/hook-development

Advanced Hook Use Cases

This reference covers advanced hook patterns and techniques for sophisticated automation workflows.

Multi-Stage Validation

Combine command and prompt hooks for layered validation:

{
  "PreToolUse": [
    {
      "matcher": "Bash",
      "hooks": [
        {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/quick-check.sh",
          "timeout": 5
        },
        {
          "type": "prompt",
          "prompt": "Deep analysis of bash command: $TOOL_INPUT",
          "timeout": 15
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Use case: Fast deterministic checks followed by intelligent analysis

Example quick-check.sh:

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
command=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.command')

# Immediate approval for safe commands
if [[ "$command" =~ ^(ls|pwd|echo|date|whoami)$ ]]; then
  exit 0
fi

# Let prompt hook handle complex cases
exit 0

The command hook quickly approves obviously safe commands, while the prompt hook analyzes everything else.

Conditional Hook Execution

Execute hooks based on environment or context:

#!/bin/bash
# Only run in CI environment
if [ -z "$CI" ]; then
  echo '{"continue": true}' # Skip in non-CI
  exit 0
fi

# Run validation logic in CI
input=$(cat)
# ... validation code ...

Use cases:

• Different behavior in CI vs local development
• Project-specific validation
• User-specific rules

Example: Skip certain checks for trusted users:

#!/bin/bash
# Skip detailed checks for admin users
if [ "$USER" = "admin" ]; then
  exit 0
fi

# Full validation for other users
input=$(cat)
# ... validation code ...

Hook Chaining via State

Share state between hooks using temporary files:

# Hook 1: Analyze and save state
#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
command=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.command')

# Analyze command
risk_level=$(calculate_risk "$command")
echo "$risk_level" > /tmp/hook-state-$$

exit 0

# Hook 2: Use saved state
#!/bin/bash
risk_level=$(cat /tmp/hook-state-$$ 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")

if [ "$risk_level" = "high" ]; then
  echo "High risk operation detected" >&2
  exit 2
fi

Important: This only works for sequential hook events (e.g., PreToolUse then PostToolUse), not parallel hooks.

Dynamic Hook Configuration

Modify hook behavior based on project configuration:

#!/bin/bash
cd "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" || exit 1

# Read project-specific config
if [ -f ".claude-hooks-config.json" ]; then
  strict_mode=$(jq -r '.strict_mode' .claude-hooks-config.json)

  if [ "$strict_mode" = "true" ]; then
    # Apply strict validation
    # ...
  else
    # Apply lenient validation
    # ...
  fi
fi

Example .claude-hooks-config.json:

{
  "strict_mode": true,
  "allowed_commands": ["ls", "pwd", "grep"],
  "forbidden_paths": ["/etc", "/sys"]
}

Context-Aware Prompt Hooks

Use transcript and session context for intelligent decisions:

{
  "Stop": [
    {
      "matcher": "*",
      "hooks": [
        {
          "type": "prompt",
          "prompt": "Review the full transcript at $TRANSCRIPT_PATH. Check: 1) Were tests run after code changes? 2) Did the build succeed? 3) Were all user questions answered? 4) Is there any unfinished work? Return 'approve' only if everything is complete."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The LLM can read the transcript file and make context-aware decisions.

Performance Optimization

Caching Validation Results

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
file_path=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path')
cache_key=$(echo -n "$file_path" | md5sum | cut -d' ' -f1)
cache_file="/tmp/hook-cache-$cache_key"

# Check cache
if [ -f "$cache_file" ]; then
  cache_age=$(($(date +%s) - $(stat -f%m "$cache_file" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%Y "$cache_file")))
  if [ "$cache_age" -lt 300 ]; then  # 5 minute cache
    cat "$cache_file"
    exit 0
  fi
fi

# Perform validation
result='{"decision": "approve"}'

# Cache result
echo "$result" > "$cache_file"
echo "$result"

Parallel Execution Optimization

Since hooks run in parallel, design them to be independent:

{
  "PreToolUse": [
    {
      "matcher": "Write",
      "hooks": [
        {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "bash check-size.sh",      // Independent
          "timeout": 2
        },
        {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "bash check-path.sh",      // Independent
          "timeout": 2
        },
        {
          "type": "prompt",
          "prompt": "Check content safety",     // Independent
          "timeout": 10
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

All three hooks run simultaneously, reducing total latency.

Cross-Event Workflows

Coordinate hooks across different events:

SessionStart - Set up tracking:

#!/bin/bash
# Initialize session tracking
echo "0" > /tmp/test-count-$$
echo "0" > /tmp/build-count-$$

PostToolUse - Track events:

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
tool_name=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_name')

if [ "$tool_name" = "Bash" ]; then
  command=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_result')
  if [[ "$command" == *"test"* ]]; then
    count=$(cat /tmp/test-count-$$ 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
    echo $((count + 1)) > /tmp/test-count-$$
  fi
fi

Stop - Verify based on tracking:

#!/bin/bash
test_count=$(cat /tmp/test-count-$$ 2>/dev/null || echo "0")

if [ "$test_count" -eq 0 ]; then
  echo '{"decision": "block", "reason": "No tests were run"}' >&2
  exit 2
fi

Integration with External Systems

Slack Notifications

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
tool_name=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_name')
decision="blocked"

# Send notification to Slack
curl -X POST "$SLACK_WEBHOOK" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d "{\"text\": \"Hook ${decision} ${tool_name} operation\"}" \
  2>/dev/null

echo '{"decision": "deny"}' >&2
exit 2

Database Logging

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)

# Log to database
psql "$DATABASE_URL" -c "INSERT INTO hook_logs (event, data) VALUES ('PreToolUse', '$input')" \
  2>/dev/null

exit 0

Metrics Collection

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
tool_name=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_name')

# Send metrics to monitoring system
echo "hook.pretooluse.${tool_name}:1|c" | nc -u -w1 statsd.local 8125

exit 0

Security Patterns

Rate Limiting

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
command=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.command')

# Track command frequency
rate_file="/tmp/hook-rate-$$"
current_minute=$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M)

if [ -f "$rate_file" ]; then
  last_minute=$(head -1 "$rate_file")
  count=$(tail -1 "$rate_file")

  if [ "$current_minute" = "$last_minute" ]; then
    if [ "$count" -gt 10 ]; then
      echo '{"decision": "deny", "reason": "Rate limit exceeded"}' >&2
      exit 2
    fi
    count=$((count + 1))
  else
    count=1
  fi
else
  count=1
fi

echo "$current_minute" > "$rate_file"
echo "$count" >> "$rate_file"

exit 0

Audit Logging

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
tool_name=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_name')
timestamp=$(date -Iseconds)

# Append to audit log
echo "$timestamp | $USER | $tool_name | $input" >> ~/.claude/audit.log

exit 0

Secret Detection

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)
content=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.content')

# Check for common secret patterns
if echo "$content" | grep -qE "(api[_-]?key|password|secret|token).{0,20}['\"]?[A-Za-z0-9]{20,}"; then
  echo '{"decision": "deny", "reason": "Potential secret detected in content"}' >&2
  exit 2
fi

exit 0

Testing Advanced Hooks

Unit Testing Hook Scripts

# test-hook.sh
#!/bin/bash

# Test 1: Approve safe command
result=$(echo '{"tool_input": {"command": "ls"}}' | bash validate-bash.sh)
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "✓ Test 1 passed"
else
  echo "✗ Test 1 failed"
fi

# Test 2: Block dangerous command
result=$(echo '{"tool_input": {"command": "rm -rf /"}}' | bash validate-bash.sh)
if [ $? -eq 2 ]; then
  echo "✓ Test 2 passed"
else
  echo "✗ Test 2 failed"
fi

Integration Testing

Create test scenarios that exercise the full hook workflow:

# integration-test.sh
#!/bin/bash

# Set up test environment
export CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR="/tmp/test-project"
export CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT="$(pwd)"
mkdir -p "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR"

# Test SessionStart hook
echo '{}' | bash hooks/session-start.sh
if [ -f "/tmp/session-initialized" ]; then
  echo "✓ SessionStart hook works"
else
  echo "✗ SessionStart hook failed"
fi

# Clean up
rm -rf "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR"

Best Practices for Advanced Hooks

1. Keep hooks independent: Don't rely on execution order
2. Use timeouts: Set appropriate limits for each hook type
3. Handle errors gracefully: Provide clear error messages
4. Document complexity: Explain advanced patterns in README
5. Test thoroughly: Cover edge cases and failure modes
6. Monitor performance: Track hook execution time
7. Version configuration: Use version control for hook configs
8. Provide escape hatches: Allow users to bypass hooks when needed

Common Pitfalls

❌ Assuming Hook Order

# BAD: Assumes hooks run in specific order
# Hook 1 saves state, Hook 2 reads it
# This can fail because hooks run in parallel!

❌ Long-Running Hooks

# BAD: Hook takes 2 minutes to run
sleep 120
# This will timeout and block the workflow

❌ Uncaught Exceptions

# BAD: Script crashes on unexpected input
file_path=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path')
cat "$file_path"  # Fails if file doesn't exist

✅ Proper Error Handling

# GOOD: Handles errors gracefully
file_path=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path')
if [ ! -f "$file_path" ]; then
  echo '{"continue": true, "systemMessage": "File not found, skipping check"}' >&2
  exit 0
fi

Conclusion

Advanced hook patterns enable sophisticated automation while maintaining reliability and performance. Use these techniques when basic hooks are insufficient, but always prioritize simplicity and maintainability.