diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 27db635..63700fb 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -21,14 +21,20 @@ agent: ## Build and run the agent
 	cd aggregator-agent && go mod tidy && go run cmd/agent/main.go
 
 build-server: ## Build server binary
-	cd aggregator-server && go build -o bin/aggregator-server cmd/server/main.go
+	cd aggregator-server && go mod tidy && go build -o bin/aggregator-server cmd/server/main.go
 
 build-agent: ## Build agent binary
-	cd aggregator-agent && go build -o bin/aggregator-agent cmd/agent/main.go
+	cd aggregator-agent && go mod tidy && go build -o bin/aggregator-agent cmd/agent/main.go
 
 clean: ## Clean build artifacts
 	rm -rf aggregator-server/bin aggregator-agent/bin
 
+build-all: ## Build with go mod tidy for fresh clones
+	@echo "Building all components with dependency cleanup..."
+	cd aggregator-server && go mod tidy && go build -o redflag-server cmd/server/main.go
+	cd aggregator-agent && go mod tidy && go build -o redflag-agent cmd/agent/main.go
+	@echo "Build complete!"
+
 test: ## Run tests
 	cd aggregator-server && go test ./...
 	cd aggregator-agent && go test ./...
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 509d57a..970f3b8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -82,8 +82,14 @@ A self-hosted, cross-platform update management platform built for homelabs and
 ```bash
 # Clone and build
 git clone https://github.com/Fimeg/RedFlag.git
-cd RedFlag/aggregator-server
-go build -o redflag-server cmd/server/main.go
+cd RedFlag
+
+# Option 1: Use Makefile (recommended)
+make build-all
+
+# Option 2: Manual build
+cd aggregator-server && go mod tidy && go build -o redflag-server cmd/server/main.go
+cd ../aggregator-agent && go mod tidy && go build -o redflag-agent cmd/agent/main.go
 
 # Interactive setup wizard
 sudo ./redflag-server --setup
diff --git a/TEST-CLONE.md b/TEST-CLONE.md
index 235af53..dc52dfe 100644
--- a/TEST-CLONE.md
+++ b/TEST-CLONE.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ git clone https://github.com/Fimeg/RedFlag.git
 cd RedFlag
 
 # Build components (requires Go)
-make build
+make build-all
 
 # Start database
 docker-compose up -d postgres