diff --git a/Mk/bsd.port.mk b/Mk/bsd.port.mk
--- a/Mk/bsd.port.mk
+++ b/Mk/bsd.port.mk
@@ -619,6 +619,7 @@
 #				- Create a package for a port and _all_ of its dependencies.
 # describe		- Try to generate a one-line description for each port for
 #				  use in INDEX files and the like.
+# describe-json - Generate a JSON-compliant representation of each port.
 # check-plist		- Checks for files missing from the plist, and files in the plist
 #				  that are not installed by the port.
 # check-sanity		- Perform some basic checks of the port layout.
@@ -4406,6 +4407,36 @@
 .      endif # empty(FLAVORS)
 .    endif
 
+.	if empty(FLAVORS) || defined(_DESCRIBE_WITH_FLAVOR)
+describe-json:
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "{")
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"uses\":[\"${USES:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"flavors\":[\"${FLAVORS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"options_default\":[\"${OPTIONS_DEFAULT:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"fetch_depends\":[\"${FETCH_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"extract_depends\":[\"${EXTRACT_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"patch_depends\":[\"${PATCH_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"build_depends\":[\"${BUILD_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"lib_depends\":[\"${LIB_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"run_depends\":[\"${RUN_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"test_depends\":[\"${TEST_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"pkg_depends\":[\"${PKG_DEPENDS:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"complete_options_list\":[\"${COMPLETE_OPTIONS_LIST:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"categories\":[\"${CATEGORIES:ts,:S/,/\",\"/g}\"]," | ${SED} ${SED_ARGS} >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"comment\":\""${COMMENT:Q:S/"/\\\"/g:S/\\\*/*/g:S/\\\'/'/g}"\",")
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "\"deprecated\":\""${DEPRECATED:Q:S/"/\\\"/g:S/\\\\*/*/g:S/\\\'/'/g}"\",")
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} -e "\"broken\":\"${BROKEN}\",\n\"distversion\":\"${DISTVERSION}\",\n\"distversionprefix\":\"${DISTVERSIONPREFIX}\",\n\"distversionsuffix\":\"${DISTVERSIONSUFFIX}\",\n\"expiration_date\":\"${EXPIRATION_DATE}\",\n\"flavor\":\"${FLAVOR}\",\n\"gh_account\":\"${GH_ACCOUNT}\",\n\"gh_project\":\"${GH_PROJECT}\",\n\"gh_tagname\":\"${GH_TAGNAME}\",\n\"gl_account\":\"${GL_ACCOUNT}\",\n\"gl_commit\":\"${GL_COMMIT}\",\n\"gl_project\":\"${GL_PROJECT}\",\n\"gl_site\":\"${GL_SITE}\",\n\"maintainer\":\"${MAINTAINER}\",\n\"makefiles\":\"${MAKEFILES}\",\n\"pkgbase\":\"${PKGBASE}\",\n\"pkgname\":\"${PKGNAME}\",\n\"pkgnamesuffix\":\"${PKGNAMESUFFIX}\",\n\"pkgorigin\":\"${PKGORIGIN}\",\n\"pkg_depends\":\"${PKG_DEPENDS}\",\n\"portepoch\":\"${PORTEPOCH}\",\n\"portname\":\"${PORTNAME}\",\n\"portrevision\":\"${PORTREVISION}\",\n\"portversion\":\"${PORTVERSION}\",\n\"use_github\":\"${USE_GITHUB}\",\n\"use_gitlab\":\"${USE_GITLAB}\",\n\"www\":\"${WWW}\"")
+	@(${ECHO_CMD} "}" >> ${INDEX_OUT})
+.	else # empty(FLAVORS)
+describe-json: ${FLAVORS:S/^/describe-json-/}
+.	for f in ${FLAVORS}
+describe-json-${f}:
+	@cd ${.CURDIR} && ${SETENV} FLAVOR=${f} ${MAKE} -B -D_DESCRIBE_WITH_FLAVOR describe-json
+.	endfor
+.	endif # empty(FLAVORS)
+
+
+
 www-site:
 	@${ECHO_CMD} ${_WWW}
 
diff --git a/Mk/bsd.port.subdir.mk b/Mk/bsd.port.subdir.mk
--- a/Mk/bsd.port.subdir.mk
+++ b/Mk/bsd.port.subdir.mk
@@ -300,6 +300,26 @@
 .  endif
 .endif
 
+# Store last subdir name
+LAST_DIR = ${SUBDIR:[-1]}
+describe-json:
+	@${ECHO_MSG} -e "{\n"
+	@for sub in ${SUBDIR}; do \
+	if ${TEST} -d ${.CURDIR}/$${sub}; then \
+		cd ${.CURDIR}/$${sub}; \
+		(${ECHO_MSG} "\"$${sub}\": ") ;\
+		${MAKE} -B describe-json || \
+			(${ECHO_CMD} "===> ${DIRPRFX}$${sub} failed" >&2; \
+			exit 1) ;\
+		if [ "$${sub}" != "${LAST_DIR}" ]; then \
+			(${ECHO_MSG} ",") ; \
+		fi; \
+	else \
+		${ECHO_MSG} "===> ${DIRPRFX}$${sub} non-existent"; \
+	fi; \
+	done
+	@${ECHO_MSG} -e "\n}"
+
 .if !target(readmes)
 .  if defined(PORTSTOP)
 readmes: readme ${SUBDIR:S/^/_/:S/$/.readmes/}