Lefthook — Fast Git Hooks Manager in Go

Why Lefthook Over Husky

Parallel Execution

pre-commit:
  parallel: true  # All commands run simultaneously
  commands:
    lint: { run: "biome check {staged_files}" }
    format: { run: "prettier --check {staged_files}" }
    test: { run: "vitest run --changed" }

3 commands run in parallel instead of sequentially.

Smart File Filtering

commands:
  lint-ts:
    glob: "*.{ts,tsx}"           # Only TypeScript files
    run: biome check {staged_files}
  lint-py:
    glob: "*.py"                 # Only Python files
    run: ruff check {staged_files}
  lint-go:
    glob: "*.go"                 # Only Go files
    run: golangci-lint run {staged_files}

Staged Files Only

{staged_files} passes only the files you changed — no wasted work:

commands:
  format:
    glob: "*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx}"
    run: biome check --write {staged_files}
    stage_fixed: true  # Re-stage auto-fixed files

Skip Hooks When Needed

git commit --no-verify -m "wip: quick save"

CI-Friendly

Lefthook works in CI too:

# .github/workflows/hooks.yml
- run: npx lefthook run pre-commit

Key Stats

• 5,000+ GitHub stars
• Written in Go (5ms startup)
• Parallel command execution
• Glob-based file filtering
• Zero Node.js dependency

FAQ

Q: What is Lefthook? A: A fast Git hooks manager that runs linters, formatters, and tests on commit/push in parallel, replacing Husky + lint-staged with a single binary.

Q: Is Lefthook free? A: Yes, open-source under MIT license.

Q: Can I use Lefthook without Node.js? A: Yes, install via Homebrew, Go, or download the binary directly.