Task

Task is what Make should have been if it were invented today. A YAML-based task runner written in Go — no tabs-vs-spaces drama, no arcane syntax, just list your commands and run them. Cross-platform, fast, and the Taskfile.yml is readable by humans.

If you're using Makefiles for project automation and hating every minute of it, Task is the drop-in replacement. Make is everywhere but its syntax is hostile. Just (casey/just) is the other modern alternative — similar philosophy, different syntax (its own DSL). npm scripts work but don't scale beyond simple commands. Mage is Go-specific.

Best for any project that needs a task runner and doesn't want to learn Make's footguns. The dependency system, watch mode, and dotenv support cover 90% of automation needs.

The catch: it's YAML, and YAML has its own footguns (indentation, type coercion). For complex build logic, you'll miss having a real programming language (which is where Mage or custom scripts win). And if your team already knows Make, the migration cost might not be worth it.