Hooks Manager Skill | Agent Skills

Hooks Manager

Manage Claude Code hooks for deterministic workflow automation.

When to Use

Creating or modifying hooks for workflow automation
Testing hook configurations before deployment
Debugging hook execution issues
Understanding hook event types and matchers
Implementing security-aware hook patterns
Managing project or user-level hook configurations

What This Skill Does

Guides you through Claude Code hook management:

Hook Creation: Generate hook configurations with proper syntax
Event Types: Understand all 9 hook events and when they trigger
Security: Implement hooks with proper security considerations
Testing: Validate hooks before deployment
Examples: Access common hook patterns and implementations
Debugging: Troubleshoot hook execution issues

🎯 Core Principle: Hook Lifecycle

Hooks execute at 9 lifecycle points:

| Event | Timing | Can Block? (Exit 2) | |-------|--------|---------------------| | PreToolUse | Before tool execution | ✅ Yes (blocks tool) | | PostToolUse | After tool completion | ⚠️ Partial (tool already ran, feeds stderr to Claude) | | UserPromptSubmit | Before AI processing | ✅ Yes (erases prompt) | | SessionStart | Session begins/resumes | ❌ No | | SessionEnd | Session terminates | ❌ No | | Stop | Claude finishes responding | ✅ Yes (blocks stoppage) | | SubagentStop | Subagent completes | ✅ Yes (blocks stoppage) | | PreCompact | Before memory compaction | ✅ Yes (blocks compaction) | | Notification | Claude sends notification | ❌ No |

Exit Codes:

0: Success (stdout visible in transcript mode)
2: Blocking error (stderr fed to Claude or shown to user)
Other: Non-blocking error (stderr shown to user)

→ Complete Event Types Reference - Detailed documentation with examples

Plugin Hooks Configuration

PRISM uses plugin-level hooks configured in hooks/hooks.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "python ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/my-hook.py"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Critical: Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} for all plugin paths (not relative paths)

→ Complete Configuration Reference for full schema

Quick Start

Create Your First Hook (Recommended)

Read the event table above (30 seconds)
Browse examples: *hook-examples (2 min)
Create hook: *create-hook (guided setup)
Test hook: *test-hook [name] (validation)

Result: A working hook following best practices

Quick Lookup (While Building)

Need a command or pattern right now?

→ Commands Reference - All 15 commands with examples → Examples Library - 13 pre-built hook patterns

Learn Hook System (Deep Dive)

Want to understand hook architecture?

→ Event Types Reference - Complete event documentation → Security Best Practices - Hook security guide

Available Commands

| Category | Commands | |----------|----------| | Management | list-hooks, create-hook, edit-hook {name}, delete-hook {name}, enable-hook {name}, disable-hook {name} | | Testing | test-hook {name}, debug-hook {name}, validate-config | | Examples | hook-examples, event-types, install-example {name} | | Sharing | export-hooks, import-hooks {file} |

→ Full Command Reference for detailed usage

Hook Examples Library

Quick access to 13 pre-built patterns:

Logging: bash-command-logger, file-change-tracker, workflow-auditor
Safety: file-protection, git-safety, syntax-validator
Automation: auto-formatter, auto-tester, auto-commit
Notifications: desktop-alerts, slack-integration, completion-notifier
PRISM: story-context-enforcer

→ Complete Examples with full implementations

Integration with PRISM

The hooks-manager skill enables automation for:

Workflow Validation: Enforce story context in core-development-cycle
Quality Gates: Auto-run tests and validation
PSP Tracking: Auto-update timestamps and metrics
Skill Integration: Hook into any PRISM skill command

Current PRISM Hooks:

enforce-story-context - Block workflow commands without active story
track-current-story - Capture story file from *draft command
validate-story-updates - Ensure required sections exist
validate-required-sections - Status-based section validation

Available Reference Files

All detailed content lives in reference files (progressive disclosure):

Commands Reference (~4.5k tokens) - Complete command documentation
Event Types (~4.6k tokens) - All 9 events with examples
Examples Library (~4.2k tokens) - 13 pre-built patterns
Security Guide - Security checklist and best practices

Common Questions

Q: Where do I start? A: Run *hook-examples to browse patterns, then *create-hook for guided setup

Q: Which event should I use? A: See Event Types Reference for complete guide

Q: Can I see working examples? A: Yes! Run *hook-examples or see Examples Library

Q: How do I test before deployment? A: Use *test-hook [name] to validate with sample input

Q: How do I share hooks with my team? A: Use *export-hooks and commit to .claude/settings.json

Triggers

This skill activates when you mention:

"create a hook" or "manage hooks"
"hook automation" or "workflow hooks"
"PreToolUse" or "PostToolUse" (event names)
"test hook" or "debug hook"

Need help? Use *hook-examples to browse patterns or *create-hook for guided setup.

Agent Skills: Hooks Manager

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files