diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..566c245
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+toolchain/
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7febc5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Check that the build environment is setup
+# Idea taken from https://github.com/klange/toaruos
+ifeq ($(MITTOS64),)
+  $(error Build environment is not activated. Please source activate)
+endif
+
+.PHONY: all
+
+all:
+
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ad6af18..054ecea 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,3 +2,20 @@ MITTOS64
 ========
 
 By Thomas Lovén - 2016
+
+For development, start by sourcing `activate.sh`
+
+    source ./activate.sh
+
+Running `make` will automatically download and compile a cross compiler
+toolchain and the grub bootloader.
+
+It will also download and build objconv, which is required for building grub
+under OSX. This will probably fail if you're not on a mac.
+
+Building the cross compiler requires a c compiler as well as gmp, mpfr and mpc.
+The c compiler installed by xcode command line tools will do. It's installed
+automatically if you install homebrew. The rest of the packages can be
+installed with homebrew. You'll also want homebrews ctags.
+
+    homebrew install gmp mpfr libmpc ctags
diff --git a/activate b/activate
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..989ee69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/activate
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# This file should be sourced before building mittos64:
+# $ source ./activate
+
+export MITTOS64=mittos64
+. util/helpers.sh
+
+export BUILDROOT=`pwd`
+export TOOLCHAIN=${BUILDROOT}/toolchain
+export PATH=${TOOLCHAIN}/bin:${PATH}
+export TARGET=x86_64-elf
+
+# shortcuts for some useful tools
+alias dbg="x86_64-elf-linux-gdb"
+alias objd="${TARGET}-objdump"
+function decomp()
+{
+  ${TARGET}-objdump -S $1 | vim - -R
+}
+
+export PS1="(mittos64)${PS1}"
+
+util/build_toolchain.sh -c || util/build_toolchain.sh
diff --git a/util/build_toolchain.sh b/util/build_toolchain.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d2096f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/build_toolchain.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+. util/toolchain_helpers.sh
+
+bindir=${TOOLCHAIN}/bin
+
+packages=(binutils gcc gdb)
+if [[ `uname` == 'Darwin' ]]; then
+  packages=("${packages[@]}" objconv)
+fi
+packages=("${packages[@]}" grub)
+
+# Binutils 2.26
+# Build with --with-sysroot for use in the future
+binutils_checkfile=${bindir}/${TARGET}-ld
+binutils_filename=binutils-2.26
+binutils_url=ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils/${binutils_filename}.tar.gz
+binutils_config="--target=${TARGET} \
+  --with-sysroot \
+  --disable-nls \
+  --disable-werror"
+
+# GCC 6.1.0
+# Build with --without-headers for now - this will be replaced later
+gcc_checkfile=${bindir}/${TARGET}-gcc
+gcc_filename=gcc-6.1.0
+gcc_url=ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gcc/${gcc_filename}/${gcc_filename}.tar.gz
+gcc_config="--target=${TARGET} \
+      --disable-nls \
+      --enable-languages=c,c++ \
+      --without-headers"
+gcc_make="all-gcc all-target-libgcc"
+gcc_install="install-gcc install-target-libgcc"
+
+# GDB 7.12
+gdb_checkfile=${bindir}/x86_64-elf-linux-gdb
+gdb_filename=gdb-7.12
+gdb_url=ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gdb/${gdb_filename}.tar.gz
+gdb_config="--target=x86_64-elf-linux \
+      --disable-debug \
+      --disable-dependency-tracking \
+      --with-python=/usr"
+
+# objconv
+# This is required for building grub on OSX
+objconv_checkfile=${bindir}/objconv
+objconv_filename=objconv
+objconv_url=git://github.com/vertis/objconv.git
+function objconv_install() {
+  # Download and build objconv
+  local package=objconv
+
+  pushd ${STASH}/${package} >/dev/null
+
+    echo "Compiling"
+    g++ -o ${TOOLCHAIN}/bin/objconv -O2 src/*.cpp \
+      >/dev/null 2>>"${STASH}/error-${package}.log" || fail
+  popd >/dev/null
+}
+
+# GRUB
+# The target x86_64-elf is close enough to what we want
+# Make sure to use the right target compiler chains
+grub_checkfile=${bindir}/grub-mkimage
+grub_filename=grub
+grub_url=git://git.savannah.gnu.org/grub.git
+grub_config="--target=x86_64-elf \
+      --disable-werror \
+      TARGET_CC=${TARGET}-gcc \
+      TARGET_OBJCOPY=${TARGET}-objcopy \
+      TARGET_STRIP=${TARGET}-strip \
+      TARGET_NM=${TARGET}-nm \
+      TARGET_RANLIB=${TARGET}-ranlib"
+grub_patchcmd="autogen.sh"
+
+function checkall() {
+  for package in "${packages[@]}"
+  do
+    check ${package} || return 1
+  done
+  return 0
+}
+
+function main() {
+  # If called with -c the script will check if a rebuild is necessary
+  while getopts "c" OPTION
+  do
+    case ${OPTION} in
+      c)
+        checkall
+        exit $?
+        ;;
+    esac
+  done
+
+  print_info "Preparing toolchain"
+
+  mkdir -p "${STASH}"
+
+  PATH=${TOOLCHAIN}/bin:${PATH}
+  for package in "${packages[@]}"
+  do
+    build_package ${package} || return 1
+  done
+}
+
+main "${@}"
diff --git a/util/helpers.sh b/util/helpers.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6cefbb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/helpers.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+
+function print_info() {
+  echo -e "[\\033[36mINFO\\033[0m] $@"
+}
+function print_ok() {
+  echo -e "[\\033[32mOK\\033[0m] $@"
+}
+function print_warning() {
+  echo -e "[\\033[33mWARNING\\033[0m] $@"
+}
+function print_error() {
+  echo -e "[\\033[31mERROR\\033[0m] $@"
+}
+function die() {
+  print_error $@
+  exit 1
+}
+
+function check_toolchain() {
+  if [[ -z ${MITTOS64+x} ]]; then
+    die "TOOLCHAIN is not set. Please source activate"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+check_toolchain
+
+if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "${0}" ]]; then
+  # Test output functions
+  print_info "This is an information message"
+  print_ok "This is OK"
+  print_warning "Be careful"
+  print_error "Something bad happened"
+fi
diff --git a/util/toolchain_helpers.sh b/util/toolchain_helpers.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..773a176
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/toolchain_helpers.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+. util/helpers.sh
+
+# check_toolchain
+
+readonly STASH=${TOOLCHAIN}/stash
+readonly PREFIX=${TOOLCHAIN}
+
+function fail() {
+  print_error "Something went wrong"
+  print_info "You may be able to find some information about what in ${STASH}/error-PACKAGE"
+  die "Building toolchain failed"
+}
+
+function download() {
+  # download url
+  # Downloads the file at url unless cached
+  # Return true if a file was downloaded
+  local url=$1
+
+  pushd "${STASH}" >/dev/null
+    if [[ ${url} == git* ]]; then
+      local filename=$(basename "${url}" .git)
+      if [[ ! -d ${filename} ]]; then
+        echo "Cloning" "${filename}"
+        /usr/bin/env git clone --depth 1 "${url}" \
+          >/dev/null 2>&1 || fail
+        print_ok "Clone complete"
+        return 0
+      else
+        print_ok "Using cached ${filename}"
+        return 1
+      fi
+    else
+      local filename=$(basename "${url}")
+      if [[ ! -f ${filename} ]]; then
+        echo "Downloading" "${filename}"
+        /usr/bin/env curl -# -O "${url}" || fail
+        /usr/bin/env tar -xf "${filename}" || fail
+        print_ok "Download complete"
+        return 0
+      else
+        print_ok "Using cached" "${filename}"
+        return 1
+      fi
+    fi
+  popd >/dev/null
+}
+
+function check() {
+  # check package
+  # Check if a package is installed
+  # Returns true if installed
+  local package=$1
+  local file=${package}_checkfile
+  if [[ -f ${!file} ]]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  return 1
+}
+
+function config_make_install() {
+  local package=$1
+  local filename=${package}_filename
+  local config=${package}_config
+  local make=${package}_make
+  local install=${package}_install
+
+  mkdir -p "${STASH}/build-${package}"
+  pushd "${STASH}/build-${package}" >/dev/null || fail
+    rm -rf ./*
+
+    echo "Configuring"
+    ../${!filename}/configure \
+      --prefix=${PREFIX} \
+      ${!config-} \
+      >/dev/null 2>>"${STASH}/error-${package}.log" || fail
+
+    echo "Building"
+    make --jobs=100 ${!make-all} \
+      >/dev/null 2>>"${STASH}/error-${package}.log" || fail
+
+    echo "Installing"
+    make ${!install-install} \
+      >/dev/null 2>>"${STASH}/error-${package}.log" || fail
+  popd >/dev/null
+}
+
+function build_package() {
+  local package=$1
+  local filename=${package}_filename
+  local url=${package}_url
+  local patch=${package}_patchcmd
+
+  if check ${package}; then
+    print_ok "Package ${package} already built"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  print_info "Building ${package}"
+
+  echo "Downloading"
+  if download ${!url}; then
+    pushd "${STASH}/${!filename}" >/dev/null || fail
+    echo "Applying patches / preparing to build"
+      eval ${!patch}
+    popd >/dev/null
+  fi
+
+  echo "Building and installing"
+  if type -t "${package}_install" >/dev/null; then
+    eval "${package}_install"
+  else
+    config_make_install ${package}
+  fi
+
+  print_ok "Build complete"
+
+}