`make` is not a taskrunner, it is for tracking dependencies between files. a .PHONY target that isn't named "all", "clean", or "dist" is a code smell. there are

`make` is not a taskrunner, it is for tracking dependencies between files. a .PHONY target that isn't named "all", "clean", or "dist" is a code smell. there are many design decisions in `make` that are the opposite of what you want in a taskrunner: * each line executes in an isolated environment * can't pass options or arguments to a make target * not portable to other operating systems the author is already using node packages. purpose-built taskrunners are plentiful, and the resulting scripts will be written in the same language as the rest of the codebase instead of adding a second language. hiding a tool behind a makefile is my pet peeve. a proper taskrunner makes common operations easy without kneecapping the flexibility of the underlying tools.