diff --git a/clang-tidy/meson.build b/clang-tidy/meson.build
deleted file mode 100644
index c59164a72..000000000
--- a/clang-tidy/meson.build
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-project('lix-clang-tidy', ['cpp', 'c'],
-  version : '0.1',
-  default_options : ['warning_level=3', 'cpp_std=c++20'])
-
-llvm = dependency('Clang', version: '>= 14', modules: ['libclang'])
-sources = files(
-  'HasPrefixSuffix.cc',
-  'LixClangTidyChecks.cc',
-  'FixIncludes.cc',
-)
-
-shared_module('lix-clang-tidy', sources,
-  dependencies: llvm)
diff --git a/doc/manual/rl-next/clang-tidy-sorta.md b/doc/manual/rl-next/clang-tidy-sorta.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5f3f84348
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manual/rl-next/clang-tidy-sorta.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+synopsis: "clang-tidy support"
+cls: 1697
+issues: fj#147
+credits: jade
+category: Development
+---
+
+`clang-tidy` can be used to lint Lix with a limited set of lints using `ninja -C build clang-tidy` and `ninja -C build clang-tidy-fix`.
+In practice, this fixes the built-in meson rule that was used the same as above being broken ever since precompiled headers were introduced.
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index a1fc947b7..14fdf4147 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -197,6 +197,8 @@
             busybox-sandbox-shell = final.busybox-sandbox-shell or final.default-busybox-sandbox-shell;
           };
 
+          lix-clang-tidy = final.callPackage ./subprojects/lix-clang-tidy { };
+
           # Export the patched version of boehmgc that Lix uses into the overlay
           # for consumers of this flake.
           boehmgc-nix = final.nix.passthru.boehmgc-nix;
@@ -384,6 +386,8 @@
         rec {
           inherit (nixpkgsFor.${system}.native) nix;
           default = nix;
+
+          inherit (nixpkgsFor.${system}.native) lix-clang-tidy;
         }
         // (
           lib.optionalAttrs (builtins.elem system linux64BitSystems) {
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index 6a93fa63f..1576c759d 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -25,3 +25,13 @@ install *OPTIONS: (build OPTIONS)
 # Run tests
 test *OPTIONS:
     meson test -C build --print-errorlogs {{ OPTIONS }}
+
+alias clang-tidy := lint
+
+lint:
+    ninja -C build clang-tidy
+
+alias clang-tidy-fix := lint-fix
+
+lint-fix:
+    ninja -C build clang-tidy-fix
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index ed50dff78..8577657d9 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -548,3 +548,5 @@ if enable_tests
   subdir('tests/unit')
   subdir('tests/functional')
 endif
+
+subdir('meson/clang-tidy')
diff --git a/meson.options b/meson.options
index fc2050809..679d88347 100644
--- a/meson.options
+++ b/meson.options
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # vim: filetype=meson
 
 option('enable-build', type : 'boolean', value : true,
-  description : 'Set to false to not actually build. Only really makes sense with -Dinternal-api-docs=true',
+  description : 'set to false to not actually build. Only really makes sense with -Dinternal-api-docs=true',
 )
 
 option('gc', type : 'feature',
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ option('tests-brief', type : 'boolean', value : false,
 )
 
 option('profile-build', type : 'feature', value: 'disabled',
-  description : 'whether to enable -ftime-trace in clang builds, allowing for speeding up the build.'
+  description : 'whether to enable -ftime-trace in clang builds, allowing for diagnosing the cause of build time.'
 )
 
 option('store-dir', type : 'string', value : '/nix/store',
@@ -68,3 +68,7 @@ option('profile-dir', type : 'string', value : 'etc/profile.d',
 option('enable-pch-std', type : 'boolean', value : true,
   description : 'whether to use precompiled headers for C++\'s standard library (breaks clangd if you\'re using GCC)',
 )
+
+option('lix-clang-tidy-checks-path', type : 'string', value : '',
+  description: 'path to lix-clang-tidy-checks library file, if providing it externally. Uses an internal one if this is not set',
+)
diff --git a/meson/clang-tidy/build_required_targets.py b/meson/clang-tidy/build_required_targets.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..5c0e9641e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meson/clang-tidy/build_required_targets.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+import subprocess
+
+def get_targets_of_rule(build_root: str, rule_name: str) -> list[str]:
+    return subprocess.check_output(['ninja', '-C', build_root, '-t', 'targets', 'rule', rule_name]).decode().strip().splitlines()
+
+def ninja_build(build_root: str, targets: list[str]):
+    subprocess.check_call(['ninja', '-C', build_root, '--', *targets])
+
+def main():
+    import argparse
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Builds required targets for clang-tidy')
+    ap.add_argument('build_root', help='Ninja build root', type=str)
+
+    args = ap.parse_args()
+
+    targets = [t for t in get_targets_of_rule(args.build_root, 'CUSTOM_COMMAND') if t.endswith('gen.hh')]
+    ninja_build(args.build_root, targets)
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()
diff --git a/meson/clang-tidy/clean_compdb.py b/meson/clang-tidy/clean_compdb.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..6736fe63a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meson/clang-tidy/clean_compdb.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# Deletes the PCH arguments from a compilation database, to workaround nixpkgs
+# stdenv having a cc-wrapper that is impossible to use for anything except cc
+# itself, for example, clang-tidy.
+
+import json
+import shlex
+
+
+def process_compdb(compdb: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
+
+    def munch_command(args: list[str]) -> list[str]:
+        out = []
+        eat_next = False
+        for i, arg in enumerate(args):
+            if arg == '-fpch-preprocess':
+                # as used with gcc
+                continue
+            elif arg == '-include-pch' or (arg == '-include' and args[i + 1] == 'precompiled-headers.hh'):
+                # -include-pch some-pch (clang), or -include some-pch (gcc)
+                eat_next = True
+                continue
+            if not eat_next:
+                out.append(arg)
+            eat_next = False
+        return out
+
+    def chomp(item: dict) -> dict:
+        item = item.copy()
+        item['command'] = shlex.join(munch_command(shlex.split(item['command'])))
+        return item
+
+    return [chomp(x) for x in compdb if not x['file'].endswith('precompiled-headers.hh')]
+
+
+def main():
+    import argparse
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description='Delete pch arguments from compilation database')
+    ap.add_argument('input',
+                    type=argparse.FileType('r'),
+                    help='Input json file')
+    ap.add_argument('output',
+                    type=argparse.FileType('w'),
+                    help='Output json file')
+    args = ap.parse_args()
+
+    input_json = json.load(args.input)
+    json.dump(process_compdb(input_json), args.output, indent=2)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()
diff --git a/meson/clang-tidy/fake.cc b/meson/clang-tidy/fake.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/meson/clang-tidy/meson.build b/meson/clang-tidy/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9aba5fbdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meson/clang-tidy/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+# The clang-tidy target for Lix
+
+run_clang_tidy = find_program('run-clang-tidy', required : false)
+# Although this looks like it wants to be pkg-config, pkg-config does not
+# really work for *plugins*, which are executable-like .so files that also
+# cannot be found via find_program. Fun!
+if get_option('lix-clang-tidy-checks-path') != ''
+  lix_clang_tidy_so = get_option('lix-clang-tidy-checks-path')
+  lix_clang_tidy_so_found = true
+else
+  lix_clang_tidy_subproj = subproject(
+    'lix-clang-tidy',
+    required : false,
+    default_options : {'build-by-default': false}
+  )
+  if lix_clang_tidy_subproj.found()
+    lix_clang_tidy_so = lix_clang_tidy_subproj.get_variable('lix_clang_tidy')
+    lix_clang_tidy_so_found = true
+  else
+    lix_clang_tidy_so_found = false
+  endif
+endif
+
+# Due to numerous problems, such as:
+# - Meson does not expose pch targets, but *fine*, I can just ask Ninja for
+#   them with `ninja -t targets rule cpp_PCH` and build them manually:
+#   https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/13499
+# - Nixpkgs stdenv buries the cc-wrapper under a giant pile of assumptions
+#   about the cc-wrapper actually being used on the cc of a stdenv, rather than
+#   independently for clang-tidy, and we need to use cc-wrapper to get the
+#   correct hardening flags so that clang-tidy can actually parse the PCH file
+#
+# I give up. I am going to delete the damn PCH args and then it will work.
+meson.add_postconf_script(
+  python,
+  meson.current_source_dir() / 'clean_compdb.py',
+  meson.global_build_root() / 'compile_commands.json',
+  meson.current_build_dir() / 'compile_commands.json',
+)
+
+# Horrible hack to get around not being able to depend on another target's
+# generated headers in any way in the meson DSL
+# https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/12817 which was incorrectly
+# closed, if you *actually* need to generate the files once.
+# Also related: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/3667
+#
+# Or we could ban meson generators because their design is broken.
+build_all_generated_headers = custom_target(
+  command : [
+    python,
+    meson.current_source_dir() / 'build_required_targets.py',
+    meson.global_build_root(),
+  ],
+  output : 'generated_headers.stamp',
+  build_by_default : false,
+  build_always_stale : true,
+)
+
+if lix_clang_tidy_so_found
+  run_clang_tidy_args = [
+    '-load',
+    lix_clang_tidy_so,
+    '-p',
+    # We have to workaround a run-clang-tidy bug too, so we must give the
+    # directory name rather than the actual compdb file.
+    # https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/issues/101440
+    meson.current_build_dir(),
+    '-quiet',
+  ]
+  run_target(
+    'clang-tidy',
+    command : [
+      # XXX: This explicitly invokes it with python because of a nixpkgs bug
+      # where clang-unwrapped does not patch interpreters in run-clang-tidy.
+      # However, making clang-unwrapped depend on python is also silly, so idk.
+      python,
+      run_clang_tidy,
+      run_clang_tidy_args,
+      '-warnings-as-errors',
+      '*',
+    ],
+    depends : [
+      build_all_generated_headers,
+    ],
+  )
+  run_target(
+    'clang-tidy-fix',
+    command : [
+      python,
+      run_clang_tidy,
+      run_clang_tidy_args,
+      '-fix',
+    ],
+    depends : [
+      build_all_generated_headers,
+    ],
+  )
+endif
diff --git a/clang-tidy/.clang-format b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/.clang-format
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/.clang-format
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/.clang-format
diff --git a/clang-tidy/.editorconfig b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/.editorconfig
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/.editorconfig
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/.editorconfig
diff --git a/clang-tidy/FixIncludes.cc b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/FixIncludes.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/FixIncludes.cc
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/FixIncludes.cc
diff --git a/clang-tidy/FixIncludes.hh b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/FixIncludes.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/FixIncludes.hh
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/FixIncludes.hh
diff --git a/clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.cc b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.cc
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.cc
diff --git a/clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.hh b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.hh
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/HasPrefixSuffix.hh
diff --git a/clang-tidy/LixClangTidyChecks.cc b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/LixClangTidyChecks.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/LixClangTidyChecks.cc
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/LixClangTidyChecks.cc
diff --git a/clang-tidy/README.md b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/README.md
similarity index 100%
rename from clang-tidy/README.md
rename to subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/README.md
diff --git a/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/default.nix b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1bfc2d9a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+{
+  lib,
+  stdenv,
+  cmake,
+  meson,
+  ninja,
+  llvmPackages,
+}:
+let
+  inherit (lib) fileset;
+in
+stdenv.mkDerivation {
+  pname = "lix-clang-tidy-checks";
+  # Setting the version to the Lix version is just going to cause pointless
+  # rebuilds due to versionSuffix and similar, and I cannot conceive of a usage
+  # where we actually care about its version since this is internal-only.
+  version = "0.1";
+
+  src = fileset.toSource {
+    root = ./.;
+    fileset = fileset.unions [
+      ./meson.build
+      ./meson.options
+      (fileset.fileFilter (
+        { hasExt, ... }:
+        builtins.any hasExt [
+          "cc"
+          "hh"
+        ]
+      ) ./.)
+    ];
+  };
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [
+    meson
+    cmake
+    ninja
+  ];
+
+  buildInputs = [
+    llvmPackages.llvm
+    llvmPackages.clang-unwrapped.dev
+  ];
+}
diff --git a/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/meson.build b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ef0226420
--- /dev/null
+++ b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+project('lix-clang-tidy', ['cpp', 'c'],
+  version : '0.1',
+  default_options : ['warning_level=3', 'cpp_std=c++20']
+)
+
+llvm = dependency('Clang', version: '>= 17', modules: ['libclang'])
+sources = files(
+  'HasPrefixSuffix.cc',
+  'LixClangTidyChecks.cc',
+  'FixIncludes.cc',
+)
+
+lix_clang_tidy = shared_module('lix-clang-tidy', sources,
+  dependencies: llvm,
+  # overrides build_by_default, see https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/13498
+  install : get_option('build-by-default'),
+  build_by_default : get_option('build-by-default')
+)
diff --git a/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/meson.options b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/meson.options
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..57f0f713b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/subprojects/lix-clang-tidy/meson.options
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+option('build-by-default', type : 'boolean', value : true,
+  description : 'set to false to not actually build targets by default. This is a hack to deal with meson lacking a build_by_default default option and building subprojects by default'
+)