feat: workspaceHooksEnabled setting as the opt-out for workspace hook installs

Installing hooks into any workspace a Claude session runs in is the right
default, but it takes a decision away from a user who deliberately removed
them: nothing on disk distinguishes "removed on purpose" from "never had any",
so they would come back on the next session create.

Adds the synced workspaceHooksEnabled setting (App Settings -> Agents & CLIs ->
Claude), default ON. OFF restores the older behavior exactly: a Codeman hooks
block that is already present is still refreshed when stale (COD-91), but one
is never added.

Every create path routes through one applyWorkspaceHooks() helper so the gate
cannot apply to some paths only, and the boot-time recovery sweep honours it too.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ Codeman is a Claude Code session manager with web interface and autonomous Ralph
 
 **Unified session list**: `GET /api/sessions/unified` merges live sessions, persisted state, lifecycle-log history, and Claude transcript files into one deduped list (pure core in `src/services/unified-session-service.ts`). Transcript rows fold into their owning session via a `claudeSessionId → Codeman id` alias map, so resumed and `/clear`-respawned sessions do not appear twice. No terminal buffers in the response, unlike `/api/sessions`. Backs the Cmd+K Session Manager, plus pinning and cross-device tab order (`PUT /api/session-order`; pure merge helpers in `src/session-order.ts`, pushing device wins and server-only ids are never dropped). → [architecture-invariants#unified-session-list-and-session-manager](docs/architecture-invariants.md#unified-session-list-and-session-manager)
 
-**Hook events**: Claude Code hooks trigger via `/api/hook-event`. Key events: `permission_prompt`, `elicitation_dialog`, `elicitation_complete`, `elicitation_response`, `idle_prompt`, `stop`, `teammate_idle`, `task_completed`. See `src/hooks-config.ts`; upstream hook semantics mirrored in `docs/claude-code-hooks-reference.md`. ⚠️ **Every claude session INSTALLS the hooks block into its workspace** (`ensureCodemanHooks`, add-only merge that keeps a user's own handlers), from both create paths and from `restoreMuxSessions()` for sessions recovered on server start. Before 2026-08-15 hooks were written ONLY when Codeman created the case DIRECTORY, so a linked case / cloned repo — where most sessions actually run — had no hooks at all and every hook-driven surface was silently dead there: an AskUserQuestion dialog blocked the pane while the tab and the phone overview both read a calm `idle`, with no Approvals Inbox item, no push, no definitive `stop`/`idle_prompt` for respawn and no `stop`/`blocked` for the wait endpoints. Do not restore the old "never add" policy. ⚠️ Claude Code RE-READS `settings.local.json`, so an already-running session starts firing hooks without a restart (measured 2026-08-15) — and the notification for a blocking dialog is delayed by Claude Code (~30s), so the alert trails the dialog. ⚠️ An AskUserQuestion / plan-selection dialog arrives as **`permission_prompt`**, not `elicitation_dialog` (that one is MCP elicitation), so it renders as the RED "needs you" alert, not the yellow idle one.
+**Hook events**: Claude Code hooks trigger via `/api/hook-event`. Key events: `permission_prompt`, `elicitation_dialog`, `elicitation_complete`, `elicitation_response`, `idle_prompt`, `stop`, `teammate_idle`, `task_completed`. See `src/hooks-config.ts`; upstream hook semantics mirrored in `docs/claude-code-hooks-reference.md`. ⚠️ **Every claude session INSTALLS the hooks block into its workspace** (`applyWorkspaceHooks` in session-routes.ts → `ensureCodemanHooks`, an add-only merge that keeps a user's own handlers), from both create paths and from `restoreMuxSessions()` for sessions recovered on server start. Before 2026-08-15 hooks were written ONLY when Codeman created the case DIRECTORY, so a linked case / cloned repo — where most sessions actually run — had no hooks at all and every hook-driven surface was silently dead there: an AskUserQuestion dialog blocked the pane while the tab and the phone overview both read a calm `idle`, with no Approvals Inbox item, no push, no definitive `stop`/`idle_prompt` for respawn and no `stop`/`blocked` for the wait endpoints. The escape hatch is the synced `workspaceHooksEnabled` setting (App Settings → Agents & CLIs → Claude, **default ON**); OFF restores the old behavior, where a Codeman block that is already there is still refreshed when stale (COD-91) but one is never added. ⚠️ Route the decision through `applyWorkspaceHooks` rather than calling `ensureCodemanHooks` at a new site, or the setting silently stops applying to that path. ⚠️ Claude Code RE-READS `settings.local.json`, so an already-running session starts firing hooks without a restart (measured 2026-08-15) — and the notification for a blocking dialog is delayed by Claude Code (~30s), so the alert trails the dialog. ⚠️ An AskUserQuestion / plan-selection dialog arrives as **`permission_prompt`**, not `elicitation_dialog` (that one is MCP elicitation), so it renders as the RED "needs you" alert, not the yellow idle one.
 
 **Approvals Inbox** (cross-session queue of prompts waiting on a human; `approvalsInboxEnabled`, SYNCED, default OFF: every surface is opt-in; only the store and answer endpoints run regardless, so flipping it ON shows anything already pending): `web/approval-inbox.ts` is a `sessionWaits`-style singleton fed by `/api/hook-event`, holding at most ONE item per session (a new prompt supersedes), claude-mode only, in-memory. Cards are answered via `POST /api/approvals/:id/answer`, which sends a digit / Esc / idle-prompt text through `writeViaMux` (menu answers never carry `\r`). ⚠️ `option` digits are accepted ONLY when they match options parsed from the captured pane frame, and the answer path RE-CAPTURES the pane first (a dialog that no longer parses on screen means the keystroke would land in the composer, so refuse with 409). ⚠️ Resolution on the heuristic `working` signal is restricted to `idle` items; permission/question items clear only on definitive signals (`stop`, `elicitation_complete`/`elicitation_response`, exit/delete, answer, supersede, 12h TTL). The frontend seeds from `GET /api/approvals` in `handleInit` **regardless of the setting**: the seed re-arms the tab-alert state machine (`setPendingHook`) unconditionally, and only populating `this.approvals` (the inbox surfaces) is gated — seeding used to be gated wholesale, which left a reloaded page with NO red tab while a permission dialog sat blocking a session (2026-08-15); `_onApprovalResolved` clears the pending-hook alert unconditionally for the same reason. ⚠️ The red/yellow tab alert itself is a STEADY border/background/dot with a pulse on top: the original keyframes swung to transparent at 0%/100%, so half of every cycle looked like a normal tab. Push Approve/Deny buttons stay gated on the setting (`sendPushNotifications` strips `actions`/`approvalId` when OFF) and are answered from `sw.js` directly so they work with no tab open. Surfaces (all gated on the setting): header bell (marker-hidden until count > 0, phones never show it) + drawer (`approvals-ui.js`), phone overview NEEDS YOU answer strips (`mobile-overview.js`). Design: `docs/approvals-inbox-plan.md`.
 

src/web/ports/config-port.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ export interface ConfigPort {
   getTerminalHistoryConfig(): Promise<TerminalHistoryConfig>;
   /** Synced `agentSkillEnabled` app setting (default OFF); gates per-case agent-skill injection. */
   getAgentSkillEnabled(): Promise<boolean>;
+  /** Synced `workspaceHooksEnabled` app setting (default ON); gates INSTALLING hooks into a session's workspace. */
+  getWorkspaceHooksEnabled(): Promise<boolean>;
   /** Synced `claudeVoiceEnabled` app setting (default OFF); gates the Claude voice dictation relay. */
   getClaudeVoiceEnabled(): Promise<boolean>;
   getDefaultClaudeMdPath(): Promise<string | undefined>;

src/web/public/index.html

@@ -1984,6 +1984,13 @@
                     </div>
                     <label class="switch switch-sm"><input type="checkbox" id="appSettingsAgentSkill"><span class="slider"></span></label>
                   </div>
+                  <div class="set-row" data-search="workspace hooks alerts approvals notifications settings.local.json">
+                    <div class="set-row-text">
+                      <span class="set-row-label">Workspace Hooks</span>
+                      <span class="set-row-desc">Install Codeman's hooks in each Claude workspace, so tab alerts, the Approvals Inbox and idle detection also work in linked cases and existing repos. Off leaves your repos untouched.</span>
+                    </div>
+                    <label class="switch switch-sm"><input type="checkbox" id="appSettingsWorkspaceHooks"><span class="slider"></span></label>
+                  </div>
                   <div class="set-row" data-search="remote auto reconnect ssh">
                     <div class="set-row-text">
                       <span class="set-row-label">Remote auto-reconnect</span>

src/web/public/settings-ui.js

@@ -409,6 +409,9 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
     // Claude Permissions settings
     document.getElementById('appSettingsAgentTeams').checked = settings.agentTeamsEnabled ?? false;
     document.getElementById('appSettingsAgentSkill').checked = settings.agentSkillEnabled ?? false;
+    // Default ON: an absent key is a user who has never seen this setting, and OFF
+    // for them means no tab alerts in any workspace Codeman did not scaffold.
+    document.getElementById('appSettingsWorkspaceHooks').checked = settings.workspaceHooksEnabled !== false;
     document.getElementById('appSettingsClaudeModel').value = settings.claudeModel ?? '';
     document.getElementById('appSettingsOpusContext1m').checked = settings.opusContext1mEnabled ?? false;
     document.getElementById('appSettingsRemoteAutoReconnect').checked = settings.remoteAutoReconnect ?? true;
@@ -2017,6 +2020,7 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
       // Claude Permissions settings
       agentTeamsEnabled: document.getElementById('appSettingsAgentTeams').checked,
       agentSkillEnabled: document.getElementById('appSettingsAgentSkill').checked,
+      workspaceHooksEnabled: document.getElementById('appSettingsWorkspaceHooks').checked,
       claudeVoiceEnabled: document.getElementById('appSettingsClaudeVoice').checked,
       claudeModel: document.getElementById('appSettingsClaudeModel').value,
       opusContext1mEnabled: document.getElementById('appSettingsOpusContext1m').checked,

src/web/routes/session-routes.ts

@@ -626,6 +626,32 @@ async function injectAgentSkill(casePath: string): Promise<void> {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Hooks for the workspace a Claude session is about to run in. ONE decision point,
+ * shared by every create path, so the setting cannot apply to some of them only.
+ *
+ * ON (`workspaceHooksEnabled`, the default): INSTALL Codeman's hooks block, merging
+ * so a user's own hook entries and every other settings key survive. Hooks were
+ * previously written only when Codeman CREATED the case DIRECTORY, so a linked case
+ * or any pre-existing repo — where most sessions actually run — had none, and every
+ * hook-driven surface was silently dead there: no tab alert or phone-overview row
+ * when a dialog blocks the pane, no Approvals Inbox item, no push, no definitive
+ * `stop`/`idle_prompt` for respawn, and no `stop`/`blocked` for the wait endpoints.
+ * Measured 2026-08-15 in a linked case: an AskUserQuestion dialog on screen with the
+ * tab reporting a calm `idle`. Claude Code re-reads the file, so a session already
+ * running in that workspace starts firing hooks without a restart (verified live).
+ *
+ * OFF: the older, narrower behavior. A Codeman block that is already there is still
+ * refreshed when stale (COD-91: a pre-secret block 401s once the hook-secret gate
+ * went unconditional), but one is never added, so Codeman leaves the repo alone.
+ *
+ * Best-effort either way: a refusal or a thrown error must never fail the create.
+ */
+async function applyWorkspaceHooks(ctx: ConfigPort, workspace: string): Promise<void> {
+  const install = await ctx.getWorkspaceHooksEnabled();
+  await (install ? ensureCodemanHooks(workspace) : refreshStaleCodemanHooks(workspace)).catch(() => {});
+}
+
 export function registerSessionRoutes(
   app: FastifyInstance,
   ctx: SessionPort & EventPort & ConfigPort & InfraPort & AuthPort
@@ -766,21 +792,10 @@ export function registerSessionRoutes(
       await applyStatusLineConfig(workingDir, true);
     }
 
-    // Hooks for the workspace this session runs in. ADD-ONLY and merge-based:
-    // Codeman's own handlers are (re)written, a user's own hook entries are kept.
-    //
-    // This used to be `refreshStaleCodemanHooks`, which deliberately never ADDS —
-    // and `writeHooksConfig` only runs when Codeman CREATES a case directory. So a
-    // session in a LINKED case or any pre-existing repo (where most sessions live)
-    // got no hooks block at all, and every hook-driven surface was silently dead
-    // there: no permission/question tab alert, no Approvals Inbox item, no push,
-    // no definitive `stop`/`idle_prompt` for respawn, and no `stop`/`blocked` for
-    // the agent wait endpoints. Measured 2026-08-15 on a linked case: an
-    // AskUserQuestion dialog sat on screen with the tab showing plain `idle`.
-    // Claude Code re-reads the file, so a session already running in that
-    // workspace starts firing hooks too (verified live, same day).
+    // Hooks for the workspace this session runs in (install vs refresh-only is the
+    // `workspaceHooksEnabled` setting; see applyWorkspaceHooks).
     if ((body.mode ?? 'claude') === 'claude') {
-      await ensureCodemanHooks(workingDir).catch(() => {});
+      await applyWorkspaceHooks(ctx, workingDir);
       // Agent skill (docs/agent-control-plan.md §2): ADD-ONLY on create, same shared-
       // .claude rationale as the statusLine above: a create must never remove the
       // skill from under other live sessions in the repo. Marker-guarded, so a
@@ -2911,15 +2926,13 @@ export function registerSessionRoutes(
       }
     } else if (!remote && !docker && mode !== 'opencode') {
       // EXISTING case directory (a linked case, a cloned repo, anything Codeman did
-      // not scaffold). Claude mode INSTALLS the hooks block when it is missing and
-      // refreshes ours when it is stale — a linked case never got one otherwise, which
-      // left every hook-driven surface dead there (see POST /api/sessions above).
-      // Other modes keep the narrower COD-91 self-heal: only claude reads `.claude`
-      // hooks, so a shell/codex quick-start should not author a block of its own.
-      // Skipped for remote cases — resolvedCasePath is a REMOTE path that doesn't
-      // exist on the local filesystem.
+      // not scaffold): install-or-refresh per the setting (see applyWorkspaceHooks).
+      // Other modes keep the narrower COD-91 self-heal unconditionally: only claude
+      // reads `.claude` hooks, so a shell/codex quick-start should not author a block
+      // of its own. Skipped for remote cases — resolvedCasePath is a REMOTE path that
+      // doesn't exist on the local filesystem.
       if (mode === 'claude') {
-        await ensureCodemanHooks(resolvedCasePath).catch(() => {});
+        await applyWorkspaceHooks(ctx, resolvedCasePath);
       } else {
         await refreshStaleCodemanHooks(resolvedCasePath).catch(() => {});
       }
@@ -2956,9 +2969,9 @@ export function registerSessionRoutes(
           await writeHooksConfig(resolvedCasePath);
         } else {
           // A settings file with no hooks in it is the same dead-surface case as a
-          // linked case: this branch is already gated on `docker.hooksEnabled`, so
-          // install ours rather than only refreshing an existing block.
-          await ensureCodemanHooks(resolvedCasePath).catch(() => {});
+          // linked case. This branch is already gated on `docker.hooksEnabled`, and
+          // applyWorkspaceHooks adds the user-level gate on top.
+          await applyWorkspaceHooks(ctx, resolvedCasePath);
         }
       } catch {
         /* non-fatal — the session still runs, hooks may be degraded */

src/web/schemas.ts

@@ -906,6 +906,17 @@ export const SettingsUpdateSchema = z
      * add-only at create; a marker keeps user-authored copies untouched.
      */
     agentSkillEnabled: z.boolean().optional(),
+    /**
+     * Install Codeman's hooks block into the workspace of every Claude session,
+     * not only into cases Codeman scaffolded itself. SYNCED, default ON: without
+     * it a linked case or an existing repo runs with no hooks at all, and each
+     * hook-driven surface is silently dead there (tab alert, Approvals Inbox,
+     * push, respawn's definitive idle signals, the wait endpoints' stop/blocked).
+     * Turning it OFF restores the older, narrower behavior — a Codeman hooks
+     * block that is already present is still refreshed when stale, but one is
+     * never added — for a user who wants Codeman to leave their repos alone.
+     */
+    workspaceHooksEnabled: z.boolean().optional(),
     /**
      * Let browser dictation transcribe through this machine's Claude Code login,
      * the same speech-to-text service the CLI's own `/voice` mode uses

src/web/server.ts

@@ -637,6 +637,7 @@ export class WebServer extends EventEmitter {
       getClaudeModeConfig: this.getClaudeModeConfig.bind(this),
       getTerminalHistoryConfig: this.getTerminalHistoryConfig.bind(this),
       getAgentSkillEnabled: this.getAgentSkillEnabled.bind(this),
+      getWorkspaceHooksEnabled: this.getWorkspaceHooksEnabled.bind(this),
       getClaudeVoiceEnabled: this.getClaudeVoiceEnabled.bind(this),
       getDefaultClaudeMdPath: this.getDefaultClaudeMdPath.bind(this),
       getLightState: this.getLightState.bind(this),
@@ -1711,6 +1712,16 @@ export class WebServer extends EventEmitter {
     return settings.agentSkillEnabled === true;
   }
 
+  // Whether a Claude session installs Codeman's hooks block into its workspace
+  // (synced `workspaceHooksEnabled` setting). Default ON — an absent key means a
+  // user who has never seen this setting, and OFF for them would mean no tab
+  // alerts, no Approvals Inbox and no respawn idle signals in every workspace
+  // Codeman did not scaffold itself.
+  private async getWorkspaceHooksEnabled(): Promise<boolean> {
+    const settings = await this.readSettings();
+    return settings.workspaceHooksEnabled !== false;
+  }
+
   // Whether browser dictation may use this machine's Claude Code credentials
   // (synced `claudeVoiceEnabled` setting, default OFF; docs/claude-voice-plan.md).
   // OFF by default because turning it on spends the operator's Claude subscription
@@ -2866,8 +2877,13 @@ export class WebServer extends EventEmitter {
    * Failures are swallowed per workspace: `ensureCodemanHooks` already refuses
    * unsafe targets with a warning, and a workspace we cannot write to must not
    * stop the rest of recovery.
+   *
+   * Skipped entirely when `workspaceHooksEnabled` is OFF: that setting exists so a
+   * user can keep Codeman out of their repos, and a boot-time sweep is the last
+   * place that should ignore it.
    */
   private async ensureHooksForRecoveredWorkspaces(): Promise<void> {
+    if (!(await this.getWorkspaceHooksEnabled())) return;
     const workspaces = new Set<string>();
     for (const session of this.sessions.values()) {
       if (session.mode !== 'claude' || session.remote) continue;

test/mocks/mock-route-context.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export function createMockRouteContext(options?: {
   sessionId?: string;
   agentSkillEnabled?: boolean;
   claudeVoiceEnabled?: boolean;
+  workspaceHooksEnabled?: boolean;
 }) {
   const sessionId = options?.sessionId ?? 'test-session-1';
   const session = createMockSession(sessionId);
@@ -96,6 +97,9 @@ export function createMockRouteContext(options?: {
     getAgentSkillEnabled: vi.fn(async () => options?.agentSkillEnabled ?? false),
     // Default OFF mirrors the shipped setting: no test opens a voice relay by accident.
     getClaudeVoiceEnabled: vi.fn(async () => options?.claudeVoiceEnabled ?? false),
+    // Default ON mirrors the shipped setting, so a route test sees what a user sees.
+    // Writes land in the test's temp working dir, never in a real repo.
+    getWorkspaceHooksEnabled: vi.fn(async () => options?.workspaceHooksEnabled ?? true),
     getDefaultClaudeMdPath: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
     getLightState: vi.fn(() => ({ sessions: [], status: 'ok' })),
     getLightSessionsState: vi.fn(() => {

test/routes/session-routes-workspace-hooks.test.ts

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { createMockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
 import { installRouteErrorHandler } from '../../src/web/route-error-handler.js';
 import { registerSessionRoutes } from '../../src/web/routes/session-routes.js';
+import { generateHooksConfig } from '../../src/hooks-config.js';
 
 interface HooksFile {
   hooks?: Record<string, Array<{ matcher?: string; hooks?: Array<{ command?: string }> }>>;
@@ -29,6 +30,32 @@ interface HooksFile {
   model?: unknown;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A faithful PRE-SECRET Codeman hooks block (what a case created before COD-54
+ * contains): it targets /api/hook-event, so it is recognisably ours, but carries
+ * no X-Codeman-Hook-Secret header and no -k. Used to prove the self-heal still
+ * runs with the setting OFF.
+ */
+function staleCodemanHooks() {
+  return {
+    Stop: [
+      {
+        matcher: '',
+        hooks: [
+          {
+            type: 'command',
+            command:
+              "HOOK_DATA=$(cat 2>/dev/null || echo '{}'); " +
+              'printf \'{"event":"stop","sessionId":"%s","data":%s}\' "$CODEMAN_SESSION_ID" "$HOOK_DATA" | ' +
+              'curl -s -X POST "$CODEMAN_API_URL/api/hook-event" -H \'Content-Type: application/json\' --data @- 2>/dev/null || true',
+            timeout: 5,
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    ],
+  };
+}
+
 describe('POST /api/sessions workspace hooks', () => {
   let app: FastifyInstance;
   let workingDir: string;
@@ -39,6 +66,16 @@ describe('POST /api/sessions workspace hooks', () => {
   const createSession = (payload: Record<string, unknown>) =>
     app.inject({ method: 'POST', url: '/api/sessions', payload });
 
+  /** Rebuild the app with the `workspaceHooksEnabled` gate in a given position. */
+  const useApp = async (workspaceHooksEnabled: boolean) => {
+    await app?.close();
+    app = Fastify({ logger: false });
+    await app.register(fastifyCookie);
+    registerSessionRoutes(app, createMockRouteContext({ workspaceHooksEnabled }));
+    installRouteErrorHandler(app);
+    await app.ready();
+  };
+
   beforeEach(async () => {
     workingDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'codeman-workspace-hooks-'));
     app = Fastify({ logger: false });
@@ -108,4 +145,33 @@ describe('POST /api/sessions workspace hooks', () => {
     expect((await createSession({ name: 'hooks-malformed', mode: 'claude', workingDir })).statusCode).toBe(200);
     expect(await readFile(settingsPath(), 'utf-8')).toBe('{ not json');
   });
+
+  it('adds nothing when workspaceHooksEnabled is OFF', async () => {
+    await useApp(false);
+
+    expect((await createSession({ name: 'hooks-off', mode: 'claude', workingDir })).statusCode).toBe(200);
+    expect(existsSync(settingsPath())).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('still heals a stale Codeman block when workspaceHooksEnabled is OFF', async () => {
+    // The setting turns off ADDING hooks, not the COD-91 self-heal: a pre-secret
+    // block 401s against the now-unconditional hook-secret gate, so a workspace that
+    // already opted in must not be left with hooks that silently fail.
+    await useApp(false);
+    await mkdir(join(workingDir, '.claude'), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(settingsPath(), JSON.stringify({ model: 'opus', hooks: staleCodemanHooks() }));
+
+    expect((await createSession({ name: 'hooks-off-stale', mode: 'claude', workingDir })).statusCode).toBe(200);
+
+    const settings = await readSettings();
+    expect(settings.model).toBe('opus');
+    expect(JSON.stringify(settings.hooks)).toContain('X-Codeman-Hook-Secret');
+  });
+
+  it('writes the hooks the generator produces, so the two cannot drift', async () => {
+    expect((await createSession({ name: 'hooks-parity', mode: 'claude', workingDir })).statusCode).toBe(200);
+
+    const written = (await readSettings()).hooks ?? {};
+    expect(Object.keys(written).sort()).toEqual(Object.keys(generateHooksConfig().hooks).sort());
+  });
 });