Git Hooks
Overview
This skill provides comprehensive guidance on modern git hook implementations across multiple ecosystems, with primary focus on.NET/C# and strong support for JavaScript/TypeScript and Python. It covers framework selection, setup workflows, performance optimization, security integration, testing strategies, and team collaboration patterns.
Key capabilities:
- Adaptive framework recommendations based on ecosystem, scale, and requirements
- Complete lifecycle support from tool selection → setup → configuration → testing → maintenance
- Performance-first approach with parallel execution and incremental processing patterns
- Security by default with mandatory secret scanning integration
- CI/CD integration for defense-in-depth validation (local + remote)
- Real-world examples with copy-paste ready configurations
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Set up git hooks for a new or existing project
- Choose a git hook framework (Husky.Net vs lefthook vs Husky vs pre-commit)
- Configure pre-commit hooks for code formatting, linting, security scanning
- Configure commit-msg hooks for Conventional Commits validation
- Configure pre-push hooks for running tests or build validation
- Integrate ecosystem tools (dotnet format, ESLint/Prettier, Black/Ruff/mypy)
- Enforce Conventional Commits with commitlint
- Scan for secrets before commits (gitleaks, TruffleHog)
- Optimize hook performance (slow hooks blocking developers)
- Test git hooks (unit testing, integration testing)
- Deploy hooks to a team (automatic installation, CI/CD enforcement)
- Troubleshoot hook issues (activation problems, performance issues)
- Handle monorepo hook patterns
Trigger scenarios:
- "Set up git hooks for my.NET project"
- "How do I enforce code formatting before commits?"
- "Configure Conventional Commits validation"
- "My pre-commit hook is too slow"
- "Should I use Husky.Net or lefthook for C#?"
- "Integrate secret scanning with git hooks"
Quick Start Decision Tree
Which framework should I use?
Answer these questions:
- What's your primary ecosystem?
- .NET/C# only → Consider Husky.Net (native integration) or lefthook (performance) - JavaScript/TypeScript only → Use Husky + lint-staged + commitlint - Python only → Use pre-commit framework - Multiple languages (polyglot) → Use lefthook or pre-commit
- What's your team size/scale?
- Solo developer or small team → Any framework works; choose based on ecosystem - Medium team (5-20) → Prioritize ease of installation and CI/CD integration - Large team/enterprise (20+) → Prioritize performance (lefthook), standardization
- What's your performance requirement?
- Speed is critical → Use lefthook (parallel execution, Go-based) - Speed is moderate concern → Any framework with incremental processing - Speed is not a concern → Choose based on ecosystem familiarity
Quick recommendations
| Ecosystem | Solo/Small Team | Medium Team | Large Team/Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NET/C# | Husky.Net | Husky.Net or lefthook | lefthook |
| JavaScript/TypeScript | Husky + lint-staged | Husky + lint-staged | Husky + lint-staged or lefthook |
| Python | pre-commit | pre-commit | pre-commit or lefthook |
| Polyglot | lefthook or pre-commit | lefthook | lefthook |
Framework Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | Husky.Net | lefthook | Husky (JS) | pre-commit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Moderate | Excellent (parallel) | Good (with lint-staged) | Good |
| Ecosystem | .NET/C# | Any | JavaScript/TS | Any (Python primary) |
| Config Format | JSON (task-runner.json) | YAML | Shell scripts + package.json | YAML |
| Parallel Execution | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | Partial |
| Learning Curve | Low (.NET devs) | Moderate | Low (JS devs) | Low (Python devs) |
| Monorepo Support | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
📖 For detailed comparison: See references/framework-comparison.md for comprehensive feature analysis, pros/cons, and selection criteria.
Core Capabilities
1..NET/C# Workflows
Quick Start: Install Husky.Net (dotnet tool install Husky) or lefthook (scoop install lefthook), configure task-runner.json or lefthook.yml, and verify.
Key patterns:
- Use
${staged}or{staged_files}for incremental processing - Integrate dotnet format (pre-commit) and dotnet test (pre-push)
- Attach Husky.Net to.csproj for automatic team installation
📖 For complete setup: See references/setup-workflows.md
Examples:
2. JavaScript/TypeScript Workflows
Quick Start: Install dependencies (npm install --save-dev husky lint-staged @commitlint/cli), initialize Husky (npx husky init), configure lint-staged in package.json, and add hooks.
Key patterns:
- Use lint-staged for incremental processing (15x speedup)
- Integrate ESLint, Prettier, and commitlint
- Automatic installation via prepare script
📖 For complete setup: See references/setup-workflows.md
Examples:
3. Python Workflows
Quick Start: Install pre-commit (pip install pre-commit), create .pre-commit-config.yaml with Black/Ruff/mypy hooks, and run pre-commit install.
Key patterns:
- Use Ruff for 10-100x faster linting than Flake8/pylint
- Extensive plugin ecosystem (hundreds of pre-built hooks)
- Automatic environment management
📖 For complete setup: See references/setup-workflows.md
Examples:
4. Polyglot Workflows
For repositories with multiple languages, use lefthook (recommended for performance) or pre-commit.
📖 For complete setup: See references/setup-workflows.md
Examples:
5. Conventional Commits & Semantic Versioning
Tools: commitlint (validation), commitizen (interactive prompts), semantic-release (automated versioning)
Quick Start: Install commitlint, configure rules, add commit-msg hook
📖 For complete setup: See references/conventional-commits.md
Examples:
6. Security & Secret Scanning
Tools: gitleaks (secret detection), TruffleHog (800+ secret types with API validation)
Quick Start: Install gitleaks/TruffleHog, add to pre-commit hooks, configure allowlist for false positives
Best Practice: Scan locally (pre-commit) AND in CI/CD (pull requests)
📖 For complete setup: See references/secret-scanning.md
7. Performance Optimization
Key strategies:
- Incremental processing - Only process staged files (15x speedup)
- Parallel execution - Run hooks in parallel with lefthook (90% speedup)
- Fast tools - Use Ruff (10-100x faster than Flake8/pylint)
- Caching - ESLint --cache, dotnet --no-build
📖 For detailed strategies: See references/performance-optimization.md
8. Testing & Validation
Levels:
- Unit testing - Test individual hook scripts
- Integration testing - Test complete workflow
- CI/CD validation - Run same checks locally and remotely (defense in depth)
📖 For examples and patterns: See references/testing-strategies.md
9. Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- Hooks not running - Run framework install command, check core.hooksPath
- Hooks too slow - Use incremental processing, parallel execution, faster tools
- Windows path issues - Use quotes and forward slashes
Migration strategies: Gradual rollout (formatting → linting → commit validation → testing/security)
📖 For complete troubleshooting: See references/troubleshooting.md
Configuration Examples
Complete examples are available in the examples/ directory:
- examples/husky-net-dotnet-format.json - Husky.Net with dotnet format
- examples/lefthook-dotnet.yml - lefthook for.NET/C#
- examples/husky-javascript-package.json - Husky + lint-staged for JS/TS
- examples/pre-commit-python.yaml - pre-commit for Python
- examples/lefthook-polyglot.yml - lefthook for polyglot repositories
- examples/commitlint.config.js - Conventional Commits configuration
Migration & Adoption
Gradual Rollout Strategy
Phase 1: Start with formatting (low risk)
- Add dotnet format / Prettier / Black
- Warning mode (don't block commits)
- Team feedback and adjustment
Phase 2: Add linting
- Add ESLint / Ruff / StyleCop
- Error mode (block commits)
- Fix existing violations
Phase 3: Add commit message validation
- Add commitlint
- Educate team on Conventional Commits
- Provide commitizen for assistance
Phase 4: Add testing and security
- Add dotnet test in pre-push
- Add gitleaks in pre-commit
- CI/CD enforcement
Test Scenarios
Scenario 1: Framework Selection for.NET Project
User Query: "I need to set up git hooks for my C# project with 15 developers"
Expected Behavior:
- Skill activates on keywords: "git hooks", "C#", ".NET"
- Provides Quick Start Decision Tree guiding to framework selection
- Considers team size (medium team)
- Recommends Husky.Net (native integration) or lefthook (performance)
- Links to framework comparison and setup workflows
Scenario 2: Performance Optimization Request
User Query: "My pre-commit hook is taking 35 seconds and blocking developers from committing"
Expected Behavior:
- Skill activates on keywords: "pre-commit hook", "slow", "performance"
- Recognizes performance problem
- Provides immediate optimization strategies
- Links to performance-optimization.md for deep-dive
Scenario 3: Framework Comparison Request
User Query: "Should I use Husky.Net or lefthook for our.NET team?"
Expected Behavior:
- Skill activates on framework names: "Husky.Net", "lefthook"
- Provides framework comparison matrix
- Asks relevant follow-up questions (team size, performance requirements)
- Guides decision based on context
Scenario 4: Conventional Commits Implementation
User Query: "How do I enforce Conventional Commits in my JavaScript project?"
Expected Behavior:
- Skill activates on keywords: "Conventional Commits", "JavaScript", "enforce"
- Recognizes commit validation need
- Provides setup steps for commitlint
- Links to conventional-commits.md for complete guide
Scenario 5: Secret Scanning Integration
User Query: "I want to prevent developers from accidentally committing secrets to our repository"
Expected Behavior:
- Skill activates on keywords: "secrets", "prevent", "commit"
- Recognizes security requirement
- Recommends gitleaks or TruffleHog
- Links to secret-scanning.md
- Mentions both local (pre-commit) and CI/CD enforcement
References
Official Documentation (access via MCP servers):
- Husky.Net: https://alirezanet.github.io/Husky.Net/
- lefthook: https://github.com/evilmartians/lefthook
- Husky (JS): https://typicode.github.io/husky/
- pre-commit: https://pre-commit.com/
- commitlint: https://commitlint.js.org/
Detailed references:
- references/framework-comparison.md - Framework comparison and selection criteria
- references/setup-workflows.md - Setup workflows for all ecosystems
- references/conventional-commits.md - Conventional Commits setup
- references/secret-scanning.md - Secret scanning integration
- references/performance-optimization.md - Performance strategies
- references/testing-strategies.md - Testing and validation patterns
- references/troubleshooting.md - Troubleshooting guide
Version History
- v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release
Last Updated
Date: 2025-11-28 Model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101
Research Sources: Microsoft Learn MCP, Context7 MCP (Husky.Net, lefthook, Husky, pre-commit repositories), Perplexity MCP (2024-2025 best practices), Firecrawl MCP (official documentation sites), Ref MCP (commitlint, semantic-release).