diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 56812d77b..3b0ba330d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ BOOTSTRAP_TARGETS	:= $(sort $(COMMON_TARGETS) $(CLEAN_TARGETS) $(INSTALL_TARGETS
 CLEAN_TARGETS		:= $(addsuffix -clean,$(CLEAN_TARGETS))
 INSTALL_TARGETS		:= $(addsuffix -install,$(INSTALL_TARGETS))
 MAKE_TARGETS		:= $(addsuffix -all,$(filter-out lib,$(COMMON_TARGETS)))
+CHECK_TARGETS		:= $(addsuffix -check,testcases lib)
 
 # There's no reason why we should run `all' twice. Otherwise we're just wasting
 # 3+ mins of useful CPU cycles on a modern machine, and even more time on an
@@ -108,6 +109,10 @@ $(MAKE_TARGETS) include-all lib-all libs-all:
 	$(MAKE) -C "$(subst -all,,$@)" \
 		-f "$(abs_top_srcdir)/$(subst -all,,$@)/Makefile" all
 
+$(CHECK_TARGETS): tools-all
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(subst -check,,$@)" \
+		-f "$(abs_top_srcdir)/$(subst -check,,$@)/Makefile" check
+
 # Let's not conflict with ac-clean, maintainer-clean, etc, so.
 $(filter-out include-clean,$(CLEAN_TARGETS))::
 	-$(MAKE) -C "$(subst -clean,,$@)" \
@@ -189,6 +194,9 @@ INSTALL_TARGETS		+= $(addprefix $(DESTDIR)/$(bindir)/,$(BINDIR_INSTALL_SCRIPTS))
 
 $(INSTALL_TARGETS): $(INSTALL_DIR) $(DESTDIR)/$(bindir)
 
+.PHONY: check
+check: $(CHECK_TARGETS)
+
 ## Install
 install: $(INSTALL_TARGETS)
 
diff --git a/include/mk/env_post.mk b/include/mk/env_post.mk
index 1d22f9c53..7f4948037 100644
--- a/include/mk/env_post.mk
+++ b/include/mk/env_post.mk
@@ -89,6 +89,14 @@ $(error You must define $$(prefix) before executing install)
 endif # END $(filter-out install,$(MAKECMDGOALS)),$(MAKECMDGOALS)
 endif
 
+CHECK_TARGETS			?= $(addprefix check-,$(notdir $(patsubst %.c,%,$(sort $(wildcard $(abs_srcdir)/*.c)))))
+CHECK_TARGETS			:= $(filter-out $(addprefix check-, $(FILTER_OUT_MAKE_TARGETS)), $(CHECK_TARGETS))
+CHECK				?= $(abs_top_srcdir)/tools/sparse/main
+
+ifeq ($(CHECK),$(abs_top_srcdir)/tools/sparse/main)
+CHECK_DEPS			+= $(CHECK)
+endif
+
 include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/rules.mk
 
 endif
diff --git a/include/mk/generic_leaf_target.inc b/include/mk/generic_leaf_target.inc
index 64953f89a..aa092a5a3 100644
--- a/include/mk/generic_leaf_target.inc
+++ b/include/mk/generic_leaf_target.inc
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
 # INSTALL_DIR			:= $(libdir)
 #
 
-.PHONY: all clean install
+.PHONY: all clean install check
 
 ifneq ($(strip $(MAKE_TARGETS)),)
 $(MAKE_TARGETS) += $(HOST_MAKE_TARGETS)
@@ -109,4 +109,7 @@ $(INSTALL_FILES): | $(INSTALL_DEPS)
 
 install: $(INSTALL_FILES)
 
+$(CHECK_TARGETS): | $(CHECK_DEPS)
+check: $(CHECK_TARGETS)
+
 # vim: syntax=make
diff --git a/include/mk/generic_trunk_target.inc b/include/mk/generic_trunk_target.inc
index fc59f944f..32a108fbf 100644
--- a/include/mk/generic_trunk_target.inc
+++ b/include/mk/generic_trunk_target.inc
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 
 include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/functions.mk
 
-RECURSIVE_TARGETS		?= all install
+RECURSIVE_TARGETS		?= all install check
 
 $(eval $(get_make_dirs))
 
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ $(INSTALL_FILES): | $(INSTALL_DEPS)
 
 trunk-install: $(INSTALL_FILES)
 
+$(CHECK_TARGETS): | $(CHECK_DEPS)
+trunk-check: $(CHECK_TARGETS)
+
 # Avoid creating duplicate .PHONY references to all, clean, and install. IIRC,
 # I've seen some indeterministic behavior when one does this in the past with
 # GNU Make...
@@ -108,4 +111,6 @@ else
 endif
 endif
 
+check: trunk-check
+
 # vim: syntax=make
diff --git a/include/mk/lib.mk b/include/mk/lib.mk
index f9b6c0aff..3bf63bf9e 100644
--- a/include/mk/lib.mk
+++ b/include/mk/lib.mk
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 # Makefile to include for libraries.
 
 include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/env_pre.mk
+include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/sparse.mk
 
 INSTALL_DIR	:= $(libdir)
 
@@ -57,6 +58,8 @@ LIBSRCS		:= $(filter-out $(FILTER_OUT_LIBSRCS),$(LIBSRCS))
 
 LIBOBJS		:= $(LIBSRCS:.c=.o)
 
+CHECK_TARGETS	:= $(addprefix check-,$(notdir $(LIBSRCS:.c=)))
+
 $(LIB): $(notdir $(LIBOBJS))
 	@if [ -z "$(strip $^)" ] ; then \
 		echo "Cowardly refusing to create empty archive"; \
diff --git a/include/mk/module.mk b/include/mk/module.mk
index 6c8814b96..3bb7350f1 100644
--- a/include/mk/module.mk
+++ b/include/mk/module.mk
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ endif
 
 CLEAN_TARGETS += .dep_modules *.mod built-in.a
 
+CHECK_TARGETS := $(filter-out %.ko, $(CHECK_TARGETS))
+
 MODULE_SOURCES := $(patsubst %.ko,%.c,$(filter %.ko, $(MAKE_TARGETS)))
 
 # Ignoring the exit status of commands is done to be forward compatible with
diff --git a/include/mk/rules.mk b/include/mk/rules.mk
index c8f4bbbbe..2a04b2b67 100644
--- a/include/mk/rules.mk
+++ b/include/mk/rules.mk
@@ -37,3 +37,12 @@ else
 	@$(CC) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) $^ $(LTPLDLIBS) $(LDLIBS) -o $@
 	@echo CC $(target_rel_dir)$@
 endif
+
+.PHONY: $(CHECK_TARGETS)
+$(CHECK_TARGETS): check-%: %.c
+ifdef VERBOSE
+	$(CHECK) $(CHECK_FLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $<
+else
+	@$(CHECK) $(CHECK_FLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $<
+	@echo CHECK $(target_rel_dir)$<
+endif
diff --git a/include/mk/sparse.mk b/include/mk/sparse.mk
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..66711d107
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/mk/sparse.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Rules to make sparse tool(s) for inclusion in lib and testcases Makefiles
+
+SPARSE_DIR:= $(abs_top_builddir)/tools/sparse
+
+$(SPARSE_DIR)/main: $(SPARSE_DIR)
+	$(MAKE) -C "$^" all
+
+$(SPARSE_DIR): %:
+	mkdir -p "$@"
diff --git a/include/mk/testcases.mk b/include/mk/testcases.mk
index 1c81773d0..444020f16 100644
--- a/include/mk/testcases.mk
+++ b/include/mk/testcases.mk
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/env_pre.mk
 include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/functions.mk
+include $(top_srcdir)/include/mk/sparse.mk
 
 APICMDS_DIR	:= $(abs_top_builddir)/tools/apicmds
 
diff --git a/testcases/open_posix_testsuite/Makefile b/testcases/open_posix_testsuite/Makefile
index 205ecdc00..fea6db14b 100644
--- a/testcases/open_posix_testsuite/Makefile
+++ b/testcases/open_posix_testsuite/Makefile
@@ -104,3 +104,7 @@ $(CRITICAL_MAKEFILE): \
 	$(top_srcdir)/LDFLAGS			\
 	$(top_srcdir)/LDLIBS
 	@$(MAKE) generate-makefiles
+
+.PHONY: check
+check:
+	@echo "Checker not yet supported by Open POSIX testsuite"
