diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..931594d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+FROM debian:jessie
+
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
+	build-essential \
+	ca-certificates \
+	curl \
+	git \
+	make \
+	--no-install-recommends \
+	&& rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install Go
+ENV GO_VERSION 1.5.2
+RUN curl -sSL  "https://storage.googleapis.com/golang/go${GO_VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz" | tar -v -C /usr/local -xz
+ENV PATH /go/bin:/usr/local/go/bin:$PATH
+ENV GOPATH /go:/go/src/github.com/docker/containerd/vendor
+
+# install golint/vet
+RUN go get github.com/golang/lint/golint \
+	&& go get golang.org/x/tools/cmd/vet
+
+COPY . /go/src/github.com/docker/containerd
+
+# get deps, until they are in vendor
+# TODO: remomve this when there is a dep tool
+RUN go get -d -v github.com/docker/containerd/ctr \
+	&& go get -d -v github.com/docker/containerd/containerd
+
+WORKDIR /go/src/github.com/docker/containerd
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index caf4cee..b1faefb 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,21 +1,56 @@
-
 BUILDTAGS=libcontainer
 
-all:
+# if this session isn't interactive, then we don't want to allocate a
+# TTY, which would fail, but if it is interactive, we do want to attach
+# so that the user can send e.g. ^C through.
+INTERACTIVE := $(shell [ -t 0 ] && echo 1 || echo 0)
+ifeq ($(INTERACTIVE), 1)
+	DOCKER_FLAGS += -t
+endif
+
+DOCKER_IMAGE := containerd-dev$(if $(GIT_BRANCH),:$(GIT_BRANCH))
+DOCKER_RUN := docker run --rm -i $(DOCKER_FLAGS) "$(DOCKER_IMAGE)"
+
+
+all: client daemon
+
+bin:
 	mkdir -p bin/
-	cd containerd && go build -tags "$(BUILDTAGS)" -o ../bin/containerd
+
+clean:
+	rm -rf bin
+
+client: bin
 	cd ctr && go build -o ../bin/ctr
 
-client:
-	mkdir -p bin/
-	cd ctr && go build -o ../bin/ctr
-
-daemon:
-	mkdir -p bin/
+daemon: bin
 	cd containerd && go build -tags "$(BUILDTAGS)" -o ../bin/containerd
 
+dbuild:
+	@docker build --rm --force-rm -t "$(DOCKER_IMAGE)" .
+
+dtest: dbuild
+	$(DOCKER_RUN) make test
+
 install:
 	cp bin/* /usr/local/bin/
 
 protoc:
 	protoc -I ./api/grpc/types ./api/grpc/types/api.proto --go_out=plugins=grpc:api/grpc/types
+
+fmt:
+	@gofmt -s -l . | grep -v vendor | grep -v .pb. | tee /dev/stderr
+
+lint:
+	@golint ./... | grep -v vendor | grep -v .pb. | tee /dev/stderr
+
+shell:
+	$(DOCKER_RUN) bash
+
+test: all validate
+	go test -v $(shell go list ./... | grep -v /vendor)
+
+validate: fmt lint vet
+
+vet:
+	go vet $(shell go list ./... | grep -v vendor)