Safety Hooks

The safety-hooks plugin provides a comprehensive set of hooks that enhance Claude Code’s behavior and prevent dangerous operations. These hooks intercept commands before execution and either block them outright, require user approval, or suggest safer alternatives.

Install the plugin via the Claude Code marketplace:

claude plugin install safety-hooks@cctools-plugins

Key Safety Features

File Deletion Protection

Blocks rm -rf on critical paths and enforces a TRASH directory pattern. Requires approval for other rm commands.

Git Commit Protection

Requires explicit user approval before any git commit, using Claude Code’s built-in permission prompt UI.

Git Add Protection

Smart staging control that hard-blocks dangerous patterns like git add . and git add -A, while allowing new files and prompting for modified files.

Environment Security

Blocks all .env file operations (read, write, edit) and suggests the env-safe command for safe inspection.

Context Management

Blocks reading files longer than 500 lines to prevent context bloat in Claude Code sessions.

Command Enhancement

Enforces rg (ripgrep) over grep for better search performance and output.

How It Works

Safety hooks intercept commands at different stages:

PreToolUse hooks run before a tool executes, allowing the hook to block, modify, or require approval for the operation.
PostToolUse hooks run after a tool executes, enabling follow-up actions like notifications.

Each hook returns one of three results:

Allow — the command proceeds normally
Block — the command is prevented, with an error message explaining why
Approval required — Claude Code shows a permission prompt so you can approve or deny

Available Hooks

Hook File	What It Protects
`bash_hook.py`	Main orchestrator for all bash command checks
`git_commit_block_hook.py`	User permission prompt for `git commit`
`git_add_block_hook.py`	Smart staging: blocks dangerous patterns, prompts for modified files
`env_file_protection_hook.py`	Blocks all `.env` file operations (read/write/edit)
`file_size_conditional_hook.py`	Prevents reading files over 500 lines
`grep_block_hook.py`	Enforces ripgrep (`rg`) over `grep`
`notification_hook.sh`	Sends ntfy.sh notifications on events

Protection Details

Git Add Protection

The git add hook applies layered protection:

Hard blocks (always denied):
- git add .
- git add ../
- git add *
- git add -A / git add --all
New files — allowed without a prompt, since they pose minimal risk.
Modified files — require user approval via the permission prompt.
Directories — the hook performs a dry-run to detect which files would be staged. If any modified files are included, approval is required.

Environment File Protection

All operations on .env files are blocked:

Reading (e.g., cat .env, Read tool)
Writing (e.g., Write tool)
Editing (e.g., Edit tool)

The hook directs users to the env-safe CLI for safe inspection of environment variables.

File Size Limits

Reading files longer than 500 lines is blocked to prevent context window bloat. When a large file is detected, the hook suggests reading specific line ranges or using search tools instead.

Command Enhancement

When Claude Code attempts to use grep, the hook blocks the command and suggests using rg (ripgrep) instead. Ripgrep provides better performance, respects .gitignore, and produces cleaner output.