diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b5a5283..c188a3d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 2. `cd lurch`
 3. `git submodule update --init` (If you just pull a newer version, remember to also update the submodules as they might have changed!)
 4. `make`
-5. A final `make install` should copy the compiled plugin into your libpurple plugin dir.
+5. A final `make install-home` should copy the compiled plugin into your libpurple plugin dir.
 6. The next time you start Pidgin (or another libpurple client), you should be able to activate it in the "Plugins" window.
 
 ### Windows
diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index 108fc42..5d32bcc 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,40 @@
-PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR=~/.purple/plugins
-PIDGIN_DIR=./pidgin-2.11.0
-PURPLE_PLUGIN_SRC_DIR=$(PIDGIN_DIR)/libpurple/plugins
+### toolchain
+#
+CC ?= gcc
+PKG_CONFIG ?= pkg-config
+XML2_CONFIG ?= xml2-config
+LIBGCRYPT_CONFIG ?= libgcrypt-config
+MKDIR = mkdir
+MKDIR_P = mkdir -p
+INSTALL = install
+INSTALL_LIB = $(INSTALL) -m 755
+INSTALL_DIR = $(INSTALL) -d -m 755
+RM = rm
+RM_RF = $(RM) -rf
+CMAKE ?= cmake
+CMAKE_FLAGS = -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
+
+
+### flags
+#
+PKGCFG_C=$(shell $(PKG_CONFIG) --cflags glib-2.0 purple) \
+		 $(shell $(XML2_CONFIG) --cflags)
+
+PKGCFG_L=$(shell $(PKG_CONFIG) --libs purple glib-2.0 sqlite3 mxml) \
+		 $(shell $(XML2_CONFIG) --libs) \
+		 -L$(shell $(PKG_CONFIG) --variable=plugindir purple) \
+		 $(shell $(LIBGCRYPT_CONFIG) --libs)
+
+HEADERS=-I$(HDIR)/jabber -I$(LOMEMO_SRC) -I$(AXC_SRC) -I$(AX_DIR)/src
+CFLAGS += -std=c11 -Wall -g -Wstrict-overflow $(PKGCFG_C) $(HEADERS)
+CPPFLAGS += -D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700 -D_BSD_SOURCE
+LDFLAGS += -ldl -lm $(PKGCFG_L) -ljabber
+
+
+### directories
+#
+PURPLE_HOME_PLUGIN_DIR=$(HOME)/.purple/plugins
+PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR = $(shell $(PKG_CONFIG) --variable=plugindir purple)
 
 LDIR=./lib
 BDIR=./build
@@ -22,40 +56,51 @@ AX_PATH=$(AX_DIR)/build/src/libaxolotl-c.a
 
 FILES=$(LOMEMO_PATH) $(AXC_PATH) $(AX_PATH)
 
-HEADERS=-I$(HDIR)/jabber -I$(LOMEMO_SRC) -I$(AXC_SRC) -I$(AX_DIR)/src
-
-PKGCFG_C=$(shell pkg-config --cflags glib-2.0 purple)  $(shell xml2-config --cflags)
-PKGCFG_L=$(shell pkg-config --libs purple glib-2.0 sqlite3 mxml) $(shell xml2-config --libs) -L$(shell pkg-config --variable=plugindir purple) $(shell libgcrypt-config --libs)
-
-CFLAGS=-std=c11 -Wall -g -Wstrict-overflow -D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700 -D_BSD_SOURCE $(PKGCFG_C) $(HEADERS)
-LFLAGS= -ldl -lm $(PKGCFG_L) -ljabber
-
 
+### make rules
+#
 all: $(BDIR)/lurch.so
 
 $(BDIR):
-	mkdir -p build
-	
+	$(MKDIR_P) build
+
 $(AX_PATH):
-	cd $(AXC_DIR)/lib/libaxolotl-c/ && mkdir -p build && cd build && cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug .. && make
-	
+	cd $(AXC_DIR)/lib/libaxolotl-c/ && \
+	   $(MKDIR_P) build && \
+	   cd build && \
+	   $(CMAKE) $(CMAKE_FLAGS) .. \
+	   && $(MAKE)
+
 $(AXC_PATH):
-	cd $(AXC_DIR) && make build/libaxc-nt.a
-	
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(AXC_DIR)" build/libaxc-nt.a
+
 $(LOMEMO_PATH):
-	cd $(LOMEMO_DIR) && make build/libomemo-conversations.a
-	
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(LOMEMO_DIR)" build/libomemo-conversations.a
+
 $(BDIR)/lurch.so: $(SDIR)/lurch.c $(AX_PATH) $(AXC_PATH) $(LOMEMO_PATH) $(BDIR)
-	gcc $(CFLAGS) -fPIC -c $(SDIR)/lurch.c -o $(BDIR)/lurch.o
-	gcc -fPIC -shared $(CFLAGS) $(BDIR)/lurch.o $(FILES) -o $@ $(LFLAGS)
-	
+	$(CC) -fPIC $(CFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) \
+		-c "$(SDIR)/lurch.c" \
+		-o "$(BDIR)/lurch.o"
+	$(CC) -fPIC -shared $(CFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) \
+		"$(BDIR)/lurch.o" $(FILES) \
+		-o $@ $(LDFLAGS)
+
 install: $(BDIR)/lurch.so
-	mkdir -p $(PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR)
-	cp $(BDIR)/lurch.so $(PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR)/lurch.so
+	[ -e "$(DESTDIR)/$(PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR)" ] || \
+		$(INSTALL_DIR) "$(DESTDIR)/$(PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR)"
+	$(INSTALL_LIB) "$(BDIR)/lurch.so" "$(DESTDIR)/$(PURPLE_PLUGIN_DIR)/lurch.so"
+
+install-home: $(BDIR)/lurch.so
+	[ -e "$(PURPLE_HOME_PLUGIN_DIR)" ] || \
+		$(INSTALL_DIR) "$(PURPLE_HOME_PLUGIN_DIR)"
+	$(INSTALL_LIB) "$(BDIR)/lurch.so" "$(PURPLE_HOME_PLUGIN_DIR)/lurch.so"
 
-.PHONY: clean
 clean:
-	rm -rf $(LOMEMO_BUILD)
-	rm -rf $(AXC_BUILD)
-	rm -rf $(AX_DIR)/build
-	rm -rf $(BDIR)
+	$(RM_RF) "$(BDIR)"
+
+clean-all: clean
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(LOMEMO_DIR)" clean
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(AXC_DIR)" clean
+
+.PHONY: clean clean-all install install-home
+