Build systems / Parallel execution
Manny
A programmable build system for C with dependency graphs, parallel execution, persistent incremental state, and explainable rebuild decisions.
01 / Overview
Manny is a small programmable build system for C whose build scripts are ordinary elf programs. It models work as a dependency graph and keeps enough history to make incremental rebuilds both fast and explainable.
02 / What it does
- 01
Executes independent tasks in parallel from an explicit dependency graph.
- 02
Uses compiler-discovered dependencies and BLAKE3 fingerprints to detect meaningful changes.
- 03
Persists incremental state and reports why a target needs to be rebuilt.
03 / Engineering
Manny treats programmability as part of the build system rather than an external configuration layer. Its executor is also usable as a C library, while elf supplies the higher-level scripting surface.