sighmake is a build system generator for C, C++, and C# projects. It reads concise .buildscript files, basic CMake projects, and supported conversion inputs, then generates project files for Visual Studio, CMake, or Make. C# support currently targets Visual Studio with SDK-style .NET projects.

The goal is to keep build configuration readable, portable, and easy to review in version control.

• Human-readable INI-style buildscript format
• Visual Studio project and solution generation (.vcxproj, .csproj, .sln, .slnx)
• Makefile and CMake generation
• Direct build command with sighmake --build
• C and C++ language support, plus C# executables and libraries in Visual Studio
• Mixed native/managed solutions, managed assembly references, and automatic .NET restore
• Debug and Release defaults when no explicit configs are provided
• Per-config, per-platform, and per-file settings
• Project dependencies with PUBLIC, PRIVATE, and INTERFACE visibility
• Wildcard source matching and platform-specific file filters
• Android cross-compilation with the NDK (platforms = Android)
• Visual Studio solution folders and project filters
• find_package() support for common SDKs such as Vulkan, SDL, DirectX, and OpenGL
• Visual Studio solution conversion back to buildscripts
• Valve VPC conversion entry point
• Release updater with sighmake update

Download the latest release archive for your platform:

https://github.com/CitroenGames/sighmake/releases/latest

Linux and macOS can install the prebuilt binary directly into /usr/local/bin:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/CitroenGames/sighmake/releases/latest/download/sighmake-linux-x64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin

curl -fsSL https://github.com/CitroenGames/sighmake/releases/latest/download/sighmake-linux-arm64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin

curl -fsSL https://github.com/CitroenGames/sighmake/releases/latest/download/sighmake-macos-arm64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin

curl -fsSL https://github.com/CitroenGames/sighmake/releases/latest/download/sighmake-macos-x64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin

$installer = Join-Path $env:TEMP 'sighmake-windows-x64-setup.exe'; Invoke-WebRequest 'https://github.com/CitroenGames/sighmake/releases/latest/download/sighmake-windows-x64-setup.exe' -OutFile $installer; Start-Process $installer -Wait

Alternatively, build and install from a Developer Command Prompt:

install.bat

Verify the install:

sighmake --version

For source builds, custom install locations, tests, and release packaging, see docs/BUILD.md.

Create myapp.buildscript:

[solution]
name = MyApp

[project:MyApp]
type = exe
sources = src/*.cpp
headers = include/*.h
includes = include
std = 17
subsystem = Console

Generate project files:

sighmake myapp.buildscript

Build the generated project:

sighmake --build . --config Release --parallel 8

On Windows, the default generator writes Visual Studio files under build/. On Linux and macOS, the default generator writes Makefiles under build/.

Install Visual Studio and a .NET SDK supporting your chosen target framework. For example, save this as managed.buildscript:

[solution]
name = ManagedApp
platforms = x64

[project:ManagedApp]
language = C#
type = exe
target_framework = net10.0
sources = src/**/*.cs
nullable = enable
implicit_usings = enable

Generate and build from the directory containing the buildscript:

sighmake managed.buildscript -g vcxproj
sighmake --build . --config Release --platform x64

Use type = dll for managed libraries and target_link_libraries(PRIVATE Contracts) to reference another managed project. dependencies = Contracts adds build ordering only. --project ManagedApp selects a single project and builds its references.

See the mixed C++/C# example and C# settings reference for windowed WPF/WinForms apps (net*-windows + subsystem = Windows + use_wpf / use_windows_forms), XAML and embedded resources, unsafe code, runtime configuration files, and other options. C# generation for Makefile/CMake, importing .csproj files, and NuGet package declarations are not yet supported.

sighmake <input-file> [options]
sighmake --build <dir> [build-options]
sighmake --convert <file.sln|.slnx|.vcxproj|.vcproj> [options]
sighmake convert vpc <file.vpc> [options]

Common generation options:

-g, --generator <type>     Generator type: vcxproj, cmake, makefile, buildscript
-B, --build-dir <dir>      Visual Studio output subdirectory, default: build
-D <NAME>=<VALUE>          Define a variable for ${NAME} substitution
-t, --toolset <name>       Default toolset, for example msvc2022 or msvc2019
    --export-deps          Export a dependency report as HTML

Common build options:

--config <cfg>             Build configuration, for example Debug or Release
--platform <name>          Visual Studio platform, for example x64 or Win32 (x86 aliases Win32)
--target <tgt>             Build a target
--project <name|file>      Build one generated project
--no-project-references    Do not build referenced projects with --project
--clean                    Clean without building
--clean-first              Clean before building
-j, --parallel <N>         Parallel build jobs

Useful info commands:

sighmake --help
sighmake --list
sighmake --list-toolsets
sighmake update --check-only

Set a default Visual Studio toolset with:

set SIGHMAKE_DEFAULT_TOOLSET=msvc2022

export SIGHMAKE_DEFAULT_TOOLSET=msvc2022

[solution]
name = MyApplication
configurations = Debug, Release
platforms = x64, Linux

[project:MathLib]
type = lib
sources = mathlib/*.cpp
headers = mathlib/*.h
public_includes = mathlib
std = 17

[project:Calculator]
type = exe
sources = calculator/*.cpp
includes = calculator
subsystem = Console

target_link_libraries(
    MathLib PUBLIC
)

Buildscripts support:

• sources, headers, resources, masm, nasm, idl, and mc inputs
• Per-config settings such as optimization[Release] = MaxSpeed
• Per-platform settings such as defines[x64] = WIN64
• Conditional blocks such as if(Windows) { ... }
• Per-file settings such as pch.cpp:pch = Create
• Shared settings with include = common_settings.buildscript
• Solution folders with folder("Tools") { ... }

The full syntax reference is in usage.md.

• Build and installation guide
• Full usage guide
• VS Code extension
• Multi-project example
• Mixed C++/C# example

This project uses PugiXML, which is licensed under the MIT License.