diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8b3845a0..47e1dfd0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -53,6 +53,20 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+- **Makefile** - Comprehensive development workflow automation with commands for setup, development, building, testing, and code quality checks
+  - Includes Python version detection and compatibility warnings
+  - Self-documenting help system with `make help`
+  - Colored output for better readability
+  - Supports parallel development server execution
+
+### Changed
+- **README** - Added Makefile reference and updated Quick Start with Makefile-based setup instructions alongside manual setup
+
+---
+
+## [Unreleased - Planned]
+
 ### Planned
 - Real-time streaming synthesis
 - Conversation mode with multiple speakers
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 9bf5bd7f..f7f5027f 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ Thank you for your interest in contributing to Voicebox! This document provides
 
 ### Development Setup
 
+**Using the Makefile (recommended for macOS/Linux):** Run `make setup` to install all dependencies, then `make dev` to start development servers. See `make help` for all available commands.
+
+**Manual setup (required for Windows):**
+
 1. **Fork and clone the repository**
    ```bash
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/voicebox.git
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..48de0784
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,240 @@
+# Voicebox Makefile
+# Unix-only (macOS/Linux). Windows users should use WSL.
+
+SHELL := /bin/bash
+.DEFAULT_GOAL := help
+
+# Directories
+BACKEND_DIR := backend
+TAURI_DIR := tauri
+WEB_DIR := web
+APP_DIR := app
+
+# Python (prefer 3.12, fallback to 3.13, then python3)
+PYTHON := $(shell command -v python3.12 2>/dev/null || command -v python3.13 2>/dev/null || echo python3)
+VENV := $(CURDIR)/$(BACKEND_DIR)/venv
+VENV_BIN := $(VENV)/bin
+PIP := $(VENV_BIN)/pip
+PYTHON_VENV := $(VENV_BIN)/python
+
+# Colors for output
+BLUE := \033[0;34m
+GREEN := \033[0;32m
+YELLOW := \033[0;33m
+NC := \033[0m # No Color
+
+.PHONY: help
+help: ## Show this help message
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Voicebox$(NC) - Development Commands"
+	@echo ""
+	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | sort | \
+		awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  $(GREEN)%-20s$(NC) %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
+
+# =============================================================================
+# SETUP
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: setup setup-js setup-python setup-rust
+
+setup: setup-js setup-python ## Full project setup (all dependencies)
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Setup complete!$(NC)"
+	@echo -e "  Run $(YELLOW)make dev$(NC) to start development servers"
+
+setup-js: ## Install JavaScript dependencies (bun)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Installing JavaScript dependencies...$(NC)"
+	bun install
+
+setup-python: $(VENV)/bin/activate ## Set up Python virtual environment and dependencies
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Installing Python dependencies...$(NC)"
+	$(PIP) install --upgrade pip
+	$(PIP) install -r $(BACKEND_DIR)/requirements.txt
+	$(PIP) install git+https://github.com/QwenLM/Qwen3-TTS.git
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Python environment ready$(NC)"
+
+$(VENV)/bin/activate:
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Creating Python virtual environment...$(NC)"
+	@PY_MINOR=$$($(PYTHON) -c "import sys; print(sys.version_info[1])"); \
+	if [ "$$PY_MINOR" -gt 13 ]; then \
+		echo -e "$(YELLOW)Warning: Python 3.$$PY_MINOR detected. ML packages may not be compatible.$(NC)"; \
+		echo -e "$(YELLOW)Recommended: Use Python 3.12 or 3.13 (brew install python@3.12)$(NC)"; \
+	fi
+	$(PYTHON) -m venv $(VENV)
+
+setup-rust: ## Install Rust toolchain (if not present)
+	@command -v rustc >/dev/null 2>&1 || curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
+
+# =============================================================================
+# DEVELOPMENT
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: dev dev-backend dev-frontend dev-web kill-dev
+
+dev: ## Start backend + desktop app (parallel)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Starting development servers...$(NC)"
+	@echo -e "$(YELLOW)Note: If Tauri fails, run 'make build-server' first or use separate terminals$(NC)"
+	@trap 'kill 0' EXIT; \
+		$(MAKE) dev-backend & \
+		sleep 2 && $(MAKE) dev-frontend & \
+		wait
+
+dev-backend: ## Start FastAPI backend server
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Starting backend server on http://localhost:17493$(NC)"
+	$(VENV_BIN)/uvicorn backend.main:app --reload --port 17493
+
+dev-frontend: ## Start Tauri desktop app
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Starting Tauri desktop app...$(NC)"
+	bun run dev
+
+dev-web: ## Start backend + web app (parallel)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Starting web development servers...$(NC)"
+	@trap 'kill 0' EXIT; \
+		$(MAKE) dev-backend & \
+		sleep 2 && cd $(WEB_DIR) && bun run dev & \
+		wait
+
+kill-dev: ## Kill all development processes
+	@echo -e "$(YELLOW)Killing development processes...$(NC)"
+	-pkill -f "uvicorn main:app" 2>/dev/null || true
+	-pkill -f "vite" 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Processes killed$(NC)"
+
+# =============================================================================
+# BUILD
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: build build-server build-tauri build-web
+
+build: build-server build-tauri ## Build everything (server binary + desktop app)
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Build complete!$(NC)"
+
+build-server: ## Build Python server binary
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Building server binary...$(NC)"
+	PATH="$(VENV_BIN):$$PATH" ./scripts/build-server.sh
+
+build-tauri: ## Build Tauri desktop app
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Building Tauri desktop app...$(NC)"
+	cd $(TAURI_DIR) && bun run tauri build
+
+build-web: ## Build web app
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Building web app...$(NC)"
+	cd $(WEB_DIR) && bun run build
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Web build output in $(WEB_DIR)/dist/$(NC)"
+
+# =============================================================================
+# DATABASE & API
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: db-init db-reset generate-api
+
+db-init: $(VENV)/bin/activate ## Initialize SQLite database
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Initializing database...$(NC)"
+	cd $(BACKEND_DIR) && $(PYTHON_VENV) -c "from database import init_db; init_db()"
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Database created at $(BACKEND_DIR)/data/voicebox.db$(NC)"
+
+db-reset: ## Reset database (delete and reinitialize)
+	@echo -e "$(YELLOW)Resetting database...$(NC)"
+	rm -f $(BACKEND_DIR)/data/voicebox.db
+	$(MAKE) db-init
+
+generate-api: ## Generate TypeScript API client from OpenAPI schema
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Generating API client...$(NC)"
+	@echo -e "$(YELLOW)Note: Backend must be running (make dev-backend)$(NC)"
+	./scripts/generate-api.sh
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ API client generated in $(APP_DIR)/src/lib/api/$(NC)"
+
+# =============================================================================
+# CODE QUALITY
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: lint format typecheck check
+
+lint: ## Run linter (Biome)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Linting...$(NC)"
+	bun run lint
+
+format: ## Format code (Biome)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Formatting...$(NC)"
+	bun run format
+
+typecheck: ## Run TypeScript type checking
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Type checking...$(NC)"
+	bun run tsc --noEmit
+
+check: ## Run all checks (Biome lint + format + type check)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Running all checks...$(NC)"
+	bun run check
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ All checks passed$(NC)"
+
+# =============================================================================
+# TESTING
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: test test-backend test-frontend
+
+test: test-backend test-frontend ## Run all tests
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ All tests passed$(NC)"
+
+test-backend: ## Run Python backend tests (requires pytest)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Running backend tests...$(NC)"
+	@if [ -f "$(VENV_BIN)/pytest" ]; then \
+		cd $(BACKEND_DIR) && $(VENV_BIN)/pytest -v; \
+	else \
+		echo -e "$(YELLOW)pytest not installed. Run: $(PIP) install pytest$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+
+test-frontend: ## Run frontend tests (requires test script in package.json)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Running frontend tests...$(NC)"
+	@if bun run test --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		bun run test; \
+	else \
+		echo -e "$(YELLOW)No test script configured$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+
+# =============================================================================
+# LOGS & DEBUGGING
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: logs docs
+
+logs: ## Tail backend logs
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Tailing logs (Ctrl+C to stop)...$(NC)"
+	tail -f $(BACKEND_DIR)/logs/*.log 2>/dev/null || echo "No log files found"
+
+docs: ## Open API documentation (backend must be running)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Opening API docs...$(NC)"
+	open http://localhost:17493/docs 2>/dev/null || xdg-open http://localhost:17493/docs
+
+# =============================================================================
+# CLEAN
+# =============================================================================
+
+.PHONY: clean clean-python clean-build clean-all
+
+clean: ## Clean build artifacts
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Cleaning build artifacts...$(NC)"
+	rm -rf $(TAURI_DIR)/src-tauri/target/release
+	rm -rf $(WEB_DIR)/dist
+	rm -rf $(APP_DIR)/dist
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Build artifacts cleaned$(NC)"
+
+clean-python: ## Clean Python cache and virtual environment
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Cleaning Python files...$(NC)"
+	rm -rf $(VENV)
+	find $(BACKEND_DIR) -type d -name "__pycache__" -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true
+	find $(BACKEND_DIR) -type f -name "*.pyc" -delete 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Python environment cleaned$(NC)"
+
+clean-build: ## Clean Rust/Tauri build cache
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Cleaning Rust build cache...$(NC)"
+	cd $(TAURI_DIR)/src-tauri && cargo clean
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Rust cache cleaned$(NC)"
+
+clean-all: clean clean-python clean-build ## Nuclear clean (everything)
+	@echo -e "$(BLUE)Cleaning node_modules...$(NC)"
+	rm -rf node_modules
+	rm -rf $(APP_DIR)/node_modules
+	rm -rf $(TAURI_DIR)/node_modules
+	rm -rf $(WEB_DIR)/node_modules
+	@echo -e "$(GREEN)✓ Full clean complete$(NC)"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 34d1fa0e..05764497 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -207,8 +207,26 @@ Voicebox aims to be the **one-stop shop for everything voice** — cloning, synt
 
 See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed setup and contribution guidelines.
 
+**Using the Makefile (recommended):** Run `make help` to see all available commands for setup, development, building, and testing.
+
 ### Quick Start
 
+**With Makefile (Unix/macOS/Linux):**
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repo
+git clone https://github.com/voicebox-sh/voicebox.git
+cd voicebox
+
+# Setup everything
+make setup
+
+# Start development
+make dev
+```
+
+**Manual setup (all platforms):**
+
 ```bash
 # Clone the repo
 git clone https://github.com/voicebox-sh/voicebox.git