diff --git a/src/file_writing/compile_commands.rs b/src/file_writing/compile_commands.rs
index e69de29..3c5e979 100644
--- a/src/file_writing/compile_commands.rs
+++ b/src/file_writing/compile_commands.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+use std::path::Path;
+
+use crate::parsed_config_processing::*;
+
+use super::*;
+
+pub fn gen_compile_commands(
+    name: &str,
+    target: &Target,
+    config: &ConfigTable,
+) -> Result<String, ContentGenerationError> {
+    let mut ret = "[\n".to_string();
+
+    let compiler_flags = target.compiler_flags.join(" ");
+
+    let pwd = Path::new(".");
+    let pwd = pwd.canonicalize().unwrap();
+    let pwd = pwd.to_str().unwrap();
+
+    if target.sources.len() == 0 {
+        return Err(ContentGenerationError {
+            message: format!(
+                "compile_commands_target is set to `{0}`, however `{0}` has no sources.",
+                name
+            ),
+        });
+    }
+
+    for (i, source) in target.sources.iter().enumerate() {
+        let new_file = source.replace("/", "-");
+        let obj_name = format!("{}/{}/obj/{}.o", config.build_dir, name, new_file);
+
+        ret.push_str(&format!(
+            "  {{
+    \"directory\": \"{0}\",
+    \"command\": \"{1} {2} -o {3} -c {4}\",
+    \"file\": \"{4}\"
+  }}",
+            pwd, target.compiler, compiler_flags, obj_name, source
+        ));
+        if i != target.sources.len() - 1 {
+            ret.push(',');
+        }
+        ret.push('\n');
+    }
+
+    ret.push_str("]\n");
+
+    Ok(ret)
+}
diff --git a/src/file_writing/content_generation_error.rs b/src/file_writing/content_generation_error.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e55f34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/file_writing/content_generation_error.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+use std::fmt::Display;
+
+pub struct ContentGenerationError {
+    pub message: String,
+}
+
+impl Display for ContentGenerationError {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "content generation error: {}", self.message)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/file_writing/mod.rs b/src/file_writing/mod.rs
index 9ad1f1a..f306caa 100644
--- a/src/file_writing/mod.rs
+++ b/src/file_writing/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 pub mod compile_commands;
+pub mod content_generation_error;
 pub mod ninja_file;
 
 pub use compile_commands::*;
+pub use content_generation_error::*;
 pub use ninja_file::*;
diff --git a/src/file_writing/ninja_file.rs b/src/file_writing/ninja_file.rs
index 55a16be..984958b 100644
--- a/src/file_writing/ninja_file.rs
+++ b/src/file_writing/ninja_file.rs
@@ -1,18 +1,7 @@
-use std::fmt::Display;
-
+use super::*;
 use crate::parsed_config_processing::*;
 use crate::Args;
 
-pub struct ContentGenerationError {
-    pub message: String,
-}
-
-impl Display for ContentGenerationError {
-    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
-        write!(f, "content generation error: {}", self.message)
-    }
-}
-
 pub fn gen_ninja_header(config: &ConfigTable, cmdline_args: &Args) -> String {
     let mut ret = "".to_string();
     ret.push_str(&format!(
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 7cee5b4..f199109 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ use core::panic;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::fs::{read_to_string, OpenOptions};
 use std::io::{BufWriter, Write};
+use std::process::exit;
 
 mod ngen_toml;
 use ngen_toml::*;
@@ -36,26 +37,20 @@ fn main() {
     let toml_config: NgenToml = toml::from_str(&config_file)
         .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("error parsing config file `{}`: {e}", args.config_file));
 
-    let config_table: ConfigTable;
-    match &toml_config.config {
-        Some(v) => {
-            config_table = ConfigTable::from_parsed_config(&v).unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{e}"))
-        }
-        None => config_table = ConfigTable::get_default(),
-    }
+    let config_table: ConfigTable = match &toml_config.config {
+        Some(v) => ConfigTable::from_parsed_config(&v).unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{e}")),
+        None => ConfigTable::get_default(),
+    };
 
-    let all_parsed_targets: &HashMap<String, ParsedTarget>;
-    match &toml_config.targets {
-        Some(v) => {
-            all_parsed_targets = v;
-        }
+    let all_parsed_targets: &HashMap<String, ParsedTarget> = match &toml_config.targets {
+        Some(v) => v,
         None => panic!(
             "{}",
             ConfigurationError {
                 message: "no targets found, nothing to do. Exiting".to_string()
             }
         ),
-    }
+    };
 
     let mut sources_found = false;
     for target in all_parsed_targets.values() {
@@ -92,6 +87,44 @@ fn main() {
             Err(e) => panic!("{e}"),
         }
     }
+
+    if let Some(filename) = &args.write_compile_commands {
+        let target = match targets.get(config_table.compile_commands_target) {
+            Some(v) => v,
+            None => panic!(
+                "{}",
+                ContentGenerationError {
+                    message: format!(
+                        "compile_commands_target is set to `{0}`, however target `{0}` does not exist.",
+                        config_table.compile_commands_target
+                    )
+                }
+            ),
+        };
+        let compile_commands = match gen_compile_commands(
+            config_table.compile_commands_target,
+            &target,
+            &config_table,
+        ) {
+            Ok(v) => v,
+            Err(e) => panic!("{e}"),
+        };
+        let mut comp_cmds_file = OpenOptions::new()
+            .write(true)
+            .truncate(true)
+            .create(true)
+            .open(&filename)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("error opening compile commands file `{}`: {e}", filename));
+        comp_cmds_file
+            .write_all(&compile_commands.as_bytes())
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+                panic!("error writing to compile commands file `{}`: {e}", filename)
+            });
+
+        // no need to generate the ninja file
+        exit(0);
+    }
+
     let ninjafile = OpenOptions::new()
         .write(true)
         .truncate(true)