The commit runs. The code leaves your machine. And without warning, it’s public.
GPG pre-commit security hooks stop that from happening. They intercept every commit before it leaves your repo, check it against your rules, and block the ones that don’t pass. No waiting until CI fails. No relying on human memory. Every commit is verified, signed, and compliant from the first step.
A GPG hook binds cryptographic signing into your workflow. The mechanism is simple: Git runs the hook before finalizing a commit. The hook calls GPG, which either signs the commit with your private key or rejects it if the signature fails. By adding policy checks, you can enforce that every commit in your repository is both signed and trusted. This works for any repo—local, remote, big, small.
Security hooks do more than signing. They scan staged files for secrets, credentials, or unsafe patterns. They enforce branch protection rules before merge. They ensure sensitive code never leaves the dev environment unverified. Integrating a GPG pre-commit hook combines these powers: cryptographic identity, policy enforcement, and zero-delay protection.