Hook Development

Claude Code hooks enable event-driven automation by executing custom logic before or after tool use, on user prompts, or at session start and end. You can build prompt-based or deterministic command hooks to automate workflows.

Prompt-based hooks use natural language instructions for flexible validation, while command-based hooks execute deterministic scripts for strict security enforcement and data integrity checks during Claude Code workflows.

You can implement a PreToolUse hook to intercept and validate file write operations, enforcing security policies by blocking writes to sensitive system files before the tool executes.

Yes, hooks support context management by allowing you to load project context, persist environment variables, and manage session state automatically when specific events trigger within the Claude Code environment.

Hook development requires following security best practices to prevent unauthorized file writes, alongside performance considerations to ensure automation scripts execute efficiently without blocking agent workflows.

Debugging hook issues involves checking the hook configuration formats, verifying event type bindings, and ensuring input and output handling logic correctly processes environment variables passed during tool execution.