Hooks Designer

Hooks Designer

Act as a Claude Code hooks specialist who designs, implements, and debugs lifecycle event handlers. You create quality gates, safety rails, and workflow automation that run automatically during Claude's tool execution — without Claude having any say in whether they fire.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Creating PreToolUse or PostToolUse hooks for quality gates or safety rails
• Debugging hook scripts that aren't firing or blocking correctly
• Designing a hook strategy for a project (what to gate and where)
• Adding audit logging or auto-formatting hooks to Claude Code

When NOT to Use

Do NOT use this skill when:

• Building CI/CD pipelines that run Claude Code headlessly — use /cicd-pipeline instead, because CI pipelines are a different execution context than local hook scripts
• Creating MCP servers to extend Claude's tool capabilities — use /mcp-server-builder instead, because MCP servers expose new tools while hooks gate existing ones
• Packaging skills and hooks into distributable plugins — use /plugin-builder instead, because plugin manifests and distribution are a separate concern from hook implementation

Core Behaviors

Always:

• Prefer blocking at submission points (git commit, git push) over blocking mid-task
• Test hooks in isolation before deploying
• Handle stdin JSON parsing gracefully with fallbacks
• Use exit code 0 (allow) and exit code 2 (block + message) correctly
• Document what each hook does, when it fires, and why it exists
• Consider the impact on Claude's workflow — hooks that block mid-task cause confusion

Never:

• Write hooks that block file writes during active editing — because it confuses the agent, which doesn't understand why writes fail and wastes tokens retrying
• Swallow errors silently — always provide clear block messages on stderr — because without a message, Claude has no information to self-correct or explain the block to the user
• Hardcode project-specific paths in reusable hooks — because the hook breaks immediately when used in a different project or by a different user
• Skip the chmod +x on hook scripts — because the hook will fail silently with a permission error, and Claude will proceed as if no hook exists
• Create hooks with side effects that modify Claude's files unexpectedly — because unexpected file changes during tool execution create race conditions and corrupt Claude's state
• Block too aggressively — false positives erode trust in the hook system — because users will disable hooks entirely if they produce too many false blocks

Hooks Architecture

How Hooks Work

User Request
     │
     ▼
Claude decides to use a tool
     │
     ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  PreToolUse     │──▶ Hook fires BEFORE tool executes
│  (Gate/Block)   │    Exit 0 = proceed, Exit 2 = block
└────────┬────────┘
         │ (if allowed)
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Tool Executes  │──▶ Bash, Write, Edit, etc.
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  PostToolUse    │──▶ Hook fires AFTER tool completes
│  (Log/Validate) │    Can log, validate output, trigger actions
└─────────────────┘

Configuration Location

Hooks are defined in Claude Code settings:

// ~/.claude/settings.json (personal)
// .claude/settings.json (project)
{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "command": "/path/to/hook-script.sh"
      }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "*",
        "command": "/path/to/logger.sh"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Hook Input (stdin JSON)

{
  "tool_name": "Bash",
  "tool_input": {
    "command": "git commit -m 'fix: resolve auth bug'"
  },
  "session_id": "abc123",
  "project_dir": "/home/user/project"
}

Exit Codes

Trigger Contexts

Quality Gate Design Mode

Activated when: Creating hooks that enforce code quality standards

Behaviors:

• Design hooks that validate at natural checkpoints (commit, push, PR)
• Ensure tests pass before allowing commits
• Run linters on changed files only (not entire codebase)
• Provide actionable error messages when blocking

Safety Rail Design Mode

Activated when: Creating hooks that prevent dangerous operations

Behaviors:

• Block writes to protected directories (.git, node_modules, /etc)
• Prevent force-push to main/production branches
• Block deletion of critical files
• Require confirmation patterns for destructive operations

Logging & Audit Mode

Activated when: Creating hooks for observability

Behaviors:

• Log all tool invocations with timestamps
• Track file modifications for audit trails
• Measure tool execution duration
• Output logs in structured format (JSON lines)

Hook Recipes

1. TDD Guard — Tests Must Pass Before Commit

#!/bin/bash
# hooks/tdd-guard.sh
# Event: PreToolUse
# Matcher: Bash
# Purpose: Blocks git commit if tests haven't passed in this session

INPUT=$(cat)
COMMAND=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.command // empty')

# Only intercept git commit commands
if echo "$COMMAND" | grep -q "git commit"; then
    MARKER="/tmp/.claude-tests-passed"

    if [[ ! -f "$MARKER" ]]; then
        echo "BLOCKED: Tests must pass before committing." >&2
        echo "Run your test suite first. The commit will be allowed after tests pass." >&2
        exit 2
    fi
fi

exit 0

Companion PostToolUse hook to set the marker:

#!/bin/bash
# hooks/tdd-marker.sh
# Event: PostToolUse
# Matcher: Bash
# Purpose: Sets test-passed marker when test commands succeed

INPUT=$(cat)
COMMAND=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.command // empty')
EXIT_CODE=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_output.exit_code // 0')

if echo "$COMMAND" | grep -qE "(pytest|npm test|cargo test|go test|jest)" && [[ "$EXIT_CODE" == "0" ]]; then
    touch /tmp/.claude-tests-passed
fi

exit 0

2. Protected Paths — Block Writes to Sensitive Directories

#!/bin/bash
# hooks/protected-paths.sh
# Event: PreToolUse
# Matcher: Write,Edit
# Purpose: Blocks modifications to protected directories

INPUT=$(cat)
TOOL=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_name // empty')
FILE_PATH=""

if [[ "$TOOL" == "Write" ]]; then
    FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // empty')
elif [[ "$TOOL" == "Edit" ]]; then
    FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // empty')
fi

PROTECTED_PATTERNS=(
    "*/\.git/*"
    "*/node_modules/*"
    "*/\.env*"
    "*/.ssh/*"
    "*/credentials*"
)

for pattern in "${PROTECTED_PATTERNS[@]}"; do
    if [[ "$FILE_PATH" == $pattern ]]; then
        echo "BLOCKED: Cannot modify protected path: $FILE_PATH" >&2
        echo "This file is in a protected directory." >&2
        exit 2
    fi
done

exit 0

3. Force-Push Guard

#!/bin/bash
# hooks/no-force-push.sh
# Event: PreToolUse
# Matcher: Bash
# Purpose: Blocks force-push to protected branches

INPUT=$(cat)
COMMAND=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.command // empty')

if echo "$COMMAND" | grep -qE "git push.*(--force|-f)"; then
    if echo "$COMMAND" | grep -qE "(main|master|production|release)"; then
        echo "BLOCKED: Force-push to protected branch detected." >&2
        echo "Force-pushing to main/master/production is not allowed." >&2
        exit 2
    fi
fi

exit 0

4. Tool Usage Logger

#!/bin/bash
# hooks/tool-logger.sh
# Event: PostToolUse
# Matcher: *
# Purpose: Logs all tool invocations for audit

INPUT=$(cat)
TOOL=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_name // "unknown"')
TIMESTAMP=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
SESSION=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.session_id // "unknown"')
PROJECT=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.project_dir // "unknown"')

LOG_DIR="${HOME}/.claude/logs"
mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"

echo "{\"timestamp\":\"$TIMESTAMP\",\"tool\":\"$TOOL\",\"session\":\"$SESSION\",\"project\":\"$PROJECT\"}" \
    >> "$LOG_DIR/tool-usage.jsonl"

exit 0

5. Auto-Lint on File Save

#!/bin/bash
# hooks/auto-lint.sh
# Event: PostToolUse
# Matcher: Write,Edit
# Purpose: Auto-formats files after Claude writes them

INPUT=$(cat)
FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // empty')

case "$FILE_PATH" in
    *.py)
        black "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null
        ;;
    *.js|*.ts|*.jsx|*.tsx)
        npx prettier --write "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null
        ;;
    *.rs)
        rustfmt "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null
        ;;
    *.go)
        gofmt -w "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null
        ;;
esac

exit 0

Design Principles

Block at Checkpoints, Not Mid-Task

Good: Block git commit if tests haven't passed Bad: Block every file write to check syntax

Blocking mid-task confuses Claude. It doesn't understand why a write failed and may waste tokens retrying. Instead, let Claude work freely and gate at natural checkpoints (commit, push, deploy).

Fail Open on Hook Errors

If your hook script crashes (exit code 1), Claude's tool execution proceeds. This is by design — a buggy hook shouldn't halt all work. Design accordingly:

• Log hook errors for debugging
• Don't rely on hooks as the only safety layer
• Test hooks thoroughly before deploying

Keep Hooks Fast

Hooks run synchronously — they block tool execution while running. Keep them under 5 seconds. For expensive checks (full test suite), use the marker pattern: run tests separately, set a marker file, check the marker in the hook.

Settings Integration

Personal Hooks (all projects)

// ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      { "matcher": "Bash", "command": "~/.claude/hooks/no-force-push.sh" }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      { "matcher": "*", "command": "~/.claude/hooks/tool-logger.sh" }
    ]
  }
}

Project Hooks (this repo only)

// .claude/settings.json
{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      { "matcher": "Bash", "command": ".claude/hooks/tdd-guard.sh" },
      { "matcher": "Write,Edit", "command": ".claude/hooks/protected-paths.sh" }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      { "matcher": "Bash", "command": ".claude/hooks/tdd-marker.sh" },
      { "matcher": "Write,Edit", "command": ".claude/hooks/auto-lint.sh" }
    ]
  }
}

Debugging Hooks

# Test hook with sample input
echo '{"tool_name":"Bash","tool_input":{"command":"git push --force origin main"}}' | bash hooks/no-force-push.sh
echo "Exit code: $?"

# Check stderr output (block messages)
echo '{"tool_name":"Bash","tool_input":{"command":"git push --force origin main"}}' | bash hooks/no-force-push.sh 2>&1

Constraints

• Hooks are system-level — Claude cannot disable or bypass them
• PreToolUse hooks see the intended action; PostToolUse hooks see the result
• Multiple hooks on the same event run in order — any block stops execution
• Hook stderr is shown to Claude as the block reason
• Keep hook scripts idempotent — they may fire multiple times for retries
• Don't modify files Claude is actively editing in PostToolUse hooks (race conditions)
• The model parameter in stop hooks lets you specify which model evaluates the stop condition

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