diff --git a/make/projects-dir-include.mk b/make/projects-dir-include.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4c3f3043
--- /dev/null
+++ b/make/projects-dir-include.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+all:
+
+include $(JWBDIR)/make/projects-dir.mk
diff --git a/make/projects-dir-minimal.mk b/make/projects-dir-minimal.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..97fa7a8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/make/projects-dir-minimal.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.0-only
+#
+# Makefile for managing multiple software repositories in one tree
+#
+# (C) Copyright 2001-2025, Jan Lindemann <jan@janware.com>
+#
+# This is the top-level Makefile for a janware software build tree. It is
+# provided under the terms of the GNU Lesser Public License, Version 2.
+#
+# Some of its targets download software from janware GmbH servers. For those,
+# you will need a janware.com user account. Ask admin@janware.com if you want
+# one, then define the JANWARE_USER = <janware user name> environment variable.
+#
+# Current documentation on how this Makefile is meant to be used can be found
+# under https://janware.com/wiki/pub/en/sw/build/. Running "make help" might
+# take you there semi-automatically.
+#
+
+PROJECTS_MAKEFILE_NAME      := $(word $(words $(MAKEFILE_LIST)),$(MAKEFILE_LIST))
+JWBDIR_GIT_REMOTE           ?= ssh://$(JANWARE_USER)@git.janware.com/srv/git/jan/proj/jw-build
+JWBDIR                      ?= $(notdir $(JWBDIR_GIT_REMOTE))
+PROJECTS_DIR_INCLUDE_MK      = $(JWBDIR)/make/projects-dir-include.mk
+
+ifndef JANWARE_USER
+  JANWARE_USER               = $(shell id -un)
+  $(warning Assuming JANWARE_USER=$(JANWARE_USER) from id -un)
+  $(warning Explicitly set environment variable JANWARE_USER to turn off this warning!)
+endif
+
+-include local.mk
+
+all:
+
+include $(PROJECTS_DIR_INCLUDE_MK)
+
+$(PROJECTS_DIR_INCLUDE_MK):
+	git clone --branch jw-dev $(JWBDIR_GIT_REMOTE) $(JWBDIR)
+	[ -L $(PROJECTS_MAKEFILE_NAME) ] || \
+		ln -sf `find $(JWBDIR) -type f -print0 | xargs -0 grep -l some-random-string-to-id-this-makefile` \
+			$(PROJECTS_MAKEFILE_NAME)