diff --git a/doc/Makefile b/doc/Makefile
index 4fee45382..e7f51b357 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile
+++ b/doc/Makefile
@@ -1,56 +1,49 @@
-.PHONY: abstract synopsis
+.PHONY: abstract synopsis index status
 
-all: exx synopsis
+all: synopsis
 
 GF_alltenses=$(GF_LIB_PATH)/alltenses
+GF=gf
+GFDOC=gfdoc
 
 index:
 	txt2tags -thtml index.txt
 status:
 	txt2tags -thtml status.txt
-synopsis:
-	runghc MkSynopsis.hs
+
+synopsis: synopsis.html
+
+S=../src
+
+# List of languages extracted from MkSynopsis.hs
+LANGS=Afr Bul Cat Chi Dan Dut Eng Est Eus Fin Fre Ger Gre Hin Ice Ita Jpn Lav Mlt Mon Nep Nor Nno Pes Pnb Pol Ron Rus Snd Spa Swe Tha Urd
+
+# This list was constructed by observing what files MkSynopsis.hs reads
+SRC_FILES=$S/abstract/Common.gf $S/abstract/Cat.gf $S/api/Constructors.gf $S/abstract/Structural.gf $(patsubst %,$S/*/Paradigms%.gf,$(LANGS))
+
+EXAMPLES_OUT=$(patsubst %,api-examples-%.txt,$(LANGS))
+
+synopsis.html: $(EXAMPLES_OUT) $(SRC_FILES)
+	runghc MkSynopsis.hs >out
 
 categories-imagemap.html: categories.dot
 	dot -Tcmapx $^ > $@
 
 abstract:
-	gfdoc -txthtml ../src/abstract/*.gf
-	mv ../src/abstract/*.html abstract
+	$(GFDOC) -txthtml $S/abstract/*.gf
+	mv $S/abstract/*.html abstract
 
-exx-script:
-	runghc MkExx.hs <api-examples.txt >api-examples.gfs
-exx: exx-script
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryAfr.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Afr.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryBul.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Bul.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryCat.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Cat.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryChi.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Chi.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryDan.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Dan.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryDut.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Dut.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryEng.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Eng.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryEst.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Est.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryEus.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Eus.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryFin.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Fin.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryFre.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Fre.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryGer.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Ger.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryGre.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Gre.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryHin.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Hin.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryIce.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Ice.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryIta.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Ita.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryJpn.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Jpn.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryLav.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Lav.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryMlt.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Mlt.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryMon.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Mon.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryNep.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Nep.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryNor.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Nor.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryNno.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Nno.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryPes.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Pes.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryPnb.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Pnb.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryPol.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Pol.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryRon.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Ron.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryRus.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Rus.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TrySnd.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Snd.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TrySpa.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Spa.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TrySwe.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Swe.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryTha.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Tha.txt
-	gf -retain -s $(GF_alltenses)/TryUrd.gfo <api-examples.gfs >api-examples-Urd.txt
+
+api-examples.gfs: api-examples.txt
+	runghc MkExx.hs < $< > $@
+
+
+# Since .gfo files aren't self-contained, the dependencies given here are
+# incomplete. But I am thinking that the Try%.gfo file will always be newer
+# than any other files it depends on, so the rule will trigger when
+# needed anyway. //TH 2018-10-22
+api-examples-%.txt: $(GF_alltenses)/Try%.gfo api-examples.gfs
+	GF_LIB_PATH=$(GF_LIB_PATH) $(GF) -retain -s $< <api-examples.gfs >$@
+
+clean:
+	rm -rf out synopsis.txt api-examples.gfs $(EXAMPLES_OUT)
diff --git a/doc/MkExxTable.hs b/doc/MkExxTable.hs
index a7b8a47ca..7fff127af 100644
--- a/doc/MkExxTable.hs
+++ b/doc/MkExxTable.hs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 module MkExxTable (getApiExx, ApiExx, prApiEx, mkEx) where
 
-import System.Cmd
-import System.Environment
+--import System.Cmd
+import System.Environment(getArgs)
 import qualified Data.Map as M
 import Data.Char
 
diff --git a/doc/MkSynopsis.hs b/doc/MkSynopsis.hs
index 709de13d9..859ac0678 100644
--- a/doc/MkSynopsis.hs
+++ b/doc/MkSynopsis.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import MkExxTable
-import System.Cmd
-import System.Environment
+import System.Process(system)
+import System.Environment(getArgs)
 import Data.Char
 import Data.List
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as BS
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ synopsis = "synopsis.txt"
 -- the language in which revealed examples are shown
 revealedLang = "Eng"
 
--- all languages shown
+-- all languages shown (a copy of this list appears in Makefile)
 apiExxFiles = ["api-examples-" ++ lang ++ ".txt" | lang <- words
 --   "Eng Chi"
   "Afr Bul Cat Chi Dan Dut Eng Est Eus Fin Fre Ger Gre Hin Ice Ita Jpn Lav Mlt Mon Nep Nor Nno Pes Pnb Pol Ron Rus Snd Spa Swe Tha Urd"