Overnight Development Setup

Overnight Development Setup

Install Git hooks and configure overnight autonomous development in your project.

What This Does

This command sets up your repository for overnight autonomous development sessions:

1. Installs Git Hooks - pre-commit and commit-msg hooks
2. Creates Config - .overnight-dev.json configuration file
3. Verifies Setup - Tests that hooks work correctly

Installation Steps

1. Check Prerequisites

First, verify you have:

• Git repository initialized (git status works)
• Test framework configured (Jest, pytest, etc.)
• At least 1 passing test
• Linter set up (ESLint, flake8, etc.)

2. Install the Hooks

The plugin will copy Git hooks to .git/hooks/:

• pre-commit - Runs linting and tests before each commit
• commit-msg - Enforces conventional commit format

3. Configure Your Project

Create .overnight-dev.json in your project root:

{
  "testCommand": "npm test",
  "lintCommand": "npm run lint",
  "requireCoverage": true,
  "minCoverage": 80,
  "autoFix": true,
  "maxAttempts": 50,
  "stopOnMorning": true,
  "morningHour": 7
}

Configuration Options:

• testCommand - Command to run tests (e.g., "pytest", "cargo test")
• lintCommand - Command to run linter
• requireCoverage - Enforce minimum test coverage
• minCoverage - Minimum coverage percentage (default: 80)
• autoFix - Automatically fix linting issues
• maxAttempts - Maximum commit attempts before alerting
• stopOnMorning - Stop work at a specific hour
• morningHour - Hour to stop (0-23)

4. Test the Setup

Verify the hooks work:

# Should run tests and linting
git commit --allow-empty -m "test: verify overnight dev hooks"

If hooks work correctly, you'll see:

 Overnight Dev: Running pre-commit checks...
 Running linting...
 Linting passed
 Running tests...
 All tests passed
 All checks passed! Proceeding with commit...

Project-Specific Examples

Node.js / JavaScript

{
  "testCommand": "npm test -- --coverage",
  "lintCommand": "npm run lint",
  "autoFix": true
}

Python

{
  "testCommand": "pytest --cov=. --cov-report=term-missing",
  "lintCommand": "flake8 . && black --check .",
  "autoFix": false
}

Rust

{
  "testCommand": "cargo test",
  "lintCommand": "cargo clippy -- -D warnings",
  "autoFix": false
}

Go

{
  "testCommand": "go test ./...",
  "lintCommand": "golangci-lint run",
  "autoFix": false
}

Starting an Overnight Session

Once setup is complete:

1. Define your goal:

   Task: Implement user authentication with JWT
   Success: All tests pass, coverage > 85%
   

2. Start coding:

   • Write tests first (TDD)
   • Implement features
   • Commit frequently
   • Let the hooks keep you honest

3. Claude works overnight:

   • Every commit must pass tests
   • Hooks enforce quality
   • Morning brings fully tested features

Troubleshooting

"Hooks not executing"

# Make hooks executable
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit
chmod +x .git/hooks/commit-msg

"Tests failing immediately"

Make sure you have at least 1 passing test before starting:

npm test  # or pytest, cargo test, etc.

"Linting errors blocking commits"

Enable auto-fix in config:

{
  "autoFix": true
}

Or fix manually:

npm run lint -- --fix

What Happens During Overnight Sessions

1. You write code → Claude writes tests and implementation
2. You try to commit → Hooks run tests automatically
3. Tests fail → Claude debugs and fixes
4. Tests pass → Commit succeeds
5. Repeat → Until feature is complete
6. Morning → Wake up to fully tested code

Success Metrics

Track your overnight session:

• All commits have passing tests
• Coverage maintained or improved
• No linting errors
• Clean conventional commit messages
• Features fully implemented and documented

Pro Tips

1. Start with clear goals - Specific, testable objectives
2. Have existing tests - At least 1 passing test before starting
3. Use TDD - Write tests first, then implementation
4. Commit frequently - Small, passing commits
5. Trust the process - Hooks enforce quality automatically

Ready to start? Just begin coding and let the hooks guide you to fully tested features!