Claude Code Accountability Hook

A corrective wrapper for Claude Code. Re-reads a rules file at the start of every turn so the model doesn't drift on long sessions.

Helps prevent:

• Fabricated numbers (claims that sound plausible but can't be reproduced from the repo).
• Silent plan changes (agreeing to one approach and quietly doing another when it hits a snag).
• Out-of-scope edits (touching files or directories you didn't ask it to).
• Deflection when corrected (answering "here's what should have happened" instead of "why I did what I did").

These are failure modes we ran into during development. The hook fixed them.

Two files. No dependencies.

How it works

Claude Code's settings.json supports a UserPromptSubmit hook. Whatever command it runs, the output gets injected into the model's context before every user turn. We point it at a rules file:

{
  "hooks": {
    "UserPromptSubmit": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          { "type": "command", "command": "cat ~/.claude/critical_rules.md" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The rules get re-read every turn. They don't drift out of context on long sessions.

Setup

1. Copy critical_rules.template.md to ~/.claude/critical_rules.md.

2. Open it. Search for <<. Every match is a placeholder. Replace each one with a real failure from your own work, with concrete details: what happened, what it cost. Delete any rule that doesn't match a failure you've had.

3. Add the hook to ~/.claude/settings.json:

   {
     "hooks": {
       "UserPromptSubmit": [
         {
           "hooks": [
             { "type": "command", "command": "cat ~/.claude/critical_rules.md" }
           ]
         }
       ]
     }
   }

4. Start a new Claude Code session. The rules should appear as a system reminder at the top of each turn.

Notes

• Keep rules backed by real incidents. Generic rules won't change behavior.
• Keep the file under 200 lines. Cut dead rules.
• Review outputs. This reduces named failure modes, it doesn't eliminate error.

Credits

Built at SYNTEX LLC. https://syntexsecurity.com

Authored by Aaron Willhite with Claude.

License

MIT.