Hook Automation Recipes

Production-ready automation patterns that solve real development challenges. These recipes demonstrate how to build intelligent workflows that adapt to your project and scale with your team.

💡 Working Code Available
All automation patterns described here are implemented as working hooks in .claude/hooks/. See the TaskFlow Example to experience these automations in action.

Core Automation Patterns

1. Smart Development Companion

Purpose: Comprehensive development assistant that learns your patterns and optimizes workflows.

Key Capabilities:

Pattern Recognition - Learns from your development habits
Intelligent Suggestions - Proactive workflow optimizations
Context Awareness - Adapts to project type and current phase
Productivity Tracking - Metrics and insights for continuous improvement

Implementation: smart-companion.sh (see .claude/hooks/ directory)

Triggers:

UserPromptSubmit - Session initialization and context setting
PostToolUse - Workflow analysis and suggestions
Error - Pattern tracking for error prediction
Stop - Session summary and metrics

Example Behaviors:

bash

# Morning productivity tip based on time patterns
🌅 "High focus detected - perfect time for complex architecture work"

# Workflow optimization suggestion  
💡 "You've edited TaskCard.tsx 5 times - consider using MultiEdit for related changes"

# Pattern-based prediction
⚠️ "High error rate detected for TypeScript files - running quality gates"

2. Quality Gate Enforcer

Purpose: Automated code quality enforcement that prevents technical debt accumulation.

Key Capabilities:

Multi-Language Support - TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, PHP
Intelligent Formatting - Context-aware code formatting
Security Scanning - Secret detection and dependency auditing
Progressive Enhancement - Quality improves over time

Implementation: quality-gates.sh (see .claude/hooks/ directory)

Quality Checks:

Code Style - ESLint, Prettier, Black, gofmt, rustfmt
Type Safety - TypeScript, mypy strict mode validation
Security - Secret scanning, dependency vulnerability checks
Testing - Coverage thresholds, test generation suggestions
Performance - Bundle size, query optimization hints

Auto-Fix Capabilities:

Format code with project-specific rules
Fix common linting issues
Update import statements
Generate basic test scaffolding

3. Intelligent Error Recovery

Purpose: Transform errors from roadblocks into learning opportunities with AI-powered recovery.

Key Capabilities:

Pattern Analysis - Learn from error patterns to prevent recurrence
Solution Suggestions - Context-aware fix recommendations
Auto-Recovery - Attempt automatic fixes for common issues
Diagnostic Collection - Gather relevant system information

Implementation: error-handler.sh (see .claude/hooks/ directory)

Recovery Patterns:

Missing Dependencies - Auto-install with user confirmation
Permission Issues - Suggest proper chmod/ownership fixes
Configuration Errors - Detect and fix common config problems
Environment Issues - Guide through setup and validation

Example Recovery:

bash

❌ Error: "Module not found: 'react-router-dom'"
🔧 Auto-recovery: "Installing missing dependency..."
✅ "Dependency installed and imports updated"

4. Session Management & Context

Purpose: Maintain development context across sessions and provide intelligent session insights.

Key Capabilities:

Environment Detection - Automatic project type and tool detection
Session Continuity - Resume context from previous sessions
Progress Tracking - Development phase and milestone monitoring
Health Monitoring - System and project health checks

Implementation: session-start.sh (see .claude/hooks/ directory)

Session Initialization:

Git status and branch analysis
Dependency and environment validation
Previous session context loading
Project phase detection and continuation

5. Development Workflow Automation

Purpose: Automate repetitive development tasks and maintain workflow consistency.

Key Capabilities:

Tool-Specific Actions - Intelligent responses to different tool usage
Workflow Optimization - Suggest more efficient patterns
Quality Integration - Seamless quality gate integration
Metric Collection - Development velocity and quality metrics

Implementation: tool-complete.sh (see .claude/hooks/ directory)

Automated Workflows:

Code Changes → Quality gates → Test execution → Formatting
File Creation → Template application → Documentation updates
Git Operations → Validation → Hook execution → Notifications
Build Operations → Quality checks → Deployment readiness

Advanced Automation Recipes

Team Coordination Engine

Use Case: Coordinate development across team members with intelligent notifications.

Key Features:

Smart Notifications - Context-aware team updates
Conflict Prevention - Detect potential merge conflicts early
Progress Sharing - Automated progress reports
Knowledge Sharing - Capture and share solutions

Configuration:

json

{
  "team": {
    "integration_enabled": true,
    "slack_webhook": "https://hooks.slack.com/...",
    "notification_threshold": "significant_changes"
  }
}

Example Notifications:

"🚨 Breaking changes detected in authentication module"
"📊 Sprint velocity: 23 story points completed this week"
"💡 New solution discovered for React performance issues"

Deployment Pipeline Integration

Use Case: Seamlessly integrate with CI/CD pipelines for production deployments.

Key Features:

Pre-Deployment Validation - Comprehensive readiness checks
Automated Testing - Quality gate enforcement before deployment
Rollback Preparation - Automatic rollback plan generation
Performance Monitoring - Post-deployment health monitoring

Validation Checklist:

All tests passing with minimum coverage threshold
Security vulnerabilities addressed
Performance benchmarks met
Documentation updated and accurate
Rollback procedures validated

Learning and Adaptation Engine

Use Case: Continuously improve automation based on development patterns.

Key Features:

Pattern Learning - Identify recurring development patterns
Workflow Optimization - Suggest more efficient approaches
Predictive Assistance - Anticipate needs based on context
Custom Adaptation - Tailor automation to individual/team preferences

Learning Examples:

"You typically run tests after editing components - shall I automate this?"
"Morning sessions focus on architecture - adjusting suggestions"
"Database changes often require migration scripts - template ready"

Implementation Strategies

Configuration Management

Centralized Configuration:

bash

~/.claude/config/
├── settings.json          # Hook registration and events
├── preferences.json       # User customization  
├── quality-gates.json     # Quality standards
└── team-config.json      # Team collaboration settings

Environment Adaptation:

Automatic project type detection
Tool availability checking
User preference loading
Team setting inheritance

Metrics and Analytics

Comprehensive Tracking:

Development Velocity - Features completed per timeframe
Quality Metrics - Error rates, test coverage, security scores
Workflow Efficiency - Time spent on different activities
Tool Usage Patterns - Most used tools and workflows

Insight Generation:

Weekly productivity reports
Quality trend analysis
Workflow optimization recommendations
Team collaboration effectiveness

Extensibility Framework

Custom Hook Development:

bash

# Hook template structure
#!/bin/bash
# Custom hook: project-specific-automation.sh

# Load shared utilities
source ~/.claude/lib/hook-utils.sh

# Hook-specific logic
handle_custom_workflow() {
    # Your automation logic here
}

# Standard hook interface
main "$@"

Integration Points:

Shared utility library for common functions
Standard configuration and preference loading
Consistent logging and metric collection
Error handling and recovery patterns

Getting Started with Automation

1. Experience Working Examples

bash

# Try the complete automation suite
cd examples/taskflow-saas  
./setup.sh

# Experience automated development workflow
@prd.md "Your project idea"
@code.md "Build a feature with quality gates"

2. Customize for Your Needs

bash

# Edit preferences to match your workflow
vim ~/.claude/config/preferences.json

# Enable team features if working with others
vim ~/.claude/config/team-config.json

3. Monitor and Optimize

bash

# Review development metrics
cat ~/.claude/metrics/$(date +%Y-%m).jsonl | jq .

# Analyze productivity patterns
~/.claude/bin/analyze-metrics.sh --week

Automation Best Practices

Start Simple, Scale Gradually

Begin with basic session management and quality gates
Add team features as collaboration needs grow
Implement custom workflows after understanding patterns

Maintain Flexibility

Keep automation configurable and optional
Provide easy disable/override mechanisms
Adapt automation based on project context

Focus on Value

Automate repetitive, error-prone tasks first
Measure productivity impact of automation
Continuously refine based on actual usage

Team Alignment

Establish team standards for quality gates
Share automation configurations across team members
Document custom workflows for team consistency

Troubleshooting Automation

Common Issues

Hooks not triggering - Check Claude Code settings and permissions
Quality gates too strict - Adjust preferences for your development style
Performance impact - Review enabled features and optimize heavy operations
Team integration failures - Validate webhook URLs and team settings

Debugging Techniques

bash

# Enable debug logging
export CLAUDE_HOOKS_DEBUG=1

# Check hook execution
tail -f ~/.claude/metrics/hooks-$(date +%Y-%m).jsonl

# Validate configuration
~/.claude/bin/validate-config.sh

These automation recipes transform Claude Code from a development tool into an intelligent development environment that learns, adapts, and scales with your needs. The working implementations in .claude/hooks/ provide production-ready examples you can use immediately or customize for your specific requirements.

Hook Overview - Understanding the hook system fundamentals
TaskFlow Example - Experience automation in action
Best Practices - Effective development patterns
Advanced Automation - Building custom automation systems

Hook Automation Recipes ​

Core Automation Patterns ​

1. Smart Development Companion ​

2. Quality Gate Enforcer ​

3. Intelligent Error Recovery ​

4. Session Management & Context ​

5. Development Workflow Automation ​

Advanced Automation Recipes ​

Team Coordination Engine ​

Deployment Pipeline Integration ​

Learning and Adaptation Engine ​

Implementation Strategies ​

Configuration Management ​

Metrics and Analytics ​

Extensibility Framework ​

Getting Started with Automation ​

1. Experience Working Examples ​

2. Customize for Your Needs ​

3. Monitor and Optimize ​

Automation Best Practices ​

Start Simple, Scale Gradually ​

Maintain Flexibility ​

Focus on Value ​

Team Alignment ​

Troubleshooting Automation ​

Common Issues ​

Debugging Techniques ​

Related Topics ​

Hook Automation Recipes

Core Automation Patterns

1. Smart Development Companion

2. Quality Gate Enforcer

3. Intelligent Error Recovery

4. Session Management & Context

5. Development Workflow Automation

Advanced Automation Recipes

Team Coordination Engine

Deployment Pipeline Integration

Learning and Adaptation Engine

Implementation Strategies

Configuration Management

Metrics and Analytics

Extensibility Framework

Getting Started with Automation

1. Experience Working Examples

2. Customize for Your Needs

3. Monitor and Optimize

Automation Best Practices

Start Simple, Scale Gradually

Maintain Flexibility

Focus on Value

Team Alignment

Troubleshooting Automation

Common Issues

Debugging Techniques

Related Topics