diff --git a/src/Network/Wai/MakeAssets.hs b/src/Network/Wai/MakeAssets.hs
--- a/src/Network/Wai/MakeAssets.hs
+++ b/src/Network/Wai/MakeAssets.hs
@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE TupleSections #-}
 
-module Network.Wai.MakeAssets (serveAssets) where
+module Network.Wai.MakeAssets (
+  serveAssets,
+  Options(..),
 
+  -- * re-exports
+  Default(..),
+) where
+
 import           Control.Concurrent
 import           Control.Exception
 import           Control.Monad
+import           Data.Default
 import           Data.List (intercalate)
 import           Data.Monoid
 import           Data.String.Conversions
@@ -15,15 +22,41 @@
 import           Network.Wai.Application.Static
 import           System.Directory
 import           System.Exit
+import           System.FilePath
 
-serveAssets :: IO Application
-serveAssets = do
-  startupChecks
+data Options
+  = Options {
+    clientDir :: FilePath
+  }
+
+instance Default Options where
+  def = Options {
+    clientDir = "client"
+  }
+
+-- | 'serveAssets' will create a wai 'Application' that serves files from the
+-- "assets" directory.
+--
+-- The workflow that 'serveAssets' allows is similar to working on files (for
+-- web-sites) that don't need compilation or generation, e.g. html, css, php or
+-- javascript. You edit the file in an editor, save it, switch to a browser and
+-- hit reload. 'serveAssets' makes sure your browser will be sent up-to-date
+-- files.
+--
+-- To accomplish this, 'serveAssets' assumes that there's a "Makefile" in the
+-- directory pointed to by 'clientDir' (default: "client"). This "Makefile" is
+-- supposed to put compilation results into the "assets" directory. On __every__
+-- request, 'serveAssets' will execute that "Makefile" and only start serving
+-- files once the "Makefile" is done. ('serveAssets' makes sure not to run your
+-- "Makefile" concurrently.)
+serveAssets :: Options -> IO Application
+serveAssets options = do
+  startupChecks options
   let fileApp = staticApp $ defaultFileServerSettings "assets/"
   mvar <- newMVar ()
   return $ \ request respond -> do
     (Exit exitCode, Stderr errs) <- synchronize mvar $
-      cmd (Cwd "client") "make"
+      cmd (Cwd (clientDir options)) "make"
     case exitCode of
       ExitSuccess -> fileApp request respond
       ExitFailure _ -> respond $ responseLBS internalServerError500 [] $
@@ -32,15 +65,15 @@
 synchronize :: MVar () -> IO a -> IO a
 synchronize mvar action = modifyMVar mvar $ \ () -> ((), ) <$> action
 
-startupChecks :: IO ()
-startupChecks = do
-  checkExists Dir "client/" $
+startupChecks :: Options -> IO ()
+startupChecks options = do
+  checkExists Dir (clientDir options) $
     "You should put sources for assets in there."
-  checkExists File "client/Makefile" $ unwords $
+  checkExists File (clientDir options </> "Makefile") $ unwords $
     "Which will be invoked to build the assets." :
     "It should put compiled assets into 'assets/'." :
     []
-  checkExists Dir "assets/" $
+  checkExists Dir "assets" $
     "All files in 'assets/' will be served."
 
 data FileType
@@ -52,8 +85,8 @@
   exists <- (isFile doesFileExist doesDirectoryExist) path
   when (not exists) $ do
     throwIO $ ErrorCall $ intercalate "\n" $
-      ("missing " ++ isFile "file" "directory" ++ ": '" ++ path ++ "'") :
-      ("Please create '" ++ path ++ "'.") :
+      ("missing " ++ isFile "file" "directory" ++ ": '" ++ showPath path ++ "'") :
+      ("Please create '" ++ showPath path ++ "'.") :
       ("(" ++ hint ++ ")") :
       []
   where
@@ -61,3 +94,8 @@
     isFile a b = case typ of
       File -> a
       Dir -> b
+
+    showPath :: FilePath -> String
+    showPath = case typ of
+      File -> id
+      Dir -> (++ "/")
diff --git a/src/wai-make-assets.hs b/src/wai-make-assets.hs
--- a/src/wai-make-assets.hs
+++ b/src/wai-make-assets.hs
@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE DeriveGeneric #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE ViewPatterns #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-unused-binds #-}
+
 import           Data.Maybe
 import           Network.Wai.Handler.Warp
 import           System.IO
 import           WithCli
 
-import           Network.Wai.MakeAssets
+import qualified Network.Wai.MakeAssets as MA
+import           Network.Wai.MakeAssets hiding (clientDir)
 
 data Args
   = Args {
-    port :: Maybe Int
+    port :: Maybe Int,
+    clientDir :: Maybe FilePath
   }
   deriving (Generic)
 
@@ -18,10 +22,12 @@
 
 main :: IO ()
 main = withCliModified [AddShortOption "port" 'p'] $
-  \ (Args (fromMaybe 8000 -> port)) -> do
-    let settings =
-          setPort port $
+  \ args -> do
+    let appPort = fromMaybe 8000 (port args)
+        settings =
+          setPort appPort $
           setBeforeMainLoop (hPutStrLn stderr
-            ("listening to " ++ show port ++ "...")) $
+            ("listening to " ++ show appPort ++ "...")) $
           defaultSettings
-    runSettings settings =<< serveAssets
+        options = maybe def (\ cd -> def{ MA.clientDir = cd }) (clientDir args)
+    runSettings settings =<< serveAssets options
diff --git a/test/Network/Wai/MakeAssetsSpec.hs b/test/Network/Wai/MakeAssetsSpec.hs
--- a/test/Network/Wai/MakeAssetsSpec.hs
+++ b/test/Network/Wai/MakeAssetsSpec.hs
@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@
 import           Control.Lens
 import           Data.ByteString.Lazy (isPrefixOf)
 import           Data.List (intercalate)
+import           Network.Wai
 import           Network.Wai.Handler.Warp
-import           Network.Wreq
+import           Network.Wreq as Wreq
 import           System.Directory
 import           System.IO.Silently
 import           Test.Hspec
@@ -15,6 +16,9 @@
 
 import           Network.Wai.MakeAssets
 
+serveDef :: IO Application
+serveDef = serveAssets def
+
 spec :: Spec
 spec = do
   around_ silence $ do
@@ -25,7 +29,7 @@
           createDirectoryIfMissing True "assets"
           writeFile "assets/foo" "bar"
           writeFile "client/Makefile" "all:\n\ttrue"
-          testWithApplication serveAssets $ \ port -> do
+          testWithApplication serveDef $ \ port -> do
             let url = "http://localhost:" ++ show port ++ "/foo"
             response <- get url
             response ^. responseBody `shouldBe` "bar"
@@ -35,17 +39,28 @@
           createDirectoryIfMissing True "client"
           createDirectoryIfMissing True "assets"
           writeFile "client/Makefile" "all:\n\techo bar > ../assets/foo"
-          testWithApplication serveAssets $ \ port -> do
+          testWithApplication serveDef $ \ port -> do
             let url = "http://localhost:" ++ show port ++ "/foo"
             response <- get url
             response ^. responseBody `shouldBe` "bar\n"
 
+      it "allows to configure the name of the 'client/' directory" $ do
+        inTempDirectory $ do
+          createDirectoryIfMissing True "custom"
+          createDirectoryIfMissing True "assets"
+          writeFile "custom/Makefile" "all:\n\techo bar > ../assets/foo"
+          let options = def{ clientDir = "custom" }
+          testWithApplication (serveAssets options) $ \ port -> do
+            let url = "http://localhost:" ++ show port ++ "/foo"
+            response <- get url
+            response ^. responseBody `shouldBe` "bar\n"
+
       it "returns the error messages in case 'make' fails" $ do
         inTempDirectory $ do
           createDirectoryIfMissing True "client"
           createDirectoryIfMissing True "assets"
           writeFile "client/Makefile" "all:\n\t>&2 echo error message ; false"
-          testWithApplication serveAssets $ \ port -> do
+          testWithApplication serveDef $ \ port -> do
             let url = "http://localhost:" ++ show port ++ "/foo"
             response <- getWith acceptErrors url
             let body = response ^. responseBody
@@ -60,7 +75,7 @@
                   "Please create 'client/'." :
                   "(You should put sources for assets in there.)" :
                   []
-            testWithApplication serveAssets (\ _ -> return ())
+            testWithApplication serveDef (\ _ -> return ())
               `shouldThrow` errorCall expected
 
         it "missing client/Makefile" $ do
@@ -72,7 +87,7 @@
                   "Please create 'client/Makefile'." :
                   "(Which will be invoked to build the assets. It should put compiled assets into 'assets/'.)" :
                   []
-            testWithApplication serveAssets (\ _ -> return ())
+            testWithApplication serveDef (\ _ -> return ())
               `shouldThrow` errorCall expected
 
         it "missing assets/" $ do
@@ -83,10 +98,10 @@
                   "Please create 'assets/'." :
                   "(All files in 'assets/' will be served.)" :
                   []
-            catch (testWithApplication serveAssets (\ _ -> return ())) $
+            catch (testWithApplication serveDef (\ _ -> return ())) $
               \ (ErrorCall message) -> do
                 message `shouldBe` expected
 
-acceptErrors :: Options
+acceptErrors :: Wreq.Options
 acceptErrors = defaults &
   checkStatus .~ Just (\ _ _ _ -> Nothing)
diff --git a/wai-make-assets.cabal b/wai-make-assets.cabal
--- a/wai-make-assets.cabal
+++ b/wai-make-assets.cabal
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 
 name:           wai-make-assets
-version:        0.1.1
+version:        0.2
 synopsis:       Compiling and serving assets
 description:    Small wai library and command line tool for compiling and serving assets (e.g. through ghcjs, elm, sass)
 category:       Development
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 library
   hs-source-dirs:
       src
+  ghc-options: -Wall -fno-warn-name-shadowing
   build-depends:
       base < 99
     , wai-app-static
@@ -29,6 +30,8 @@
     , warp
     , string-conversions
     , bytestring
+    , data-default
+    , filepath
     , shake
     , http-types
     , directory
@@ -40,6 +43,7 @@
   main-is: wai-make-assets.hs
   hs-source-dirs:
       src
+  ghc-options: -Wall -fno-warn-name-shadowing
   build-depends:
       base < 99
     , wai-app-static
@@ -47,6 +51,8 @@
     , warp
     , string-conversions
     , bytestring
+    , data-default
+    , filepath
     , shake
     , http-types
     , directory
@@ -61,6 +67,7 @@
   hs-source-dirs:
       test
     , src
+  ghc-options: -Wall -fno-warn-name-shadowing
   build-depends:
       base < 99
     , wai-app-static
@@ -68,6 +75,8 @@
     , warp
     , string-conversions
     , bytestring
+    , data-default
+    , filepath
     , shake
     , http-types
     , directory