suggesting-cursor-hooks

Suggesting Cursor Hooks

Watch for repeated manual requests. When the user keeps asking you to run the same command after changes, suggest a hook to automate it.

Triggers

Suggest a hook when you notice:

• The user asks you to run the same check 2+ times (e.g. "run lint", "run tests", "check types")
• The user says "always run X after editing" or "make sure to test after changes"
• You keep forgetting to run a validation step and the user catches it
• A CI failure could have been caught locally with a post-edit check

How to Suggest

You've asked me to run [command] after edits a few times. Want me to 
set up a Cursor hook so it runs automatically?

If they say yes, create .cursor/hooks.json and the script:

{
  "hooks": [
    {
      "event": "afterFileEdit",
      "script": ".cursor/hooks/<name>.sh",
      "pattern": "<glob>"
    }
  ]
}

Common Hooks to Suggest

User keeps asking...	Hook
"run lint" / "fix formatting"	afterFileEdit → eslint --fix or prettier --write
"check types"	afterFileEdit → tsc --noEmit on .ts/.tsx
"run tests"	afterFileEdit → run related test file
"don't touch .env"	beforeShellExecution → warn on secrets files
"make sure it builds"	stop → quick build check

Rules

• Only suggest after a real repeated pattern, not preemptively
• Hook scripts must be fast (under 5 seconds) or the agent feels slow
• Scripts should exit 0 and report via stdout — don't block the agent unless the user explicitly wants that
• Check for existing .cursor/hooks.json first — merge, don't overwrite
• Keep it casual — "want me to automate this?" not a formal proposal