git-hooks

Git hooks are scripts that run automatically at key points in the Git workflow. They enable automation of tasks like linting, testing, and commit message validation.Hooks are stored in .git/hooks/ and must be executable. Common hooks include pre-commit (before commit), prepare-commit-msg (edit message), commit-msg (validate message), and pre-push (before push).

.git/hooks/

Default directory containing hook scripts for the repository. Scripts must be executable.

Git config variable to override the hooks directory (since Git 2.9). Set with `git config core.hooksPath <path>`.

Client-side hooks:

$ pre-commit         Run before commit
prepare-commit-msg Edit commit message template
commit-msg         Validate commit message
post-commit        After commit completes
pre-rebase         Before rebase starts
post-checkout      After checkout or switch
post-merge         After merge completes
pre-push           Before push

$ pre-receive        Before accepting push
update             Per-branch pre-receive
post-receive       After push completes
post-update        After all refs updated

Hooks are not version-controlled in .git/hooks. Use tools like Husky or pre-commit to share hooks. Hooks can be bypassed with --no-verify. Keep hooks fast to avoid workflow friction.

git(1), git-commit(1), husky(1), pre-commit(1)