Creating Claude Code Hooks

Use this skill when creating, improving, or publishing Claude Code hooks. Provides essential guidance on hook format, event handling, I/O conventions, and package structure.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when:

• User asks to create a new Claude Code hook
• User wants to publish a hook as a PRPM package
• User needs to understand hook format or events
• User is troubleshooting hook execution
• User asks about hook vs skill vs command differences

Quick Reference

Hook File Format

Aspect	Requirement
Location	.claude/hooks/<event-name>
Format	Executable file (shell, TypeScript, Python, etc.)
Permissions	Must be executable (chmod +x)
Shebang	Required (#!/bin/bash or #!/usr/bin/env node)
Input	JSON via stdin
Output	Text via stdout (shown to user)
Exit Codes	0 = success, 2 = block, other = error

Available Events

Event	When It Fires	Common Use Cases
session-start	New session begins	Environment setup, logging, checks
user-prompt-submit	Before user input processes	Validation, enhancement, filtering
tool-call	Before tool execution	Permission checks, logging, modification
assistant-response	After assistant responds	Formatting, logging, cleanup

Hook Format Requirements

File Location

Project hooks:

.claude/hooks/session-start
.claude/hooks/user-prompt-submit

User-global hooks:

~/.claude/hooks/session-start
~/.claude/hooks/tool-call

Executable Requirements

Every hook MUST:

1. Have a shebang line:

   #!/bin/bash
   # or
   #!/usr/bin/env node
   # or
   #!/usr/bin/env python3

2. Be executable:

   chmod +x .claude/hooks/session-start

3. Handle JSON input from stdin:

   #!/bin/bash
   INPUT=$(cat)
   FILE=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.input.file_path // empty')

4. Exit with appropriate code:

   exit 0  # Success
   exit 2  # Block operation
   exit 1  # Error (logs but continues)

Input/Output Format

JSON Input Structure

Hooks receive JSON via stdin with event-specific data:

{
  "event": "tool-call",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "session_id": "abc123",
  "current_dir": "/path/to/project",
  "input": {
    "file_path": "/path/to/file.ts",
    "command": "npm test",
    "old_string": "...",
    "new_string": "..."
  }
}

Stdout Output

• Normal output shows in transcript
• Empty output runs silently
• Use stderr (>&2) for errors

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning	Behavior
0	Success	Continue normally
2	Block	Stop operation, show error
1 or other	Error	Log error, continue

Schema Validation

Hooks should validate against the JSON schema:

Schema URL: https://github.com/pr-pm/prpm/blob/main/packages/converters/schemas/claude-hook.schema.json

Required frontmatter fields:

• name - Hook identifier (lowercase, hyphens only)
• description - What the hook does
• event - Event type (optional, inferred from filename)
• language - bash, typescript, javascript, python, binary (optional)
• hookType: "hook" - For round-trip conversion

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Solution
Not quoting variables	Breaks on spaces	Always use "$VAR"
Missing shebang	Won't execute	Add #!/bin/bash
Not executable	Permission denied	Run chmod +x hook-file
Logging to stdout	Clutters transcript	Use stderr: echo "log" >&2
Wrong exit code	Doesn't block when needed	Use exit 2 to block
No input validation	Security risk	Always validate JSON fields
Slow operations	Blocks Claude	Run in background or use PostToolUse
Absolute paths missing	Can't find scripts	Use $CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT

Basic Hook Examples

Shell Script Hook

#!/bin/bash
# .claude/hooks/session-start

# Log session start
echo "Session started at $(date)" >> ~/.claude/session.log

# Check environment
if ! command -v node &> /dev/null; then
  echo "Warning: Node.js not installed" >&2
fi

# Output to user
echo "Development environment ready"
exit 0

TypeScript Hook

#!/usr/bin/env node
// .claude/hooks/user-prompt-submit

import { readFileSync } from 'fs';

// Read JSON from stdin
const input = readFileSync(0, 'utf-8');
const data = JSON.parse(input);

// Validate prompt
if (data.prompt.includes('API_KEY')) {
  console.error('Warning: Prompt may contain secrets');
  process.exit(2); // Block
}

console.log('Prompt validated');
process.exit(0);

Best Practices

1. Keep Hooks Fast

Target < 100ms for PreToolUse hooks:

• Cache results where possible
• Run heavy operations in background
• Use specific matchers, not wildcards

2. Handle Errors Gracefully

# Check dependencies exist
if ! command -v jq &> /dev/null; then
  echo "jq not installed, skipping" >&2
  exit 0
fi

# Validate input
FILE=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.input.file_path // empty')
if [[ -z "$FILE" ]]; then
  echo "No file path provided" >&2
  exit 1
fi

3. Use Shebangs

Always start with shebang:

#!/bin/bash
#!/usr/bin/env node
#!/usr/bin/env python3

4. Secure Sensitive Files

BLOCKED=(".env" ".env.*" "*.pem" "*.key")
for pattern in "${BLOCKED[@]}"; do
  case "$FILE" in
    $pattern)
      echo "Blocked: $FILE is sensitive" >&2
      exit 2
      ;;
  esac
done

5. Quote All Variables

# WRONG - breaks on spaces
prettier --write $FILE

# RIGHT - handles spaces
prettier --write "$FILE"

6. Log for Debugging

LOG_FILE=~/.claude-hooks/debug.log

# Log to file
echo "[$(date)] Processing $FILE" >> "$LOG_FILE"

# Log to stderr (shows in transcript)
echo "Hook running..." >&2

Publishing as PRPM Package

Package Structure

my-hook/
├── prpm.json          # Package manifest
├── HOOK.md            # Hook documentation
└── hook-script.sh     # Hook executable

prpm.json

{
  "name": "@username/hook-name",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Brief description shown in search",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "format": "claude",
  "subtype": "hook",
  "tags": ["automation", "security", "formatting"],
  "main": "HOOK.md"
}

HOOK.md Format

---
name: session-logger
description: Logs session start/end times for tracking
event: SessionStart
language: bash
hookType: hook
---

# Session Logger Hook

Logs Claude Code session activity for tracking and debugging.

## Installation

This hook will be installed to `.claude/hooks/session-start`.

## Behavior

- Logs session start time to `~/.claude/session.log`
- Displays environment status
- Runs silent dependency checks

## Requirements

- bash 4.0+
- write access to `~/.claude/`

## Source Code

\`\`\`bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "Session started at $(date)" >> ~/.claude/session.log
echo "Environment ready"
exit 0
\`\`\`

Publishing Process

# Test locally first
prpm test

# Publish to registry
prpm publish

# Version bumps
prpm publish patch  # 1.0.0 -> 1.0.1
prpm publish minor  # 1.0.0 -> 1.1.0
prpm publish major  # 1.0.0 -> 2.0.0

Security Requirements

Input Validation

# Parse JSON safely
INPUT=$(cat)
if ! FILE=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.input.file_path // empty' 2>&1); then
  echo "JSON parse failed" >&2
  exit 1
fi

# Validate field exists
[[ -n "$FILE" ]] || exit 1

Path Sanitization

# Prevent directory traversal
if [[ "$FILE" == *".."* ]]; then
  echo "Path traversal detected" >&2
  exit 2
fi

# Keep in project directory
if [[ "$FILE" != "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR"* ]]; then
  echo "File outside project" >&2
  exit 2
fi

User Confirmation

Claude Code automatically:

• Requires confirmation before installing hooks
• Shows hook source code to user
• Warns about hook execution
• Displays hook output in transcript

Hooks vs Skills vs Commands

Feature	Hooks	Skills	Commands
Format	Executable code	Markdown	Markdown
Trigger	Automatic (events)	Automatic (context)	Manual (/command)
Language	Any executable	N/A	N/A
Use Case	Automation, validation	Reference, patterns	Quick tasks
Security	Requires confirmation	No special permissions	Inherits from session

Examples:

• Hook: Auto-format files on save
• Skill: Reference guide for testing patterns
• Command: /review-pr quick code review

Related Resources

• claude-hook-writer skill - Detailed hook development guidance
• typescript-hook-writer skill - TypeScript-specific hook development
• Claude Code Docs
• Schema

Checklist for New Hooks

Before publishing:

• [ ] Shebang line included
• [ ] File is executable (chmod +x)
• [ ] Validates all stdin input
• [ ] Quotes all variables
• [ ] Handles missing dependencies gracefully
• [ ] Uses appropriate exit codes
• [ ] Logs errors to stderr or file
• [ ] Tests with edge cases (spaces, Unicode, missing fields)
• [ ] Documents dependencies in HOOK.md
• [ ] Includes installation instructions
• [ ] Source code included in documentation
• [ ] Clear description and tags in prpm.json
• [ ] Version number is semantic