Make

Use Make to run many Flutter commands with one short command

When a Flutter project gets bigger, we need to run many terminal commands every day.

I use Make to group many commands into one short command. This saves time and also saves memory when working.

What is Make?

Make is a tool that runs tasks from a file named Makefile.

Official links:

• GNU Make

• GNU Make Manual

Install Make

On macOS:

brew install make

Add Make to a Flutter Project

Step 1: Create Makefile in project root

FVM := fvm
FVM_CACHE_PATH := $(CURDIR)/.fvm_cache
FVM_ENV := FVM_CACHE_PATH=$(FVM_CACHE_PATH) FLUTTER_SUPPRESS_ANALYTICS=true DART_SUPPRESS_ANALYTICS=true

.PHONY: init
init:
	@echo "Using FVM cache at $(FVM_CACHE_PATH)"
	$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) install 3.27.4
	$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) use 3.27.4 --force
	$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) flutter pub get

Step 2: Run

make init

Without Make, most people run it manually like this:

fvm install 3.27.4
fvm use 3.27.4 --force
fvm flutter pub get

With make init, we keep one short command and a fixed order.

This gives three big benefits:

• Less confusion when running setup.

• Easier to remember than many long commands.

• Easier to teach new teammates because everyone runs the same command.

Real Examples from My Makefile

Below are examples I am using now. The important point: many lines become one short command.

Example 1: Full setup for new teammate

Manual way:

fvm install 3.27.4
fvm use 3.27.4 --force
fvm flutter pub get
chmod -R 777 .githooks
chmod -R 777 scripts
git config core.ignorecase false
git config core.hooksPath .githooks

The Make target:

setup-project:
	@echo "Setting up project with FVM 3.27.4 and git hooks"
	$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) install 3.27.4
	$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) use 3.27.4 --force
	$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) flutter pub get
	chmod -R 777 .githooks
	chmod -R 777 scripts
	git config core.ignorecase false
	git config core.hooksPath .githooks

Make way:

make setup-project

Result: from 7 lines to 1 line, with fixed order and less confusion.

Example 2: Get dependencies for many packages

Manual way (long and easy to miss one package):

cd packages/ancestor_cores/dart_core && fvm flutter pub get
cd packages/ancestor_cores/device_core && fvm flutter pub get
cd packages/ancestor_cores/fire_core && fvm flutter pub get
...
cd packages/zeus_ui_core && fvm flutter pub get
fvm flutter pub get

The Make target:

get:
	@find ./packages/ancestor_cores/dart_core -name "pubspec.yaml" -execdir env $(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) flutter pub get \;
	@find ./packages/ancestor_cores/device_core -name "pubspec.yaml" -execdir env $(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) flutter pub get \;
	...
	@find ./packages/zeus_ui_core -name "pubspec.yaml" -execdir env $(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) flutter pub get \;
	@$(FVM_ENV) $(FVM) flutter pub get

Make way:

make get

Result: from many repeated lines to 1 line, easier to remember and teach.

Example 3: Push flow

Manual way:

fvm flutter analyze
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git push
cd packages
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git push

The Make target groups analyze, commit, upstream check, and push flow.

Make way:

make push

Result: from many steps to 1 short target.

Why Make Is Efficient

• Less typing every day.

• Less chance to forget steps.

• Easier for team members to run the same workflow.

• Easier to maintain command flow in one file.

Conclusion

Make helps me reduce repeated terminal work in Flutter projects. It also reduces memory load: from remembering many long commands to remembering a few short targets.

Important: With AI, you can freely create your own Make targets to fit your workflow.

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