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AI Assistant Hooks

Configure automatic API linting when working with AI coding assistants and git pre-commit hooks.

Overview

Hooks enable automatic API style checking in two contexts:

  1. AI Assistants - Auto-lint when you save OpenAPI files in Claude Code, Cursor, or Windsurf
  2. Git Pre-Commit - Block commits that contain API style violations

Supported Assistants

Assistant Config File Events
Claude Code .claude/settings.json 16 events
Cursor .cursor/hooks.json 12 events
Windsurf .windsurf/hooks.json 9 events

Quick Setup

# Generate hooks for Claude Code
api-style hooks --format claude

# Generate for all assistants
api-style hooks --format all

# See supported formats
api-style hooks list

# Install git pre-commit hook
api-style hooks init

Hook Types

Auto-Lint on Save

Automatically lint OpenAPI files when they're saved:

api-style hooks --format claude --auto-lint

This creates a hook that:

  1. Triggers when files are written (Edit/Write tools)
  2. Checks if the file matches OpenAPI patterns
  3. Runs mcp-api-style lint if it matches
  4. Returns violations to the assistant

Matched Patterns:

  • openapi.yaml, openapi.yml, openapi.json
  • swagger.yaml, swagger.yml, swagger.json
  • **/openapi.yaml, **/api.yaml, etc.

Context Injection

Inject API style guidelines before prompts:

api-style hooks --format claude --inject-context

This adds context about the active style profile to help the AI assistant write better APIs.

Configuration Options

Option Default Description
--format claude Target assistant
--profile default Style profile for linting
--auto-lint true Enable auto-lint on save
--inject-context false Inject style context
--output auto Output file path

Generated Configuration

Claude Code

.claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write|Edit",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "#!/bin/bash\nFILE=\"$CLAUDE_FILE_PATH\"\n...",
            "timeout": 30
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Cursor

.cursor/hooks.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "after_file_write": [
      {
        "pattern": "Write|Edit",
        "actions": [
          {
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "mcp-api-style lint ...",
            "timeout": 30000
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Windsurf

.windsurf/hooks.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "onFileSave": [
      {
        "glob": "**/*.yaml",
        "command": "mcp-api-style lint ..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Prerequisites

For hooks to work, the mcp-api-style binary must be in your PATH:

go install github.com/plexusone/api-style-spec/cmd/mcp-api-style@latest

Manual Configuration

Claude Code

Add to .claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write|Edit",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "mcp-api-style lint -f \"$CLAUDE_FILE_PATH\" -p default 2>&1 | head -50",
            "timeout": 30
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Using with MCP Server

For full integration, combine hooks with the MCP server:

  1. Configure MCP server in settings
  2. Generate hooks for auto-linting
  3. AI assistant can use both automatic checks and on-demand tools

Workflow Example

  1. Setup: 

    api-style hooks --format claude

  2. Working with Claude:

  3. Ask Claude to create an OpenAPI spec
  4. When Claude writes the file, hooks run automatically
  5. Violations appear in the conversation

  6. Claude can fix issues immediately

  7. On-Demand Tools:

  8. "Use the lint tool to check this against Azure guidelines"
  9. "Explain rule URI-001"
  10. "Run analyze for a GO/NO-GO decision"

Troubleshooting

Hooks Not Triggering

  1. Verify the config file exists in the correct location
  2. Check that mcp-api-style is in PATH
  3. Ensure the file matches OpenAPI patterns

Timeout Issues

Increase the timeout in the generated config:

{
  "timeout": 60
}

Profile Not Found

Ensure the profile name is valid:

mcp-api-style list-profiles

Git Pre-Commit Hook

Install a git pre-commit hook that lints staged OpenAPI files before each commit:

api-style hooks init

How It Works

  1. When you run git commit, the hook triggers
  2. It finds staged files matching OpenAPI patterns (openapi.yaml, swagger.json, etc.)
  3. Each file is linted using api-style lint
  4. If errors are found, the commit is blocked
  5. Warnings are displayed but don't block commits

Options

# Use Azure profile
api-style hooks init --profile azure

# Enforce silver conformance level
api-style hooks init --level silver

# Overwrite existing hook
api-style hooks init --force

Bypassing the Hook

For emergency commits, bypass the hook with:

git commit --no-verify

Uninstalling

Remove the hook manually:

rm .git/hooks/pre-commit

Next Steps