Git Guardrails for Claude Code

Set up Claude Code hooks to block dangerous git commands (push, reset --hard, clean, branch -D, etc.) before they execute. Use when user wants to prevent destructive git operations, add git safety hooks, or block git push/reset in Claude Code.

This skill is imported from mattpocock/skills (MIT) and is model-invoked upstream.

When to use this skill

Set up Claude Code hooks to block dangerous git commands (push, reset --hard, clean, branch -D, etc.) before they execute.
Use when user wants to prevent destructive git operations, add git safety hooks, or block git push/reset in Claude Code.

Instructions

Setup Git Guardrails

Sets up a PreToolUse hook that intercepts and blocks dangerous git commands before Claude executes them.

What Gets Blocked

git push (all variants including --force)
git reset --hard
git clean -f / git clean -fd
git branch -D
git checkout . / git restore .

When blocked, Claude sees a message telling it that it does not have authority to access these commands.

Steps

1. Ask scope

Ask the user: install for this project only (.claude/settings.json) or all projects (~/.claude/settings.json)?

2. Copy the hook script

The bundled script is at: scripts/block-dangerous-git.sh

Copy it to the target location based on scope:

Project: .claude/hooks/block-dangerous-git.sh
Global: ~/.claude/hooks/block-dangerous-git.sh

Make it executable with chmod +x.

3. Add hook to settings

Add to the appropriate settings file:

Project (.claude/settings.json):

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "\"$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR\"/.claude/hooks/block-dangerous-git.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Global (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "~/.claude/hooks/block-dangerous-git.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

If the settings file already exists, merge the hook into the existing hooks.PreToolUse array. Don't overwrite other settings.

4. Ask about customization

Ask if user wants to add or remove any patterns from the blocked list. Edit the copied script accordingly.

5. Verify

Run a quick test:

echo '{"tool_input":{"command":"git push origin main"}}' | <path-to-script>

Should exit with code 2 and print a BLOCKED message to stderr.

Examples

Apply this skill to one narrow scope first, confirm the output matches the shape described above, then widen to the full task.
When a step needs a fact from the repository or the environment, look it up instead of asking the user for it.

Best practices

Keep the upstream procedure intact; record deviations explicitly instead of silently improvising.
Stop and hand control back to the user at every decision point this skill marks as theirs.
Prefer small reversible changes, and state assumptions rather than burying them.

References

Upstream skill: mattpocock/skills skills/misc/git-guardrails-claude-code/SKILL.md (commit 3cca18b, MIT)
Script: scripts/block-dangerous-git.sh
Project standards: .agent-skills/skill-standardization/SKILL.md
Validator script: .agent-skills/skill-standardization/scripts/validate_skill.sh

git-guardrails-claude-code