diff --git a/makefiles/lint/doc8/include.mk b/makefiles/lint/doc8/include.mk
index 6490b89..4764fa2 100644
--- a/makefiles/lint/doc8/include.mk
+++ b/makefiles/lint/doc8/include.mk
@@ -20,8 +20,14 @@
 ##-------------------##
 .PHONY: lint-doc8 lint-doc8-all lint-doc8-modified
 
-have-rst-files := $(if $(strip $(RST_SOURCE)),true)
-RST_SOURCE     ?= $(error RST_SOURCE= is required)
+have-doc8-files := $(if $(strip $(DOC8_SOURCE)),true)
+DOC8_SOURCE     ?= $(error DOC8_SOURCE= is required)
+
+##--------------------##
+##---]  INCLUDES  [---##
+##--------------------##
+# include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/doc8/help.mk
+include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/doc8/install.mk
 
 ## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 ## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -36,23 +42,14 @@
 
 ## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 ## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/doc8/excl.mk
+lint-doc8-excl := $(foreach dir,$(onf-excl-dirs),--ignore-path "$(dir)")
+lint-doc8: lint-doc8-cmd-version
 
-ifdef lint-doc8-excl
-  lint-doc8-excl-args += $(addprefix --ignore-path$(space),$(lint-doc8-excl))
-endif
-lint-doc8-excl-args += $(addprefix --ignore-path$(space),$(lint-doc8-excl-raw))
-
-lint-doc8-args += --max-line-length 120
-
-lint-doc8: $(venv-activate-script)
-	@echo
-	@echo '** -----------------------------------------------------------------------'
-	@echo '** doc8 *.rst syntax checking'
-	@echo '** -----------------------------------------------------------------------'
+	$(call banner-enter,Target $@)
 	$(activate) && doc8 --version
 	@echo
-	$(activate) && doc8 $(lint-doc8-excl-args) $(lint-doc8-args) .
+	$(activate) && doc8 $(lint-doc8-excl)
+	$(call banner-enter,Target $@)
 
 ## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 ## Intent: Display command usage
diff --git a/makefiles/lint/doc8/install.mk b/makefiles/lint/doc8/install.mk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e62260
--- /dev/null
+++ b/makefiles/lint/doc8/install.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# -*- makefile -*-
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Copyright 2022-2023 Open Networking Foundation (ONF) and the ONF Contributors
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Open Networking Foundation (ONF) and the ONF Contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+$(if $(DEBUG),$(warning ENTER))
+
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Intent: Install the doc8 tool
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+.PHONY: lint-doc8-install
+
+## Define a macro to standardize and simplify access
+# DOC8 ?= $(venv-activate-bin)/doc8
+# DOC8 ?= $(activate) && doc8
+
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Intent: Display doc8 command version string.
+##   Note: As a side effect, install doc8 by dependency
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+.PHONY: lint-doc8-cmd-version
+lint-doc8-cmd-version : $(venv-activate-bin)/doc8
+
+	$(HIDE) echo
+	$< --version
+
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Intent: On-demand instalation of the doc8 command
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+lint-doc8-install := $(venv-activate-bin)/doc8
+$(lint-doc8-install) : $(venv-activate-script)
+
+	$(call banner-enter,Target $@)
+	$(activate) && pip install doc8
+	$(call banner-leave,Target $@)
+
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Intent: Purge doc8 tool installation
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+sterile ::
+	$(HIDE)$(RM) "$(venv-abs-bin)/doc8"
+# HIDE)$(RM) -r .venv/lib/*/site-packages/doc8
+
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Intent: Display command usage
+## -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+help::
+	@echo '  lint-doc8-install       Install the doc8 tool'
+
+# [EOF]
diff --git a/makefiles/lint/include.mk b/makefiles/lint/include.mk
index 2ae2575..7cfed79 100644
--- a/makefiles/lint/include.mk
+++ b/makefiles/lint/include.mk
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 	@echo
 	@echo "[LINT]"
 
-include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/doc8
+include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/doc8/include.mk
 include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/groovy.mk
 include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/jjb.mk
 include $(ONF_MAKEDIR)/lint/json.mk