# Resource Evaluation: Mastering Claude Code Hooks

**Resource**: [Mastering Claude Code Hooks: Automation, Validation, and Logging](https://www.mikul.me/blog/mastering-claude-code-hooks-automation-validation-logging)
**Author**: Mikul Gohil
**Date**: January 18, 2026
**Evaluation Date**: January 27, 2026
**Evaluator**: Claude Sonnet 4.5 + technical-writer agent challenge

---

## Executive Summary

**Score**: 1/5 (Low - Reject)
**Decision**: Do NOT integrate or link this article
**Action Taken**: Updated guide directly from official Claude Code CHANGELOG (v2.1.9-v2.1.10)

---

## Evaluation Process

### Phase 1: Initial Assessment (Score: 3/5)
- WebFetch article content
- Identified 8 hook events vs guide's 7
- Noted multi-formatter chaining example
- Preliminary recommendation: Integrate subsection + improve logging

### Phase 2: Fact-Check (Score: 2/5)
- Deep WebFetch for complete technical details
- Line-by-line comparison with guide Section 7 (5949-6850+)
- Verification against claude-code-releases.md
- Discovered: Multi-formatter is trivial bash, not advanced pattern

### Phase 3: Brutal Challenge (Score: 1/5)
- Technical-writer agent challenge exposed confirmation bias
- Root cause identified: Article copies official CHANGELOG, adds no original value
- Recommendation changed from "integrate" to "reject + fix from source"

---

## Findings

### What the Article Covers

1. **8 Hook Events**: PreToolUse, PostToolUse, PermissionRequest, UserPromptSubmit, Notification, Stop, SubagentStop, Setup
2. **Multi-formatter chaining**: `prettier; black; rustfmt; exit 0` (sequential commands)
3. **Security patterns**: 3 basic blocks (rm -rf, git push --force, .env.prod)
4. **Audit logging**: Daily JSONL files with UTC timestamps
5. **Configuration**: Standard JSON settings (global vs project-specific)

### What the Guide Already Has (Superior)

1. **7 Hook Events** documented (missing Setup, PermissionRequest, SubagentStop)
2. **4 Windows templates** (PowerShell + Batch) - Article has ZERO
3. **13+ security patterns** (comprehensive-security.sh) vs article's 3
4. **Log rotation** with 7-day pruning vs article's basic daily files
5. **18 hook templates** in examples/hooks/bash/

### Critical Discovery

**ALL meaningful information in the article originates from the official Claude Code CHANGELOG, not from original research by the author.**

- Setup event: Added v2.1.10 ([releases.md:101](../../guide/claude-code-releases.md))
- PreToolUse additionalContext: Added v2.1.9 ([releases.md:111](../../guide/claude-code-releases.md))
- Hook events: All documented in [official CHANGELOG](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md)

---

## Why Score 1/5 (Reject)

### 1. No Original Technical Value

- **Multi-formatter chaining**: Trivial bash pattern (`cmd1; cmd2; cmd3`) - any developer knows this
- **Security patterns**: Incomplete subset (3 vs guide's 13+)
- **Log rotation**: No pruning logic (dangerous - disk will fill)
- **Windows coverage**: Zero (guide has complete PowerShell/Batch templates)

### 2. Secondary Source, Not Primary

The article is a **tier-3 blog post** that copies information from official sources without attribution. Integrating it would create dependency on a secondary source when we can document directly from:

- Official CHANGELOG: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
- Official Documentation: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/hooks
- Official Repository: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code

### 3. Maintenance Burden

- **Link rot risk**: Author can delete blog anytime
- **Accuracy drift**: Article won't track future Claude Code updates
- **Quality signal**: Linking mediocre content degrades guide credibility

---

## Actions Taken (Instead of Integration)

### 1. Updated Section 7.1 Event Types Table

**File**: `guide/ultimate-guide.md` (line 5986)

Added 3 missing events from official CHANGELOG:

```markdown
| `Setup` | Claude Code starts | Initialization (v2.1.10+) |
| `PermissionRequest` | Permission dialog appears | Custom approval logic |
| `SubagentStop` | Sub-agent completes | Subagent cleanup |
```

**Source**: Official CHANGELOG v2.1.10

### 2. Documented PreToolUse additionalContext

**File**: `guide/ultimate-guide.md` (line 6107)

Added documentation for v2.1.9 feature:

```markdown
**PreToolUse additionalContext** (v2.1.9+): PreToolUse hooks can inject context
into Claude's prompt via `additionalContext`. This allows enriching Claude's
understanding before tool execution.
```

**Source**: Official CHANGELOG v2.1.9 (releases.md:111)

### 3. Created 3 New Hook Templates

**Files created**:
- `examples/hooks/bash/setup-init.sh` - Startup initialization with project checks
- `examples/hooks/bash/permission-request.sh` - Custom approval logic + logging
- `examples/hooks/bash/subagent-stop.sh` - Cleanup, logging, performance monitoring

**Features**:
- Production-ready error handling
- JSONL logging with daily rotation
- Context injection examples
- Auto-deny patterns for production safety

---

## Fact-Check Results

| Claim | Verified | Source |
|-------|----------|--------|
| "8 hook events available" | ✅ | Correct, guide was missing 3 |
| "Default 60-second timeout" | ⚠️ | Unsourced author claim |
| "Formatters should complete <10s" | ⚠️ | Unsourced guideline |
| "Setup event added v2.1.10" | ✅ | Confirmed in releases.md:101 |
| "PreToolUse additionalContext v2.1.9" | ✅ | Confirmed in releases.md:111 |
| "Article creates original value" | ❌ | **All info from official CHANGELOG** |

---

## Process Improvement

### Root Cause: Reactive Documentation

**Problem**: Guide reacts to external blog posts instead of proactively syncing with official sources.

**Solution**: Systematic sync workflow

1. **Weekly CHANGELOG review** (automation candidate)
2. **Extract new hooks/events** from official repo
3. **Update guide Section 7.1** + create templates
4. **Document breaking changes** immediately
5. **Test templates** before committing

**Estimated time**: 15-30 min/week vs reactive 2-3 hours when gaps discovered via external articles.

### Recommendation

Create `scripts/sync-official-docs.sh`:
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# Detect documentation drift from official sources
# Compare Section 7.1 events vs CHANGELOG mentions
# Flag missing events, deprecated patterns, new features
```

---

## Conclusion

**This evaluation demonstrates the importance of:**

1. **Primary sources first**: Always check official CHANGELOG before external articles
2. **Systematic sync**: Don't wait for blog posts to discover gaps
3. **Critical evaluation**: Verify technical value, not just coverage
4. **Brutal honesty**: Reject mediocre sources that add maintenance burden

**The article served one purpose**: It exposed a gap in our sync process. The correct response was to fix the process, not reward the secondary source.

---

## References

- **Official CHANGELOG**: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
- **Guide Section 7**: [ultimate-guide.md](../../guide/ultimate-guide.md) (lines 5949-6850+)
- **Release History**: [claude-code-releases.md](../../guide/claude-code-releases.md)
- **Hook Templates**: [examples/hooks/bash/](../../examples/hooks/bash/)
- **Article (rejected)**: https://www.mikul.me/blog/mastering-claude-code-hooks-automation-validation-logging

---

**Evaluation Methodology**: [docs/resource-evaluations/README.md](./README.md)
