# michaelforney/samurai

ninja-compatible build tool written in C

Repository: https://github.com/michaelforney/samurai
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/michaelforney-samurai
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: ninja, build
Last push: 2026-05-13T21:30:55+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 73/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 82, release rhythm 46, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3336, "days_push": 112, "days_rel": 150, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1042, forks 59 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:20.798328+00:00)

## What it is
samurai is a ninja-compatible build tool written in C99 that implements the ninja build language through version 1.9.0. It focuses on simplicity, speed, and portability, using only POSIX.1-2008 interfaces.

## Use cases
- build projects with ninja build files without installing ninja
- replace ninja with a lightweight C implementation
- build software on POSIX systems lacking C++ toolchains
- use a minimal build tool with fewer dependencies
- compile projects using meson or other ninja-generating build systems

## When to choose
- you need a ninja-compatible build tool with minimal dependencies
- you want a small, fast, portable build tool written in C
- your platform lacks a good C++ compiler for ninja
- you prefer POSIX-only software

## When to avoid
- you rely on MSVC dependency handling (deps = msvc)
- you depend on ninja's exact job scheduling order
- you need ninja features beyond version 1.9.0
- you need Windows-native support

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, cli
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: bsd, cli, cross-platform
- tags: ninja-compatible, c99, posix, build-system, command-line, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- michaelforney/samurai (main) score 73

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:20.798328+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:02:47.572176+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/michaelforney/samurai (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:20.798328+00:00, sha 7e825236a50b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.