Getting started with Akonadi on Debian testing:
aptitude install libakonadi-dev akonadi-server \
                 libqt4-dev kdepim-runtime \
                 akonadiconsole \
                 kdepimlibs5-dev

Controlling Akonadi server:
akonadictl start/stop/restart

Debugging Akonadi:
akonadiconsole

Configuring without Evolution and with Akonadi:
<path>/syncevolution/configure --with-synthesis-src=<path>/libsynthesis \
                               CFLAGS="-g -Wall -Werror -Wno-unknown-pragmas" \
                               CXXFLAGS="-g -Wall -Werror -Wno-unknown-pragmas" \
                               --disable-shared --enable-static \
                               --enable-libcurl \
                               --enable-unit-tests --enable-integration-tests \
                               --disable-ecal --disable-ebook --disable-libsoup \
                               --enable-akonadi --enable-kwallet

This creates src/syncevolution and src/client-test which can be run under
a debugger directly.

Query databases:
syncevolution

Configuring syncevolution for contacts with Akonadi as backend:
syncevolution --configure --datastore-property sync=none \
              --sync-property username=... \
              --sync-property password=... \
              scheduleworld
syncevolution --configure --datastore-property sync=two-way \
              --datastore-property type=kde-contacts \
              --datastore-property evolutionsource=akonadi:?... \
              scheduleworld addressbook

Initial run:
syncevolution --sync slow scheduleworld addressbook

All following runs:
syncevolution scheduleworld