diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
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+# MarkiTect - Advanced Markdown Engine
+# Makefile for common development tasks
+
+.PHONY: help setup install test build clean update status dev lint format check-deps
+
+# Default target
+help:
+	@echo "MarkiTect Development Commands"
+	@echo "=============================="
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Setup & Installation:"
+	@echo "  setup       - Initial project setup (venv + install)"
+	@echo "  install     - Install package in development mode"
+	@echo "  dev         - Install with development dependencies"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Development:"
+	@echo "  test        - Run all tests"
+	@echo "  build       - Build the package"
+	@echo "  lint        - Run code linting"
+	@echo "  format      - Format code"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Maintenance:"
+	@echo "  update      - Update from upstream (git + submodules)"
+	@echo "  status      - Show git status for repo and submodules"
+	@echo "  clean       - Clean build artifacts"
+	@echo "  check-deps  - Check dependency status"
+
+# Python and virtual environment setup
+PYTHON := python3
+VENV := .venv
+VENV_PYTHON := $(VENV)/bin/python
+VENV_PIP := $(VENV)/bin/pip
+
+# Setup virtual environment and install package
+setup: $(VENV)/bin/activate install
+	@echo "✅ Project setup complete!"
+
+$(VENV)/bin/activate:
+	@echo "🔧 Creating virtual environment..."
+	$(PYTHON) -m venv $(VENV)
+	$(VENV_PIP) install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
+
+# Install package in development mode
+install: $(VENV)/bin/activate
+	@echo "📦 Installing MarkiTect in development mode..."
+	$(VENV_PIP) install -e .
+
+# Install with development dependencies
+dev: install
+	@echo "🛠️  Installing development dependencies..."
+	$(VENV_PIP) install pytest pytest-cov black flake8 mypy
+
+# Run tests
+test: $(VENV)/bin/activate
+	@echo "🧪 Running tests..."
+	@if [ -f $(VENV)/bin/pytest ]; then \
+		$(VENV)/bin/pytest tests/ -v; \
+	else \
+		$(VENV_PYTHON) -m pytest tests/ -v 2>/dev/null || \
+		$(VENV_PYTHON) -m unittest discover tests/ -v; \
+	fi
+
+# Build the package
+build: $(VENV)/bin/activate
+	@echo "🏗️  Building package..."
+	$(VENV_PYTHON) -m build 2>/dev/null || \
+	$(VENV_PIP) install build && $(VENV_PYTHON) -m build
+
+# Code linting
+lint: $(VENV)/bin/activate
+	@echo "🔍 Running linting..."
+	@if [ -f $(VENV)/bin/flake8 ]; then \
+		$(VENV)/bin/flake8 markitect/ tests/; \
+	else \
+		echo "⚠️  flake8 not installed. Run 'make dev' first."; \
+	fi
+
+# Code formatting
+format: $(VENV)/bin/activate
+	@echo "✨ Formatting code..."
+	@if [ -f $(VENV)/bin/black ]; then \
+		$(VENV)/bin/black markitect/ tests/; \
+	else \
+		echo "⚠️  black not installed. Run 'make dev' first."; \
+	fi
+
+# Update from upstream
+update:
+	@echo "🔄 Updating from upstream..."
+	@git status --porcelain | grep -q . && echo "⚠️  Working directory not clean. Commit or stash changes first." && exit 1 || true
+	git pull origin main
+	git submodule update --remote
+	@if git status --porcelain | grep -q "wiki"; then \
+		echo "📝 Committing wiki submodule update..."; \
+		git add wiki; \
+		git commit -m "Update wiki submodule to latest"; \
+	fi
+	@echo "✅ Update complete!"
+
+# Show git status
+status:
+	@echo "📊 Repository Status"
+	@echo "==================="
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Main Repository:"
+	git status --short
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Wiki Submodule:"
+	@cd wiki && git status --short
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Recent Commits:"
+	git log --oneline -5
+
+# Clean build artifacts
+clean:
+	@echo "🧹 Cleaning build artifacts..."
+	rm -rf build/
+	rm -rf dist/
+	rm -rf *.egg-info/
+	find . -type d -name __pycache__ -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true
+	find . -name "*.pyc" -delete 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo "✅ Clean complete!"
+
+# Check dependency status
+check-deps: $(VENV)/bin/activate
+	@echo "📋 Dependency Status"
+	@echo "==================="
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Python version:"
+	$(VENV_PYTHON) --version
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Installed packages:"
+	$(VENV_PIP) list
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Project dependencies:"
+	$(VENV_PIP) check
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