference, generate a customized build file from scratch.

Generation Rules

1. Start with the tool's required preamble (from best practices)
2. Include all standard targets from the selected template (help/default, build, test, lint, clean, dev, fmt, ci). JVM: the template is a complete catalog; prune targets in Mode B per Step 5 JVM rules (do not invent one-off lint recipes).
3. Add conditional targets based on project profile:
   • Docker targets → only if has_docker
   • Database targets → only if has_migrations (non-JVM); JVM: use the canonical db-migrate-liquibase / db-migrate-flyway (or Taskfile db:migrate:*) only when the matching java_build flag is true — omit the other
   • Deploy targets → only if CI/CD detected
   • Generate target → only if code generation detected
   • Typecheck target → only if TypeScript or mypy detected
4. Use correct package manager — match PROJECT_PROFILE (§2.2): JVM → <build_entrypoint> (from §2.2); Node → npm/pnpm/yarn/bun; Python → uv/poetry/pip; Go → go; Rust → cargo; Ruby → Bundler (bundle, bundle exec); do not substitute the wrong ecosystem (e.g. npm scripts for a Gradle-only repo)
5. Include CI aggregate target — default ci = clean + build on JVM (already runs check/verify); add lint / fmt to ci only if those targets remain after pruning
6. Follow the template's structure for organization and grouping
7. Adapt variable names to match the actual project (module name, binary name, source dirs); JVM multi-module repos → set JVM_MODULE for module-* targets (§2.2)
8. Include version/commit/build-time detection via git
9. Docker-aware targets — if has_docker, generate a dedicated Docker section (see below)

JVM template catalog (fixed names; prune unused tools in Mode B) — Source of truth is skills/aif-build-automation/templates/*gradle* and *maven*. Always use these exact Gradle/Maven task names in generated files unless the build files use a different official task name for the same plugin (document in a comment next to the recipe).

Target (Make/Just)	Taskfile task	Gradle command	Maven command
lint	lint	check	verify
fmt	fmt	spotlessApply	spotless:apply
lint-checkstyle	lint:checkstyle	checkstyleMain	checkstyle:check
lint-spotbugs	lint:spotbugs	spotbugsMain	spotbugs:check
lint-pmd	lint:pmd	pmdMain	pmd:check
lint-spotless	lint:spotless	spotlessCheck	spotless:check
db-migrate-liquibase	db:migrate:liquibase	liquibaseUpdate	liquibase:update
db-migrate-flyway	db:migrate:flyway	flywayMigrate	flyway:migrate
dev	dev	see §2.2 dev tasks + template DEV_GRADLE_TASK resolver (§2.3 priority)	see §2.2 dev goals + template DEV_MAVEN_GOAL resolver (§2.3 priority)

• Mode B (generate): Copy the catalog from the template, then delete targets whose tools are absent: e.g. remove lint-checkstyle if checkstyle ∉ linters; remove lint-spotbugs / lint-pmd if those ids are missing; remove fmt and lint-spotless if spotless ∉ linters; remove db-migrate-liquibase if not java_build.liquibase; remove db-migrate-flyway if not java_build.flyway. Always keep lint (= check / verify) unless the project truly has no Java plugin lifecycle (rare). Never substitute verify -DskipTests or check -x test as lint. For dev, templates already resolve the task/goal from build files; when enhancing, replace a wrong constant bootRun / spring-boot:run with the correct framework command from PROJECT_PROFILE (same strings as the template resolver).
• Mode A (enhance): Prefer missing catalog targets over ad-hoc names; remove recipes that contradict java_build / linters.

Docker-Aware Target Generation

When has_docker is true, generate two layers of commands:

Layer 1 — Container lifecycle (always when Docker detected):

Target	Purpose
docker-build or docker:build	Build the Docker image
docker-run or docker:run	Run the container
docker-stop or docker:stop	Stop running containers
docker-logs or docker:logs	Tail container logs
docker-push or docker:push	Push image to registry
docker-clean or docker:clean	Remove images and stopped containers

Layer 2 — Dev vs Production separation (when compose or multistage detected):