diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index d42377b..d94059c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ on:
 env:
   IMAGE_NAME: quay.io/dminnear/patternizer
   GO_VERSION: '1.24'
-  GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION: 'v2.1.6'
 
 jobs:
   lint-and-format:
@@ -28,26 +27,8 @@ jobs:
           go-version: ${{ env.GO_VERSION }}
           cache-dependency-path: src/go.sum
 
-      - name: Run gofmt
-        run: |
-          if [ "$(gofmt -s -l . | wc -l)" -gt 0 ]; then
-            echo "The following files are not formatted:"
-            gofmt -s -l .
-            exit 1
-          fi
-        working-directory: ./src
-
-      - name: Run go vet
-        run: go vet ./...
-        working-directory: ./src
-
-      - name: Install golangci-lint
-        run: |
-          curl -sSfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/golangci/golangci-lint/HEAD/install.sh | sh -s -- -b $(go env GOPATH)/bin ${{ env.GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Run golangci-lint
-        run: $(go env GOPATH)/bin/golangci-lint run
-        working-directory: ./src
+      - name: Run linting checks
+        run: make lint
 
   build-and-test:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -63,26 +44,16 @@ jobs:
           cache-dependency-path: src/go.sum
 
       - name: Build binary
-        run: go build -v -o patternizer .
-        working-directory: ./src
+        run: make build
 
       - name: Run unit tests
-        run: |
-          echo "Running unit tests for all packages..."
-          go test -v ./...
-        working-directory: ./src
+        run: make test-unit
 
       - name: Generate test coverage report
-        run: |
-          echo "Generating test coverage report..."
-          go test ./... -coverprofile=coverage.out
-          go tool cover -func=coverage.out
-        working-directory: ./src
+        run: make test-coverage
 
       - name: Run integration tests
-        run: ./test/integration_test.sh
-        env:
-          PATTERNIZER_BINARY: ./src/patternizer
+        run: make test-integration
 
   build-container:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 962018f..500474c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 src/patternizer
+src/coverage.out
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9a4ec4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+# Makefile for patternizer
+
+# Variables
+BINARY_NAME := patternizer
+GO_VERSION := 1.24
+GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION := v2.1.6
+IMAGE_NAME := patternizer
+LOCAL_TAG := local
+SRC_DIR := src
+CONTAINER_ENGINE := podman
+
+# Go-related variables
+GO_CMD := go
+GO_BUILD := $(GO_CMD) build
+GO_TEST := $(GO_CMD) test
+GO_CLEAN := $(GO_CMD) clean
+GO_VET := $(GO_CMD) vet
+GO_FMT := gofmt
+
+# Default target
+.DEFAULT_GOAL := help
+
+# Help target
+.PHONY: help
+help: ## Show this help message
+	@echo "Available targets:"
+	@awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "} /^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## / {printf "  %-20s %s\n", $$1, $$2}' $(MAKEFILE_LIST)
+
+# Build target
+.PHONY: build
+build: ## Build the patternizer binary
+	@echo "Building patternizer..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_BUILD) -v -o $(BINARY_NAME) .
+	@echo "Build complete: $(SRC_DIR)/$(BINARY_NAME)"
+
+# Clean target
+.PHONY: clean
+clean: ## Clean build artifacts
+	@echo "Cleaning build artifacts..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_CLEAN)
+	rm -f $(SRC_DIR)/$(BINARY_NAME)
+	rm -f $(SRC_DIR)/coverage.out
+	@echo "Clean complete"
+
+# Install dependencies
+.PHONY: deps
+deps: ## Download and install Go dependencies
+	@echo "Installing dependencies..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_CMD) mod download
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_CMD) mod tidy
+	@echo "Dependencies installed"
+
+# Unit tests
+.PHONY: test-unit
+test-unit: ## Run unit tests
+	@echo "Running unit tests..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_TEST) -v ./...
+
+# Test with coverage
+.PHONY: test-coverage
+test-coverage: ## Run unit tests with coverage report
+	@echo "Running unit tests with coverage..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_TEST) ./... -coverprofile=coverage.out
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_CMD) tool cover -func=coverage.out
+
+# Integration tests
+.PHONY: test-integration
+test-integration: build ## Run integration tests
+	@echo "Running integration tests..."
+	PATTERNIZER_BINARY=./$(SRC_DIR)/$(BINARY_NAME) ./test/integration_test.sh
+
+# All tests
+.PHONY: test
+test: test-unit test-integration ## Run all tests (unit + integration)
+
+# Lint target
+.PHONY: lint
+lint: lint-fmt lint-vet lint-golangci ## Run all linting checks
+
+# Format check
+.PHONY: lint-fmt
+lint-fmt: ## Check Go formatting
+	@echo "Checking Go formatting..."
+	@cd $(SRC_DIR) && if [ "$$($(GO_FMT) -s -l . | wc -l)" -gt 0 ]; then \
+		echo "The following files are not formatted:"; \
+		$(GO_FMT) -s -l .; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo "Go formatting check passed"
+
+# Vet check
+.PHONY: lint-vet
+lint-vet: ## Run go vet
+	@echo "Running go vet..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_VET) ./...
+	@echo "Go vet passed"
+
+# golangci-lint check
+.PHONY: lint-golangci
+lint-golangci: ## Run golangci-lint
+	@echo "Running golangci-lint..."
+	@if ! command -v golangci-lint >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		echo "Installing golangci-lint..."; \
+		curl -sSfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/golangci/golangci-lint/HEAD/install.sh | sh -s -- -b $$(go env GOPATH)/bin $(GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION); \
+	fi
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $$(go env GOPATH)/bin/golangci-lint run
+	@echo "golangci-lint passed"
+
+# Format code
+.PHONY: fmt
+fmt: ## Format Go code
+	@echo "Formatting Go code..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_FMT) -s -w .
+	@echo "Go code formatted"
+
+# Local container build
+.PHONY: local-container-build
+local-container-build: ## Build container image locally
+	@echo "Building container image..."
+	$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build -t $(IMAGE_NAME):$(LOCAL_TAG) -f Containerfile .
+	@echo "Container image built: $(IMAGE_NAME):$(LOCAL_TAG)"
+
+# Full CI pipeline locally
+.PHONY: ci
+ci: lint build test ## Run the full CI pipeline locally
+
+# Development setup
+.PHONY: dev-setup
+dev-setup: deps ## Set up development environment
+	@echo "Setting up development environment..."
+	@if ! command -v golangci-lint >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		echo "Installing golangci-lint..."; \
+		curl -sSfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/golangci/golangci-lint/HEAD/install.sh | sh -s -- -b $$(go env GOPATH)/bin $(GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION); \
+	fi
+	@echo "Development environment ready"
+
+# Version info
+.PHONY: version
+version: ## Show version information
+	@echo "Go version: $$(go version)"
+	@echo "Git commit: $$(git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo 'unknown')"
+	@echo "Build date: $$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"
+
+# Generate documentation
+.PHONY: docs
+docs: ## Generate Go documentation
+	@echo "Generating documentation..."
+	cd $(SRC_DIR) && $(GO_CMD) doc -all ./...
+
+# Quick check (fast feedback loop)
+.PHONY: check
+check: lint-fmt lint-vet build test-unit ## Quick check (format, vet, build, unit tests)
+
+.PHONY: all
+all: clean deps lint build test local-container-build ## Run everything
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f6c152b..8941d9f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -17,6 +17,25 @@ The tool provides both a standalone CLI and containerized execution for maximum
 - 🔐 **Secrets integration** with Vault and External Secrets support
 - ✅ **Comprehensive testing** with unit and integration tests
 - 🏗️ **Multi-stage builds** for minimal container images
+- 🛠️ **Makefile-driven development** for consistent local development and CI
+
+## Quick Start for Developers
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone https://github.com/dminnear-rh/patternizer.git
+cd patternizer
+
+# Set up development environment
+make dev-setup
+
+# See all available targets
+make help
+
+# Build and test
+make build
+make test
+```
 
 ---
 
@@ -103,34 +122,41 @@ podman run --rm -it -v .:/repo:z quay.io/dminnear/patternizer init --with-secret
 - Go 1.24+
 - Podman or Docker
 - Git
+- Make
 
-### Building the CLI
+### Quick Start
 
 ```bash
-cd src
-go build -o patternizer .
+# Set up development environment (installs dependencies and tools)
+make dev-setup
+
+# Show all available targets
+make help
 ```
 
-### Running Tests
+### Common Development Tasks
 
 ```bash
-# Run unit tests
-cd src
-go test -v ./...
+# Build the CLI
+make build
 
-# Run integration tests (requires built binary)
-cd ..
-./test/integration_test.sh
-```
+# Run all tests (unit + integration)
+make test
 
-### Building the Container
+# Run only unit tests
+make test-unit
 
-```bash
-# Build with default settings
-podman build -t patternizer:local .
+# Run only integration tests
+make test-integration
+
+# Build container image locally
+make local-container-build
 
-# Build with custom alpine version
-podman build --build-arg ALPINE_VERSION=3.22 -t patternizer:local .
+# Run full CI pipeline locally
+make ci
+
+# Quick feedback loop (format check, vet, build, unit tests)
+make check
 ```
 
 ### Code Quality
@@ -138,16 +164,16 @@ podman build --build-arg ALPINE_VERSION=3.22 -t patternizer:local .
 The project uses comprehensive linting and formatting:
 
 ```bash
-cd src
+# Run all linting checks (gofmt, go vet, golangci-lint)
+make lint
 
 # Format code
-gofmt -s -w .
-
-# Run linter
-golangci-lint run
+make fmt
 
-# Run vet
-go vet ./...
+# Run individual lint checks
+make lint-fmt     # gofmt check
+make lint-vet     # go vet
+make lint-golangci # golangci-lint
 ```
 
 ---
@@ -189,25 +215,27 @@ The integration test (`test/integration_test.sh`) validates the complete workflo
 
 Run integration tests locally:
 ```bash
-# Build the binary first
-cd src && go build -o patternizer .
+# Run integration tests (automatically builds binary first)
+make test-integration
 
-# Run integration tests
-cd .. && ./test/integration_test.sh
+# Or run all tests (unit + integration)
+make test
 ```
 
 ---
 
 ## CI/CD Pipeline
 
-The project uses a comprehensive CI pipeline with three stages:
+The project uses a comprehensive CI pipeline with three stages that leverage the Makefile for consistency:
 
-1. **Lint & Format**: Code quality checks with `gofmt`, `go vet`, and `golangci-lint`
-2. **Build & Test**: Binary compilation, unit tests, and integration tests
+1. **Lint & Format**: `make lint` - Code quality checks with `gofmt`, `go vet`, and `golangci-lint`
+2. **Build & Test**: `make build`, `make test-unit`, `make test-coverage`, `make test-integration`
 3. **Container Build**: Multi-stage container build and push to Quay.io
 
 All code must pass linting and tests before being merged or deployed.
 
+The CI pipeline uses the same Makefile targets that developers use locally, ensuring perfect consistency between local development and CI environments. You can run the same checks locally with `make ci`.
+
 ---
 
 ## Architecture
@@ -243,7 +271,27 @@ This modular design makes the codebase maintainable, testable, and extensible.
 1. Fork the repository
 2. Create a feature branch
 3. Make your changes
-4. Run tests: `go test ./... && ./test/integration_test.sh`
+4. Run the development workflow:
+   ```bash
+   make dev-setup  # Set up development environment
+   make check      # Quick feedback loop
+   make test       # Run all tests
+   make lint       # Run all linting checks
+   ```
 5. Submit a pull request
 
 All contributions must pass the CI pipeline including linting, formatting, and comprehensive testing.
+
+### Development Workflow
+
+For the best development experience:
+```bash
+# Initial setup
+make dev-setup
+
+# During development (fast feedback)
+make check
+
+# Before committing
+make ci  # Runs the full CI pipeline locally
+```