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KO

Show HN: I made a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++

·2026.04.10 01:04

Key point

A lightweight build tool that manages C/C++ projects and dependencies with craft.toml.

Details

Craft is a lightweight build/workflow tool that aims to reduce CMake configuration and dependency management overhead in C/C++ development.

When you describe a project with a single craft.toml, Craft automatically generates CMake configuration based on it and simplifies command-line tasks.

  • Create a new project with craft project my_app
  • Add Git repository or local path dependencies with craft add
  • Handle build and run with craft build, craft run

Dependency management aims to provide the following.

  • Automatic Git repo cloning
  • CMake wiring handling via --links
  • Simplified management with craft remove, craft update

Projects can also be saved as templates for reuse.

  • craft template save my_game_template
  • craft project new_game --template my_game_template

For installation, a curl | sh script is provided for macOS/Linux and a PowerShell script for Windows, and the requirements are git and cmake.

Documentation links are provided for getting started, command reference, and the craft.toml reference.

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