diff --git a/gyp/microhttpd.gyp b/gyp/microhttpd.gyp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..58ea0baa74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gyp/microhttpd.gyp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Copyright 2016 Google Inc.
+#
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
+# found in the LICENSE file.
+# A simple gyp file to generate microhttpd for internal purposes
+# most of the work(configure and make) is performed in a python script
+{
+  'targets': [
+    {
+      'target_name': 'microhttpd',
+      'type': 'static_library',
+      'variables': {
+        'base_dir%': '../third_party/libmicrohttpd',
+        'src_dir%': '../third_party/externals/microhttpd',
+      },
+      'direct_dependent_settings': {
+        'include_dirs': [
+          '<(src_dir)/src/include',
+        ],
+        # for reasons I can't quite fathom, we need the below line to trigger
+        # a link
+        'libraries': [
+          'libmicrohttpd.a',
+        ],
+      },
+      'actions': [
+        {
+          'action_name': 'configure_and_build',
+          'inputs': [
+            '<(PRODUCT_DIR)/',
+          ],
+          'outputs': [ '<(PRODUCT_DIR)/libmicrohttpd.a' ],
+          'action': [
+            'python',
+            '<(base_dir)/build.py', 
+            '--src', '<(src_dir)',
+            '--dst', '<(PRODUCT_DIR)',
+          ],
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  ],
+}
diff --git a/gyp/skiaserve.gyp b/gyp/skiaserve.gyp
index 806d72f9b8..e5d125c154 100644
--- a/gyp/skiaserve.gyp
+++ b/gyp/skiaserve.gyp
@@ -12,11 +12,6 @@
     {
       'target_name': 'skiaserve',
       'type': 'executable',
-      'include_dirs': [
-        '../src/core',
-        #TODO make this a real project
-        '../third_party/externals/microhttpd/src/include',
-      ],
       'sources': [ 
         '<!@(python find.py ../tools/skiaserve "*.cpp")',
       ],
@@ -24,20 +19,12 @@
         'flags.gyp:flags',
         'gputest.gyp:skgputest',
         'jsoncpp.gyp:jsoncpp',
+        'microhttpd.gyp:microhttpd',
         'skia_lib.gyp:skia_lib',
         'tools.gyp:crash_handler',
         'tools.gyp:proc_stats',
         'tools.gyp:resources',
       ],
-      #TODO real libmicrohttpd gyp
-      'link_settings': {
-        'ldflags': [
-          '-L../../third_party/externals/microhttpd/src/microhttpd/.libs',
-        ],
-        'libraries': [
-          '-lmicrohttpd',
-        ],
-      },
     },
   ],
 }
diff --git a/third_party/libmicrohttpd/build.py b/third_party/libmicrohttpd/build.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cafcbeac88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/libmicrohttpd/build.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# Copyright 2016 Google Inc.
+#
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
+# found in the LICENSE file.
+
+# this script will configure and build microhttpd in a temp directory and then
+# copy the static library generated to a destination folder
+import argparse
+import os
+from subprocess import call
+import shutil
+import tempfile
+
+parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+parser.add_argument("--src", help="microhttpd src directory")
+parser.add_argument("--dst", help="output for build files")
+args = parser.parse_args()
+
+temp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
+cwd = os.getcwd()
+os.chdir(temp_dir)
+call([cwd + "/" + args.src + "/configure",
+      "--disable-doc",
+      "--disable-examples",
+      "--enable-https=no",
+      "--disable-curl",
+      "--enable-spdy=no",
+      "--enable-shared=no"])
+call(["make", "--silent"])
+call(["cp",
+      temp_dir + "/src/microhttpd/.libs/libmicrohttpd.a",
+      cwd + "/" + args.dst])
+shutil.rmtree(temp_dir)
+