narenaryan Git Hooks
Executables in .git/hooks/ (or core.hooksPath) named for the event. Non-zero exit aborts (except post-*). Any language; must be +x, no extension.
Distribution
.git/hooks/* is not cloned. Use a tracked dir:
git config core.hooksPath .githooks
git commit --no-verify # bypass pre-commit + commit-msg
git push --no-verify # bypass pre-push
Client-Side
Commit flow: pre-commit → prepare-commit-msg → editor → commit-msg → post-commit.
| Hook | Args | Abort? | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
pre-commit |
— | yes | lint, format, fast tests |
prepare-commit-msg |
msg-file, source, sha | yes | inject ticket ID, templates |
commit-msg |
msg-file | yes | validate message format |
post-commit |
— | no | notifications |
pre-rebase |
upstream [branch] | yes | block rebasing published commits |
post-rewrite |
amend|rebase; stdin: old→new sha |
no | re-run artifact gen after amend |
post-checkout |
prev, new, branch-flag | no | LFS smudge, regenerate artifacts |
post-merge |
squash-flag | no | restore untracked state |
pre-push |
remote, url; stdin: local-ref local-sha remote-ref remote-sha |
yes | full tests, block force-push to main |
pre-auto-gc |
— | yes | defer gc when busy |
Patch flow (git am): applypatch-msg → pre-applypatch → post-applypatch.
Server-Side (on bare repo)
| Hook | Args | Scope | Abort? |
|---|---|---|---|
pre-receive |
stdin old new ref per updated ref |
once per push | yes (rejects all) |
update |
ref, old, new | per ref | yes (that ref only) |
post-receive |
stdin like pre-receive | once | no — CI triggers |
update is the granular gatekeeper: protect branches, reject non-FF on main, require signed commits.
Debugging
GIT_TRACE=1 git commit
bash -x .git/hooks/pre-commit
Hooks reading stdin (pre-push, pre-receive) must consume it — forgetting silently deadlocks on large pushes.
Pitfalls
- Use
set -euo pipefailin shell hooks; otherwise silent pass on pipeline failure. core.hooksPathreplaces the default dir; copy any needed defaults in.- Client hooks are advisory — never rely on them for security. Enforce server-side or in CI.