Enforce GNU make 4+ at Makefile parse time#1
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andrewferrier
June 10, 2026 16:27
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June 10, 2026 16:27
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Pull request overview
This PR strengthens the repository’s root Makefile preflight checks so that GNU make is not only detected, but also required to be major version 4+, and that failure occurs during Makefile parsing (before any targets are evaluated).
Changes:
- Adds an early parse-time error when
MAKE_VERSIONis not defined (intended to indicate GNU make is not in use). - Extracts
MAKE_MAJORfromMAKE_VERSIONat parse time and errors out for major versions0..3. - Updates error messaging to distinguish “GNU make not detected” vs “GNU make too old”.
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| ifeq ($(origin MAKE_VERSION),undefined) | ||
| $(error GNU make >= 4 is required. MAKE_VERSION is undefined, so GNU make may not be installed or in use. Run 'make --version' to verify.) | ||
| endif |
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The root
Makefilepreviously only guarded for GNU make presence. This update tightens the preflight check to require GNU make major version 4 or newer and fail before target evaluation.Preflight guard hardening
MAKE_VERSIONorigin.MAKE_VERSION.Minimum version enforcement
MAKE_MAJORfromMAKE_VERSION.0..3using GNU make-native functions (no shell arithmetic dependency).Failure messaging
MAKE_VERSIONundefined)