[H1][HOOKS-BUILDER]
Build Claude Code hooks—shell commands, prompt evaluations, or multi-turn agents execute at 15 agent lifecycle events.
Tasks:
- Read lifecycle.md — 14 events, input schemas, exit codes, blocking behavior
- Read schema.md — Configuration structure, matchers, JSON responses, hook types
- (integration) Read integration.md — Environment variables, context injection
- (scripting) Read scripting.md — Python standards, security patterns
- (recipes) Read recipes.md — Proven implementation patterns
- (troubleshooting) Read troubleshooting.md — Known issues, platform workarounds
- (prose) Apply
docs/standards— Style, evidence, constraints - Validate — Quality gate; see §VALIDATION
Scope:
- Event Selection: Choose hook type by automation goal (blocking vs observing).
- Configuration: Author settings.json entries with matchers and timeouts.
- Response Handling: Control agent via exit codes, JSON responses, or prompt evaluation.
References:
| Domain | File | | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | Schema | schema.md | | Lifecycle | lifecycle.md | | Integration | integration.md | | Scripting | scripting.md | | Recipes | recipes.md | | Troubleshooting | troubleshooting.md | | Validation | validation.md |
[01]-[EVENT_SELECTION]
Decision Gate:
- Intercept before execution? → PreToolUse (validate/block/modify parameters)
- Control permission dialogs? → PermissionRequest (auto-approve/deny)
- React after completion? → PostToolUse (format, lint, add context)
- React after failure? → PostToolUseFailure (error handling, retry logic)
- Inject at session boundaries? → SessionStart (context), UserPromptSubmit (per-message)
- One-time provisioning? → Setup (tool installation, dependency setup via
claude --init) - Evaluate task completion? → Stop/SubagentStop (prompt/agent type for LLM judgment)
- Coordinate teams? → TeammateIdle (prevent idle), TaskCompleted (validate completion)
- Observe subagent lifecycle? → SubagentStart/SubagentStop (logging)
Blocking Events (exit 2 blocks action):
| [INDEX] | [EVENT] | [EXIT_2_EFFECT] | | :-----: | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | [01] | PreToolUse | Blocks tool call; stderr shown to Claude | | [02] | PermissionRequest | Denies the permission | | [03] | UserPromptSubmit | Blocks prompt processing; erases prompt from context | | [04] | Stop | Prevents Claude from stopping; continues conversation | | [05] | SubagentStop | Prevents subagent from stopping | | [06] | TeammateIdle | Prevents teammate from going idle; stderr = feedback | | [07] | TaskCompleted | Prevents task completion; stderr = feedback to model |
Non-blocking Events (exit 2 shows stderr only):
| [INDEX] | [EVENT] | [EXIT_2_EFFECT] | | :-----: | ------------------ | -------------------------------------------- | | [01] | PostToolUse | Shows stderr to Claude (tool already ran) | | [02] | PostToolUseFailure | Shows stderr to Claude (tool already failed) | | [03] | SessionStart | Shows stderr to user only | | [04] | Setup | Shows stderr to user only | | [06] | SessionEnd | Shows stderr to user only | | [07] | Notification | Shows stderr to user only | | [08] | SubagentStart | Shows stderr to user only | | [09] | PreCompact | Shows stderr to user only |
[02]-[CONFIGURATION]
| [INDEX] | [SCOPE] | [PATH] | [USE] | [GIT] |
| :-----: | ------- | ----------------------------- | -------------------- | :----: |
| [01] | User | ~/.claude/settings.json | Global, all projects | N/A |
| [02] | Project | .claude/settings.json | Shared, committed | Commit |
| [03] | Local | .claude/settings.local.json | Personal, testing | Ignore |
Precedence: Local > Project > User. Same-event hooks from all scopes run in parallel.
Snapshot: Hooks captured at startup; mid-session edits require /hooks review to reload.
[03]-[IMPLEMENTATION]
| [INDEX] | [TYPE] | [USE_CASE] | [TIMEOUT] | [CHARACTERISTICS] | | :-----: | ------- | -------------------------------- | :-------: | ---------------------------- | | [01] | command | Validation, formatting, rules | 600s | Deterministic, shell scripts | | [02] | prompt | Complex evaluation, LLM judgment | 30s | Single-turn, context-aware | | [03] | agent | Tool-using evaluation | 60s | Multi-turn, up to 50 turns |
Prompt/Agent Eligible Events: PreToolUse, PostToolUse, PostToolUseFailure, PermissionRequest, UserPromptSubmit, Stop, SubagentStop, TaskCompleted.
[CRITICAL] TeammateIdle does NOT support prompt or agent hooks — exit codes only.
Prompt/Agent Response Schema:
{"ok": true}
{"ok": false, "reason": "Explanation shown to Claude"}
ok: true allows the action. ok: false blocks it with the provided reason.
Command Hook Fields:
| [INDEX] | [FIELD] | [TYPE] | [DEFAULT] | [EFFECT] |
| :-----: | --------------- | ------- | :-----------: | ----------------------------------------- |
| [01] | type | string | — | "command", "prompt", or "agent" |
| [02] | command | string | — | Shell command or script path |
| [03] | timeout | number | type-specific | Seconds: command=600, prompt=30, agent=60 |
| [04] | async | boolean | false | Background execution; non-blocking |
| [05] | statusMessage | string | — | Custom spinner text during execution |
| [06] | once | boolean | false | Run once per session (skills only) |
Prompt/Agent Hook Fields:
| [INDEX] | [FIELD] | [TYPE] | [DEFAULT] | [EFFECT] |
| :-----: | -------- | ------ | :--------: | ---------------------------------------------- |
| [01] | prompt | string | — | Instructions for LLM; $ARGUMENTS = hook JSON |
| [02] | model | string | fast model | Model to use for evaluation |
[04]-[SCRIPTING]
Python 3.15+ with strict typing. Zero imperative patterns.
[05]-[VALIDATION]
[VERIFY] Completion:
- [ ] Event: Selected correct hook type for automation goal.
- [ ] Blocking: Verified event supports blocking (7 events) or observing (8 events).
- [ ] Schema: Configuration structure validated per schema.md.
- [ ] Timeout: Correct units (seconds): command=600, prompt=30, agent=60.
- [ ] Integration: Environment variables and context injection applied.
- [ ] Scripting: Security patterns and tooling gates passed.
- [ ] Quality: JSON syntax valid, timeouts appropriate.
[REFERENCE] Operational checklist: ->validation.md