diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ea27eda1c..439908fef 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 vendor
 .glide
 types/types.pb.go
+*.sw[op]
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index dc996d128..522c568ce 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,18 +1,56 @@
 GOTOOLS = \
-					github.com/mitchellh/gox \
-					github.com/Masterminds/glide \
-					gopkg.in/alecthomas/gometalinter.v2 \
-					github.com/gogo/protobuf/protoc-gen-gogo \
-					github.com/gogo/protobuf/gogoproto
-
+	github.com/mitchellh/gox \
+	github.com/Masterminds/glide \
+	gopkg.in/alecthomas/gometalinter.v2 \
+	github.com/gogo/protobuf/protoc-gen-gogo \
+	github.com/gogo/protobuf/gogoproto
+GOTOOLS_CHECK = gox glide gometalinter.v2 protoc protoc-gen-gogo
+PACKAGES=$(shell go list ./... | grep -v '/vendor/')
 INCLUDE = -I=. -I=${GOPATH}/src -I=${GOPATH}/src/github.com/gogo/protobuf/protobuf
 
-all: protoc install test metalinter
+all: check protoc build test install metalinter
 
-PACKAGES=$(shell go list ./... | grep -v '/vendor/')
+check: check_tools get_vendor_deps
+
+
+########################################
+###  Build
+
+protoc:
+	## If you get the following error,
+	## "error while loading shared libraries: libprotobuf.so.14: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory"
+	## See https://stackoverflow.com/a/25518702
+	protoc $(INCLUDE) --gogo_out=plugins=grpc:. types/*.proto
+	@echo "--> adding nolint declarations to protobuf generated files"
+	@awk '/package types/ { print "//nolint: gas"; print; next }1' types/types.pb.go > types/types.pb.go.new
+	@mv types/types.pb.go.new types/types.pb.go
+
+build:
+	@go build -i ./cmd/...
+
+dist:
+	@bash scripts/dist.sh
+	@bash scripts/publish.sh
 
-install_protoc:
-	# https://github.com/google/protobuf/releases
+install:
+	@go install ./cmd/...
+
+
+########################################
+### Tools & dependencies
+
+check_tools:
+	@# https://stackoverflow.com/a/25668869
+	@echo "Found tools: $(foreach tool,$(GOTOOLS_CHECK),\
+        $(if $(shell which $(tool)),$(tool),$(error "No $(tool) in PATH")))"
+
+get_tools:
+	@echo "--> Installing tools"
+	go get -u -v $(GOTOOLS)
+	@gometalinter.v2 --install
+
+get_protoc:
+	@# https://github.com/google/protobuf/releases
 	curl -L https://github.com/google/protobuf/releases/download/v3.4.1/protobuf-cpp-3.4.1.tar.gz | tar xvz && \
 		cd protobuf-3.4.1 && \
 		DIST_LANG=cpp ./configure && \
@@ -21,60 +59,41 @@ install_protoc:
 		cd .. && \
 		rm -rf protobuf-3.4.1
 
-protoc:
-	## Note to self:
-	## On "error while loading shared libraries: libprotobuf.so.14: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory"
-	##   ldconfig (may require sudo)
-	## https://stackoverflow.com/a/25518702
-	protoc $(INCLUDE) --gogo_out=plugins=grpc:. types/*.proto
-	@ echo "--> adding nolint declarations to protobuf generated files"
-	@ awk '/package types/ { print "//nolint: gas"; print; next }1' types/types.pb.go > types/types.pb.go.new
-	@ mv types/types.pb.go.new types/types.pb.go
+update_tools:
+	@echo "--> Updating tools"
+	@go get -u $(GOTOOLS)
 
-install:
-	@ go install ./cmd/...
+get_vendor_deps:
+	@rm -rf vendor/
+	@echo "--> Running glide install"
+	@glide install
 
-build:
-	@ go build -i ./cmd/...
 
-dist:
-	@ bash scripts/dist.sh
-	@ bash scripts/publish.sh
+########################################
+### Testing
 
 test:
-	@ find . -path ./vendor -prune -o -name "*.sock" -exec rm {} \;
-	@ echo "==> Running go test"
-	@ go test $(PACKAGES)
+	@find . -path ./vendor -prune -o -name "*.sock" -exec rm {} \;
+	@echo "==> Running go test"
+	@go test $(PACKAGES)
 
 test_race:
-	@ find . -path ./vendor -prune -o -name "*.sock" -exec rm {} \;
-	@ echo "==> Running go test --race"
-	@ go test -v -race $(PACKAGES)
+	@find . -path ./vendor -prune -o -name "*.sock" -exec rm {} \;
+	@echo "==> Running go test --race"
+	@go test -v -race $(PACKAGES)
 
 test_integrations:
-	@ bash test.sh
-
-fmt:
-	@ go fmt ./...
+	@bash test.sh
 
-get_deps:
-	@ go get -d $(PACKAGES)
 
-ensure_tools:
-	go get -u -v $(GOTOOLS)
-	@ gometalinter.v2 --install
-
-get_vendor_deps: ensure_tools
-	@ rm -rf vendor/
-	@ echo "--> Running glide install"
-	@ glide install
+########################################
+### Formatting, linting, and vetting
 
-metalinter_all:
-	protoc $(INCLUDE) --lint_out=. types/*.proto
-	gometalinter.v2 --vendor --deadline=600s --enable-all --disable=lll ./...
+fmt:
+	@go fmt ./...
 
 metalinter:
-	@ echo "==> Running linter"
+	@echo "==> Running linter"
 	gometalinter.v2 --vendor --deadline=600s --disable-all  \
 		--enable=maligned \
 		--enable=deadcode \
@@ -92,7 +111,6 @@ metalinter:
 		--enable=varcheck \
 		--enable=vetshadow \
 		./...
-
 		#--enable=gas \
 		#--enable=dupl \
 		#--enable=errcheck \
@@ -103,10 +121,42 @@ metalinter:
 		#--enable=unparam \
 		#--enable=vet \
 
-build-docker:
+metalinter_all:
+	protoc $(INCLUDE) --lint_out=. types/*.proto
+	gometalinter.v2 --vendor --deadline=600s --enable-all --disable=lll ./...
+
+
+########################################
+### Docker
+
+DEVDOC_SAVE = docker commit `docker ps -a -n 1 -q` devdoc:local
+
+docker_build:
 	docker build -t "tendermint/abci-dev" -f Dockerfile.develop .
 
-run-docker:
-	docker run -it --rm -v "$PWD:/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" -w "/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" "tendermint/abci-dev" /bin/bash
+docker_run:
+	docker run -it -v "$(CURDIR):/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" -w "/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" "tendermint/abci-dev" /bin/bash
+
+docker_run_rm:
+	docker run -it --rm -v "$(CURDIR):/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" -w "/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" "tendermint/abci-dev" /bin/bash
+
+devdoc_init:
+	docker run -it -v "$(CURDIR):/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" -w "/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" tendermint/devdoc echo
+	# TODO make this safer
+	$(call DEVDOC_SAVE)
+
+devdoc:
+	docker run -it -v "$(CURDIR):/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" -w "/go/src/github.com/tendermint/abci" devdoc:local bash
+
+devdoc_save:
+	# TODO make this safer
+	$(call DEVDOC_SAVE)
+
+devdoc_clean:
+	docker rmi $$(docker images -f "dangling=true" -q)
+
 
-.PHONY: all build test fmt get_deps ensure_tools protoc install_protoc build-docker run-docker
+# To avoid unintended conflicts with file names, always add to .PHONY
+# unless there is a reason not to.
+# https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Phony-Targets.html
+.PHONY: check protoc build dist install check_tools get_tools get_protoc update_tools get_vendor_deps test test_race test_integrations fmt metalinter metalinter_all docker_build docker_run docker_run_rm devdoc_init devdoc devdoc_save devdoc_clean
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dbfd86347..902e3a089 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -200,4 +200,3 @@ Here, we describe the requests and responses as function arguments and return va
     * `Log (string)`: Debug or error message
   * __Usage__:<br/>
     Return a Merkle root hash of the application state.
-
diff --git a/abci-cli b/abci-cli
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..445f635d8
Binary files /dev/null and b/abci-cli differ
diff --git a/circle.yml b/circle.yml
index 32ce4a7a0..2f52ce9f0 100644
--- a/circle.yml
+++ b/circle.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ checkout:
 
 test:
   override:
-    - cd $REPO && make get_vendor_deps && make metalinter && make test_integrations
+    - cd $REPO && make get_tools check build test_integrations
   post:
     - cd "$REPO" && bash <(curl -s https://codecov.io/bash) -f coverage.txt
     - cd "$REPO" && mv coverage.txt "${CIRCLE_ARTIFACTS}"