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hooks-creator

Guide for creating Claude Code hooks - user-defined shell commands that execute at lifecycle points. Use when the user wants to create, add, or configure a hook for Claude Code, including PreToolUse, PostToolUse, Notification, UserPromptSubmit, Stop, SubagentStop, PreCompact, SessionStart, or SessionEnd hooks.

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Installation

Follow the repository instructions for this skill and your agent. Review the files and dependencies before adding it to your workflow.

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Skill instructions

Hooks Creator

Create Claude Code hooks - shell commands that execute automatically at specific lifecycle points.

Quick Reference: Hook Events

Event When it Runs Can Block Matcher Common Use
PreToolUse Before tool call Yes Yes Validate/block commands, modify inputs
PermissionRequest Permission dialog Yes Yes Auto-allow/deny permissions
PostToolUse After tool succeeds No Yes Format code, log, provide feedback
Notification Notification sent No Yes Custom alerts (permission_prompt, idle_prompt)
UserPromptSubmit User submits prompt Yes No Validate prompts, inject context
Stop Claude finishes Yes No Evaluate completion, force continue
SubagentStop Subagent finishes Yes No Evaluate subagent completion
PreCompact Before compaction No Yes Pre-compact cleanup (manual, auto)
SessionStart Session begins No Yes Setup env, load context (startup, resume, clear, compact)
SessionEnd Session ends No No Cleanup, logging

Workflow

Step 1: Determine Hook Requirements

Ask the user:

  1. What should trigger the hook? (which event from table above)
  2. What should the hook do? (the action to take)
  3. Should it block/modify behavior? (for events that support blocking)
Step 2: Determine Installation Scope

Ask where to install the hook:

Scope Path Use Case
Project (shared) .claude/settings.json Team-shared hooks, committed to git
Project (local) .claude/settings.local.json Personal project hooks, not committed
User global ~/.claude/settings.json Personal hooks for all projects
User profile ~/.claude-<profile>/settings.json Profile-specific hooks

For user-level hooks, ask which profile or if using default ~/.claude/.

Step 3: Create the Hook
Configuration Format
{
  "hooks": {
    "EventName": [
      {
        "matcher": "ToolPattern",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "path/to/script.py",
            "timeout": 60
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}
Matcher Patterns
  • Exact match: "Write" - matches only Write tool
  • Wildcard: "*" or "" - matches all tools
  • Regex: "Edit|Write" - matches Edit OR Write
  • MCP tools: "mcp__server__tool" pattern

Events WITHOUT matcher support: UserPromptSubmit, Stop, SubagentStop, SessionEnd

Hook Script Template

Create a Python script that:

  1. Reads JSON from stdin
  2. Processes the input
  3. Outputs JSON for control (optional)
  4. Exits with appropriate code
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import json
import sys

try:
    input_data = json.load(sys.stdin)
except json.JSONDecodeError:
    sys.exit(0)

# Process input_data based on hook event
# Common fields: session_id, transcript_path, cwd, permission_mode, hook_event_name

# Exit codes:
#   0 = Success (allow)
#   2 = Block (stderr used as error message)
#   other = Non-blocking error

sys.exit(0)
Step 4: Hook Input/Output Reference

See references/hook-events.md for detailed input/output fields per event.

See references/examples.md for complete working examples.

Environment Variables

Variable Available In Description
CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR All hooks Project root directory
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE All hooks "true" if remote, empty if local
CLAUDE_ENV_FILE SessionStart only File to persist env vars

Security Considerations

  • Hooks run with your user credentials
  • Always validate and sanitize inputs
  • Quote shell variables: "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR"
  • Block path traversal: reject paths with ..
  • Set reasonable timeouts (default 60s)
  • Never access .env, credentials, private keys

Examples

Read the usage examples in the source repository.

View source ↗

Source history

Indexed on
2026-01-20
Index updated
2026-02-03
Branch
main

Index and sync dates describe this directory. View the source repository for code history.

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