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block-no-verify-hook

★ 37,559

by wshobson · part of wshobson/agents

Configure a PreToolUse hook to prevent AI agents from skipping git pre-commit hooks with --no-verify and other bypass flags. Use when setting up Claude Code projects that enforce commit quality gates.

🧩 One of 7 skills in the wshobson/agents package — works on its own, and pairs well with its siblings.

This is the playbook your agent receives when the skill activates — you don't need to read it to use the skill, but it's here to audit before installing.

Block No-Verify Hook

PreToolUse hook configuration that intercepts and blocks bypass-flag usage before execution, ensuring AI agents cannot skip pre-commit hooks, GPG signing, or other git safety mechanisms.

Overview

AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.) can run shell commands with flags like --no-verify that bypass pre-commit hooks. This defeats the purpose of linting, formatting, testing, and security checks configured in pre-commit hooks. The block-no-verify hook adds a PreToolUse guard that rejects any tool call containing bypass flags before execution.

Problem

When AI agents commit code, they may use bypass flags to avoid hook failures:

# These commands skip pre-commit hooks entirely
git commit --no-verify -m "quick fix"
git push --no-verify
git commit --no-gpg-sign -m "unsigned commit"
git merge --no-verify feature-branch

This allows:

  • Unformatted code to enter the repository
  • Linting errors to bypass checks
  • Security scanning to be skipped
  • Unsigned commits to bypass signing policies
  • Test suites to be circumvented

Solution

Add a PreToolUse hook to .claude/settings.json that inspects every Bash tool call and blocks commands containing bypass flags.

Configuration

Add the following to your project's .claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hook": {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "if printf '%s' \"$TOOL_INPUT\" | grep -qE '(^|&&|;|\\|)\\s*git\\s+.*--(no-verify|no-gpg-sign)'; then echo 'BLOCKED: --no-verify and --no-gpg-sign flags are not allowed. Run the commit without bypass flags so that pre-commit hooks execute properly.' >&2; exit 2; fi"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

How It Works

  1. Matcher: The hook targets only Bash tool calls, so it does not interfere with other tools (Read, Edit, Grep, etc.).
  2. Inspection: The $TOOL_INPUT environment variable contains the full command the agent is about to execute. The hook uses printf to safely pass input (avoiding echo pitfalls with special characters) and checks for --no-verify or --no-gpg-sign flags only when preceded by a git command.
  3. Blocking: If a bypass flag is found in a git command, the hook exits with code 2 and prints an error message. Exit code 2 signals Claude Code to reject the tool call entirely.
  4. Pass-through: If no bypass flag is found, the hook exits with code 0 and the command executes normally.

Exit Codes

CodeMeaning
0Allow the tool call to proceed
1Error (tool call still proceeds, warning shown)
2Block the tool call entirely

Blocked Flags

FlagPurposeWhy Blocked
--no-verifySkips pre-commit and commit-msg hooksBypasses linting, formatting, testing, security checks
--no-gpg-signSkips GPG commit signingBypasses commit signing policy

Verification

Test that the hook blocks bypass flags:

# This should be blocked by the hook:
git commit --no-verify -m "test"

# This should succeed normally:
git commit -m "test"

Extending the Hook

Adding More Blocked Flags

To block additional flags (e.g., --force), extend the grep pattern:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hook": {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "if printf '%s' \"$TOOL_INPUT\" | grep -qE '(^|&&|;|\\|)\\s*git\\s+.*--(no-verify|no-gpg-sign|force-with-lease|force)'; then echo 'BLOCKED: Bypass flags are not allowed.' >&2; exit 2; fi"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Combining with Other Hooks

The block-no-verify hook works alongside other PreToolUse hooks:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hook": {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "if printf '%s' \"$TOOL_INPUT\" | grep -qE '(^|&&|;|\\|)\\s*git\\s+.*--(no-verify|no-gpg-sign)'; then echo 'BLOCKED: Bypass flags not allowed.' >&2; exit 2; fi"
        }
      },
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hook": {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "if printf '%s' \"$TOOL_INPUT\" | grep -qE 'rm\\s+-rf\\s+/'; then echo 'BLOCKED: Dangerous rm command.' >&2; exit 2; fi"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Best Practices

  1. Commit the settings file -- Add .claude/settings.json to version control so all team members benefit from the hook.
  2. Document in onboarding -- Mention the hook in your project's contributing guide so developers understand why bypass flags are blocked.
  3. Pair with pre-commit hooks -- The block-no-verify hook ensures pre-commit hooks run; make sure you have meaningful pre-commit hooks configured.
  4. Test after setup -- Verify the hook works by intentionally triggering it in a test commit.