goose/documentation/docs/guides/context-engineering/hooks.md

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Hooks	5	Hooks

Hooks

Hooks let you run your own scripts when key events happen during a goose session. Use hooks to log activity, send notifications, format files after edits, run checks after shell commands, or integrate goose with local workflows without writing a custom extension.

goose follows the Open Plugins hooks specification. Hooks are discovered from plugins on disk and run as shell commands when matching lifecycle events fire.

:::warning Run trusted hooks only Hooks execute local commands on your machine. Only install or create hooks from sources you trust, and review hook scripts before enabling them. :::

Where Hooks Live

A hook belongs to a plugin directory. goose discovers plugins from these locations:

Scope	Location
User	~/.agents/plugins/<plugin-name>/
Project	<project>/.agents/plugins/<plugin-name>/
Installed plugin	goose's plugin install directory

Each plugin that defines hooks must include a hooks/hooks.json file:

my-plugin/
├── plugin.json
├── hooks/
│   └── hooks.json
└── scripts/
    └── notify.sh

Project plugins are loaded when goose is started from that project. User plugins are available across projects.

Create a Hook

To create any hook, choose the event you want to react to, create a plugin directory, add a hooks/hooks.json file that maps that event to a command, then write the script or command that should run. The command receives the event payload as JSON on stdin, so it can inspect details like the session ID, prompt text, tool name, file path, or shell command.

A hook plugin needs this basic structure:

session-logger/
├── plugin.json
├── hooks/
│   └── hooks.json
└── scripts/
    └── log-session.sh

The plugin manifest identifies the plugin:

{
  "name": "session-logger",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "Log goose session events"
}

The hook configuration maps an event to a command. This example runs a script when the SessionEnd event fires:

{
  "hooks": {
    "SessionEnd": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/log-session.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The script reads the event payload from stdin and performs the automation:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
payload="$(cat)"
session_id="$(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r .session_id)"
date_str="$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')"

echo "- $date_str — session $session_id ended" >> ~/goose-session-log.md

Place the plugin under a discovered plugin location, such as ~/.agents/plugins/session-logger/, and make command scripts executable when your operating system requires it.

Hook Configuration

hooks.json has a top-level hooks object. Each key is an event name, and each event contains one or more rules:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "developer__shell|developer__text_editor",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/log-tool.sh",
            "timeout": 10
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Field	Required	Description
matcher	No	Regular expression used to decide whether the rule runs for the event. If omitted, the rule runs for every event of that type.
hooks	Yes	Actions to run when the event and matcher apply.
type	No	Action type. goose currently supports command. If omitted, command is used.
command	Yes for command hooks	Shell command to run. goose runs it with sh -c.
timeout	No	Timeout in seconds for the command. Defaults to 30 seconds.

Use ${PLUGIN_ROOT} in a command to reference the plugin directory. goose also sets PLUGIN_ROOT in the hook command's environment.

Supported Events

Event	When it runs	Matcher target
SessionStart	A session starts	None
SessionEnd	A session ends	None
Stop	goose receives a stop event	None
UserPromptSubmit	The user submits a prompt	Prompt text
PreToolUse	Before goose runs a tool	Tool name
PostToolUse	After a tool succeeds	Tool name
PostToolUseFailure	After a tool fails	Tool name
BeforeReadFile	Before goose reads a file	File path
AfterFileEdit	After goose successfully edits a file	File path
BeforeShellExecution	Before goose runs a shell command	Shell command
AfterShellExecution	After goose successfully runs a shell command	Shell command

The matcher is a regular expression matched against the most relevant string for the event. For example, use "\\.rs$" to match Rust files on AfterFileEdit, or "^(cargo test|pnpm test)" to match test commands on AfterShellExecution.

:::note AfterFileEdit and AfterShellExecution only run after successful tool calls. To react to failed edits, failed shell commands, or other failed tool calls, use PostToolUseFailure. :::

Hook Payload

When a hook runs, goose writes a JSON payload to the command's stdin. The payload always includes the event name and session ID, and may include fields such as the tool name, tool input, user message, or working directory.

Example payload for a tool event:

{
  "event": "PostToolUse",
  "session_id": "abc-123",
  "matcher_context": "developer__shell",
  "tool_name": "developer__shell",
  "tool_input": { "command": "rg TODO" },
  "working_dir": "/Users/you/project"
}

Example script that reads the payload:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

payload="$(cat)"
event="$(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r .event)"
tool="$(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r '.tool_name // "none"')"

echo "goose hook: event=$event tool=$tool" >> "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/hook.log"

Examples

Notify When a Tool Fails

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUseFailure": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/notify.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

#!/usr/bin/env bash
payload="$(cat)"
tool="$(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r '.tool_name // "tool"')"

osascript -e "display notification \"$tool failed\" with title \"goose\""

Format Files After goose Edits Them

{
  "hooks": {
    "AfterFileEdit": [
      {
        "matcher": "\\.(ts|tsx|js|jsx|json|md)$",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/prettier.sh"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "matcher": "\\.rs$",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "cargo fmt"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

payload="$(cat)"
file="$(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r '.matcher_context // empty')"

if [ -n "$file" ]; then
  npx prettier --write "$file"
fi

React to Long-Running Commands

{
  "hooks": {
    "AfterShellExecution": [
      {
        "matcher": "^(cargo (test|build|clippy)|pnpm (test|build)|just )",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "say 'goose finished running your command'"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Try the Example Plugin

goose includes an example plugin at examples/plugins/hello-hooks.

mkdir -p ~/.agents/plugins
cp -R examples/plugins/hello-hooks ~/.agents/plugins/hello-hooks
chmod +x ~/.agents/plugins/hello-hooks/scripts/announce.sh

goose session

The example prints hook events to stderr and appends full payloads to:

~/.agents/plugins/hello-hooks/last-event.log

Disable a Hook Plugin

To disable a plugin, add its name to disabledPlugins in your goose settings file:

{
  "disabledPlugins": ["session-logger"]
}

For project-specific settings, use:

<project>/.config/goose/settings.json

A plugin listed in disabledPlugins is skipped during plugin discovery, so its hooks will not run.

Troubleshooting

My Hook Did Not Run

Check the following:

• The plugin directory is under ~/.agents/plugins/<name>/ or <project>/.agents/plugins/<name>/.
• The hook config is at hooks/hooks.json inside the plugin directory.
• The event name matches one of the supported events.
• The matcher regular expression matches the event's matcher target.
• The command path is correct. Use ${PLUGIN_ROOT} for scripts inside the plugin.
• The script is executable if you call it directly.
• The plugin is not listed in disabledPlugins.

My Hook Timed Out or Failed

Hook failures are logged but do not crash goose or the tool that triggered the hook. If a hook fails or exceeds its timeout, goose logs the failure and continues.

Set a larger timeout for long-running hooks:

{
  "hooks": {
    "SessionEnd": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/archive.sh",
            "timeout": 120
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

My Script Cannot Find jq or Another Command

Hooks run as local shell commands. Make sure any commands your script uses are installed and available on your shell PATH. For portability, prefer absolute paths for tools that may not be installed everywhere.

Additional Resources

import ContentCardCarousel from '@site/src/components/ContentCardCarousel'; import hooksBanner from '@site/static/img/blog/goose-hooks.jpg';

<ContentCardCarousel items={[ { type: 'blog', title: 'Hooks: run your own scripts on every goose event', description: 'Learn how lifecycle hooks let you react to session, prompt, tool, file, and shell events with your own scripts.', thumbnailUrl: hooksBanner, linkUrl: '/blog/2026/05/14/goose-hooks', date: '2026-05-14', duration: '5 min read' } ]} />