diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
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+++ b/Makefile
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+# Makefile for Trellis documentation created with Sphinx
+
+# use bash for pushd/popd, and to fail quickly. virtualenv's activate
+# has undefined variables, so no -u
+SHELL = bash -e -o pipefail
+
+# You can set these variables from the command line.
+SPHINXOPTS   ?=
+SPHINXBUILD  ?= sphinx-build
+SOURCEDIR    ?= .
+BUILDDIR     ?= _build
+
+# Put it first so that "make" without argument is like "make help".
+help: doc_venv
+	source ./doc_venv/bin/activate ;\
+	$(SPHINXBUILD) -M help "$(SOURCEDIR)" "$(BUILDDIR)" $(SPHINXOPTS) $(O)
+
+.PHONY: help lint reload Makefile test
+
+# Create the virtualenv with all the tools installed
+doc_venv:
+	virtualenv doc_venv ;\
+	source ./doc_venv/bin/activate ;\
+	pip install livereload ;\
+	pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+# automatically reload changes in browser as they're made
+reload: doc_venv
+	source ./doc_venv/bin/activate ;\
+	set -u ;\
+	sphinx-reload $(SOURCEDIR)
+
+# lint and link verification. linkcheck is built into sphinx
+test: lint linkcheck
+
+lint: rst-lint
+
+rst-lint: doc_venv
+	source ./doc_venv/bin/activate ;\
+	set -u ;\
+	doc8 --ignore-path doc_venv --ignore-path _build $(SOURCEDIR)
+
+# clean up
+clean:
+	rm -rf $(BUILDDIR)
+
+clean-all: clean
+	rm -rf doc_venv
+
+# Catch-all target: route all unknown targets to Sphinx using the new
+# "make mode" option.  $(O) is meant as a shortcut for $(SPHINXOPTS).
+%: Makefile doc_venv | $(OTHER_REPO_DOCS)
+	source ./doc_venv/bin/activate ;\
+	set -u ;\
+	$(SPHINXBUILD) -M $@ "$(SOURCEDIR)" "$(BUILDDIR)" $(SPHINXOPTS) $(O)