Git hooks with Bash

Last reviewed May 28, 2026 Content v20260528

Track mode

none

Means

Read / quiz

Reading

~1 min

Level

intermediate

This lesson

This lesson teaches Git hooks with Bash: the syntax, patterns, and safety habits you need before advancing in Bash.

Teams still ship Git hooks with Bash in Bash codebases—skipping it leaves gaps in debugging and code reviews.

You will apply Git hooks with Bash in contexts like: Remote server maintenance, pre-commit checks, and deploy hooks.

Read each lesson, copy bash examples into your own terminal, and complete the lesson MCQs—there is no in-browser runner for security reasons.

When you can explain the previous lesson's ideas without copying starter code.

Git hooks are scripts Git runs at events (pre-commit, pre-push). They are almost always Bash or sh-compatible—tie directly to the Git track.

Sample pre-commit

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -e
if grep -R "FIXME" --include="*.py" .; then
  echo "Remove FIXME before commit" >&2
  exit 1
fi
echo "pre-commit ok"

Place in .git/hooks/pre-commit and chmod +x—or use a hook manager like pre-commit framework.

#!/usr/bin/env bash
npm test   # example; replace with project command

Keep hooks fast—slow hooks get skipped with --no-verify, defeating the purpose.

Version hooks under scripts/hooks/ and document install steps—.git/hooks is not cloned. Teams symlink or copy on setup.

Q: Where do hooks live?
A: In .git/hooks/ with executable names matching hook names.
Q: exit 1 in a hook?
A: Aborts the Git operation (commit/push) with an error message.

Tip: Version hook scripts in scripts/; .git/hooks is not cloned.

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