Say goodbye to complex Makefiles. Embrace a modern MCU build experience.
Nimmake is a lightweight, cross-platform build tool deeply optimized for ARM and RISC-V architectures. A Python-powered build system for MCU firmware development, it lets you effortlessly compile C/C++ source code for ARM, RISC-V, and a wide range of mainstream microcontrollers.
Built-in extensive MCU and toolchain configurations automatically generate the required compile flags. Add code as third-party libraries without manually adding source files, headers, or macros one by one; you can set dependencies between each library. Especially suitable for rapid development and prototyping.
🤔 Have You Encountered These Problems?
- ❌ Makefiles growing increasingly complex and hard to maintain?
- ❌ Manually adding source files, header paths, and macros every time you integrate a new library?
- ❌ Full rebuilds taking forever, testing your patience?
- ❌ Inconsistent build behavior across different team members’ environments?
Nimmake was born to solve these pain points.
✨ Why Choose Nimmake?
Pain Point
Nimmake’s Solution
Tedious manual config
Modular Party System — Integrate as third-party libraries, auto-generate compile flags, no manual config needed
Slow compilation
Incremental Builds + Multi-Process Parallel + Build Cache — Only compile what changed, doubled speed
Chaotic toolchain management
Rich built-in MCU and toolchain configs — Works out of the box, supports armgcc / LLVM / armclang
Lack of IDE support
Auto-generate compile_commands.json — Seamless integration with VS Code, CLion, and other IDEs
🔥 Core Features
⚡ Extreme Compilation Speed
- Incremental Builds — Intelligently analyzes which files need rebuilding and compiles only what changed
- Multi-Process Parallel — Configurable job count via -j parameter, fully utilizing multi-core CPUs
- Ninja Backend — Optional Ninja mode (-n / –ninja) for even faster builds
- Build Cache — Cache compiled artifacts (–cache), lightning-fast rebuilds
🧩 Modular Third-Party Integration
Pre-built modules for FreeRTOS, LVGL, FatFS, EasyLogger, CherryUSB, FreeModbus, and more — plug and play, no configuration from scratch.
🔧 Multi-Toolchain Support
One codebase, seamlessly switch between compilers:
- armgcc — Classic ARM GNU toolchain
- LLVM/Clang — Modern compiler with better error diagnostics
- armclang — ARM’s official compiler, commercial-grade optimization
🛠 Developer Friendly
- Dry-Run Mode (–dry-run) — Preview the build plan before executing
- Compilation Database (–compiledb) — Generate compile_commands.json for IDE IntelliSense and static analysis
- Concise CLI — Short command nmmk keeps you one step ahead
📦 Quick Start in One Minute
1. Install Nimmake
pip install nimmake
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2. Verify Installation
nimmake –version
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3. Clone the Sample Project
git clone https://github.com/pophu/nimmake.git
cd nimmake/samples/05_arm32
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4. Build with One Command
nimmake
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That’s it! No Makefile configuration, no manual compile flag management.
📝 Minimal Nimmake.py Example
A complete STM32F407 build script in just a dozen lines of code:
from nimmake.datasets import CORTEX_M4_CFG
from nimmake.Helper import Helper
hlp = Helper()
# Chip configuration
CFG = CORTEX_M4_CFG.clone()
hlp.Config(CFG)
# Toolchain configuration
hlp.Update({
“TOOLPATH“: r“D:\LLVM\arm-none-eabi-gcc14\bin“,
“TOOL“: “gcc“,
“TOOL_PREFIX“: “arm-none-eabi-“,
})
hlp.Refresh()
# Source modules (Party System)
core = hlp.Parties(“CORE“, “src/Core“)
driver = hlp.Parties(“Driver“, “src/Drivers“, third_party=“HAL“)
core.DependOn([driver])
# Build targets
srcs = [“startup_stm32f407xx.s“]
t = hlp.Program(“test“, sources=srcs)
hlp.DefaultTarget(t)
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🎯 Use Cases
Scenario
Description
🏃 Rapid Prototyping
Set up a build environment in minutes, no tedious configuration
🧪 Multi-Platform Firmware
Seamlessly switch between ARM / RISC-V architectures
👥 Team Collaboration
Unified build system, eliminating “it works on my machine”
🔄 CI/CD Integration
CLI-driven, easily integrates into continuous integration pipelines
📚 Documentation Navigation
Document
Contents
Basic Usage
Chip config, toolchain setup, compile flags, Party system, build targets
Advanced Usage
PC programs, ARM32/RISC-V MCU builds, multi-toolchain switching
Party System
Third-party library integration details, parameter reference, built-in library list
CLI Parameters
Detailed explanation of all command-line parameters
FAQ
Answers to 18 common questions
Contributing
How to contribute to Nimmake
🌟 Get Started Now
Nimmake makes MCU firmware building as simple as writing Python.
pip install nimmake
git clone https://github.com/pophu/nimmake.git
cd nimmake/samples/05_arm32
nimmake
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