diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 41f1aa926..bf4ea2365 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,35 +1,123 @@
-.POSIX:
-.SUFFIXES:
-meli:
-	cargo build $(FEATURES)--release
-
+# Options
 PREFIX ?= /usr/local
+BINDIR ?= ${PREFIX}/bin
+MANDIR ?= ${PREFIX}/share/man
 
+CARGO_TARGET_DIR ?= target
+MIN_RUSTC ?= 1.39.0
+CARGO_BIN ?= cargo
+
+# Installation parameters
+MANPAGES ?= meli.1 meli.conf.5 meli-themes.5
 ifdef MELI_FEATURES
   FEATURES ?= --features="$(MELI_FEATURES)" 
 else
   FEATURES ?=
 endif
 
+ifndef MANPATH
+  MANPATH = `manpath`
+endif
+VERSION ?= `sed -n "s/^version\s*=\s*\"\(.*\)\"/\1/p" Cargo.toml`
+
+# Output parameters
+BOLD ?= tput bold
+UNDERLINE ?= tput smul
+ANSI_RESET ?= tput sgr0
+ifdef NO_COLOR
+	RED ?= 
+  GREEN ?= 
+	CARGO_COLOR ?= --color=never 
+else
+	RED ?= tput setaf 1
+  GREEN ?= tput setaf 2
+endif
+
+.POSIX:
+.SUFFIXES:
+help:
+	@echo "For a quick start, build and install locally:\n `${BOLD}``${GREEN}`PREFIX=~/.local make install`${ANSI_RESET}`\n"
+	@echo "Available subcommands:"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`install`${ANSI_RESET}` (installs binary and documentation)"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`uninstall`${ANSI_RESET}`"
+	@echo "Secondary subcommands:"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`clean`${ANSI_RESET}` (cleans build artifacts)"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`check-deps`${ANSI_RESET}` (checks dependencies)"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`install-bin`${ANSI_RESET}` (installs binary to BINDIR)"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`install-doc`${ANSI_RESET}` (installs manpages to MANDIR)"
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`help`${ANSI_RESET}` (prints this information)"
+	@echo "\nENVIRONMENT variables of interest:"
+	@echo "* PREFIX = ${PREFIX}"
+	@echo "* MELI_FEATURES = ${MELI_FEATURES}"
+	@echo "* BINDIR = ${BINDIR}"
+	@echo "* MANDIR = ${MANDIR}"
+
+meli: check-deps
+	${CARGO_BIN} build ${CARGO_COLOR}--target-dir="${CARGO_TARGET_DIR}" $(FEATURES)--release
+
+
+.PHONY: check-deps
+check-deps:
+	@if ! echo ${MIN_RUSTC}\\n`${CARGO_BIN} --version | cut -d ' ' -f 2` | sort -CV; then echo "rust version >= `${RED}`${MIN_RUSTC}`${ANSI_RESET}` required, found: `which ${CARGO_BIN}` `${CARGO_BIN} --version | cut -d ' ' -f 2`" \
+		"\nYour options:\n - Set CARGO_BIN to a supported version\n - Install a supported version from your distribution's package manager\n - Install a supported version from `${UNDERLINE}`https://rustup.rs/`${ANSI_RESET}`" ; exit 1; fi
+
+
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
-	rm -r ./target/
+	-rm -rf ./${CARGO_TARGET_DIR}/
 
+.PHONY: distclean
+distclean: clean
+	@rm -f meli-${VERSION}.tar.gz
 
 .PHONY: uninstall
 uninstall:
-	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin/meli
-	rm $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/man/man1/meli.1.gz
-	rm $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/man/man5/meli.conf.5.gz
+	rm -f $(DESTDIR)${BINDIR}/meli
+	-rm $(DESTDIR)${MANDIR}/man1/meli.1.gz
+	-rm $(DESTDIR)${MANDIR}/man5/meli.conf.5.gz
+	-rm $(DESTDIR)${MANDIR}/man5/meli-themes.5.gz
+
+.PHONY: install-doc
+install-doc:
+ifndef NO_MAN
+		@mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)${MANDIR}/man1
+		@mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)${MANDIR}/man5
+		@echo " - `${BOLD}`Installing manpages to `${ANSI_RESET}`${DESTDIR}${MANDIR}:"
+		@for MANPAGE in ${MANPAGES}; do \
+			SECTION=`echo $${MANPAGE} | rev | cut -d "." -f 1`; \
+			MANPAGEPATH=${DESTDIR}${MANDIR}/man$${SECTION}/$${MANPAGE}.gz; \
+			echo "  * installing $${MANPAGE} → `${GREEN}`$${MANPAGEPATH}`${ANSI_RESET}`"; \
+			gzip < $${MANPAGE} > $${MANPAGEPATH} \
+    ; done
+	@case ":${MANPATH}:" in \
+  *:${DESTDIR}${MANDIR}:*) echo -n "";; \
+	*) echo "\n`${RED}``${BOLD}`WARNING`${ANSI_RESET}`: `${UNDERLINE}`Path ${DESTDIR}${MANDIR} is not contained in your MANPATH variable or the output of \`manpath\` command.`${ANSI_RESET}` \`man\` might fail finding the installed manpages. Consider adding it if necessary.\nMANPATH variable / output of \`manpath\`: ${MANPATH}" ;; \
+	esac
+else
+		@echo "NO_MAN is defined, so no documentation is going to be installed."
+endif
+
+.PHONY: install-bin
+install-bin: meli
+	@mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)${BINDIR}
+	@echo " - `${BOLD}`Installing binary to `${ANSI_RESET}``${GREEN}`${DESTDIR}${BINDIR}/meli`${ANSI_RESET}`"
+	@case ":${PATH}:" in \
+  *:${DESTDIR}${BINDIR}:*) echo -n "";; \
+	*) echo "\n`${RED}``${BOLD}`WARNING`${ANSI_RESET}`: `${UNDERLINE}`Path ${DESTDIR}${BINDIR} is not contained in your PATH variable.`${ANSI_RESET}` Consider adding it if necessary.\nPATH variable: ${PATH}";; \
+	esac
+	@install -D ./${CARGO_TARGET_DIR}/release/meli $(DESTDIR)${BINDIR}/meli
+
 
 .PHONY: install
-install: meli
-	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin
-	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/man/man1
-	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/man/man5
-	cp -f target/release/meli $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin
-	gzip < meli.1 > $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/man/man1/meli.1.gz
-	gzip < meli.conf.5 > $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/man/man5/meli.conf.5.gz
-	@echo "\n You might want to read the \"STARTING WITH meli\" section in the manpage (\`man meli\`)"
-	@echo " - Report bugs in the mailing list or git issue tracker https://git.meli.delivery"
+.NOTPARALLEL: yes
+install: meli install-bin install-doc
+ifndef NO_MAN
+	@echo "\n You're ready to go. You might want to read the \"STARTING WITH meli\" section in the manpage (\`man meli\`)"
+endif
+	@echo " - Report bugs in the mailing list or git issue tracker `${UNDERLINE}`https://git.meli.delivery`${ANSI_RESET}`"
 	@echo " - If you have a specific feature or workflow you want to use, you can post in the mailing list or git issue tracker."
+
+.PHONY: dist
+dist:
+	@git archive --format=tar.gz --prefix=meli-${VERSION}/ HEAD >meli-${VERSION}.tar.gz
+	@echo meli-${VERSION}.tar.gz