diff --git a/src/Makefile b/src/Makefile
index 9c6eab4f8..2a0d74d82 100644
--- a/src/Makefile
+++ b/src/Makefile
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ INSTALL_BIN=$(PREFIX)/bin
 INSTALL=install
 PKG_CONFIG?=pkg-config
 
+ifndef PYTHON
+PYTHON := $(shell which python3 || which python)
+endif
+
 # Default allocator defaults to Jemalloc if it's not an ARM
 MALLOC=libc
 ifneq ($(uname_M),armv6l)
@@ -305,6 +309,7 @@ ENDCOLOR="\033[0m"
 
 ifndef V
 QUIET_CC = @printf '    %b %b\n' $(CCCOLOR)CC$(ENDCOLOR) $(SRCCOLOR)$@$(ENDCOLOR) 1>&2;
+QUIET_GEN = @printf '    %b %b\n' $(CCCOLOR)GEN$(ENDCOLOR) $(SRCCOLOR)$@$(ENDCOLOR) 1>&2;
 QUIET_LINK = @printf '    %b %b\n' $(LINKCOLOR)LINK$(ENDCOLOR) $(BINCOLOR)$@$(ENDCOLOR) 1>&2;
 QUIET_INSTALL = @printf '    %b %b\n' $(LINKCOLOR)INSTALL$(ENDCOLOR) $(BINCOLOR)$@$(ENDCOLOR) 1>&2;
 endif
@@ -396,6 +401,13 @@ DEP = $(REDIS_SERVER_OBJ:%.o=%.d) $(REDIS_CLI_OBJ:%.o=%.d) $(REDIS_BENCHMARK_OBJ
 %.o: %.c .make-prerequisites
 	$(REDIS_CC) -MMD -o $@ -c $<
 
+# The file commands.c is checked in and doesn't normally need to be rebuilt. It
+# is built only if python is available and its prereqs are modified.
+ifneq (,$(PYTHON))
+commands.c: commands/*.json ../utils/generate-command-code.py
+	$(QUIET_GEN)$(PYTHON) ../utils/generate-command-code.py
+endif
+
 clean:
 	rm -rf $(REDIS_SERVER_NAME) $(REDIS_SENTINEL_NAME) $(REDIS_CLI_NAME) $(REDIS_BENCHMARK_NAME) $(REDIS_CHECK_RDB_NAME) $(REDIS_CHECK_AOF_NAME) *.o *.gcda *.gcno *.gcov redis.info lcov-html Makefile.dep
 	rm -f $(DEP)