Hook runs and changes in chat

A hook works quietly, but the chat keeps a record of it: every run that has something to report leaves a row, and every hook DataMind Oda writes, changes or deletes leaves a card. This page shows how to read both.

These rows and cards are part of the desktop app and the VS Code extension; in the web app they do not appear. What hooks are, and where you manage them, is on Hooks; Trust a folder's hooks covers trust, and Restore a hooks file version covers saved versions.

Read a hook run

• A run appears as a collapsed row titled Hook.
• While the hook runs, the row reads Running the {event} hook, or the hook's own status message when it has one.
• When it finishes, the row shows the hook's status message, or the event and matcher (for example PostToolUse · Write), followed by a one-line summary of how it ended.
• The row opens once the run has finished; while it is still running it stays collapsed.
• A run that finishes with nothing to report does not keep a row: if it appeared while the hook ran, it goes away when the run finishes.
• The newest runs for each hook are also listed under Recent runs ({count}) in Settings > Hooks; see Hooks.

What the run summary says

Open a run for the details

A finished row opens to show:

• A facts line with the event and matcher, the duration as {ms} ms and the exit code as exit {code}, each shown when it was recorded.
• Message: the text the hook recorded for the run.
• Reminder for the model: the guidance the hook passed to Oda.
• Reason: the reason the hook gave for its decision.
• Error output: what the command printed to its error stream.
• Each section appears only when the run recorded something for it. A blocked run with a reason does not repeat its error output here; when there is no reason, the error output is what you see.

Read a hook write card

• When Oda creates, changes or deletes a hook, the chat shows its own card: Create hook, Change hook or Delete hook.
• The card's line names what it targeted, the event and matcher, and how it ended: created, changed or deleted. A write made in a Full access session reads created without asking (Full access), or changed or deleted in the same shape.
• The card opens once the write has settled; a failed write shows the first line of its error on the card.
• Open the card for the exact details: Event, Matcher, Command and File, each shown when it has a value. A failed or stopped write shows Result with what it reported instead.
• A write that was stopped before it finished reads stopped before it finished.
• A completed write carries a note of how it was allowed: You approved this write. or Full access wrote it without an approval prompt., followed by The file's previous version is kept in Settings > Hooks. The version can be restored from the file's saved versions.

Questions, answered

Where does the text on a hook run row come from?

The row is labelled with the hook's own status message. A hook without one is labelled with its event and matcher, for example PostToolUse · Write, and reads Running the {event} hook while it runs.

Can I open a run while it is still running?

No. The row stays collapsed while the hook runs; it opens once the run has finished and there is something to read.

Why did a hook run disappear from the chat when it finished?

Because it finished with nothing to report. A quiet, plain run leaves no row, so if the row had appeared while the hook ran, it goes away when the run ends. Runs that block, ask, stop, fail or record a message keep their row.

What does added a reminder mean?

The hook passed a piece of guidance to Oda. Open the row to read it under Reminder for the model.

What does blocked mean on a hook run?

The hook stopped the step it ran on, so the step did not go ahead. When the hook recorded a reason, its first line shows after blocked:; with no reason, the first line of the error output stands in.

What does asked for approval mean?

The hook asked you to confirm the step it ran on before the step could go ahead.

What does asked to stop mean?

The hook asked for the run to stop. The request is recorded on the row; the run itself is not halted by it.

What does could not run mean?

The run produced no result, so no exit code was recorded. Open the row for anything it recorded.

Why does a failed hook run show an exit code?

The hook's command ran and ended with an error. The code it reported sits in the summary; open the row for the error output under Error output.

What does stopped before it finished mean?

The run was stopped before it could finish, so there is no result. On a write card, the same line means the write was stopped before it finished, and Result shows what it reported.

Where can I check exactly what a hook write changed?

Open the write's card: Event, Matcher, Command and File show what Oda wrote. The file's earlier state is kept as a version you can restore, described on Restore a hooks file version.

How do I know whether a hook write was approved?

Open the card and read its note. You approved this write. means the write went ahead with your approval; Full access wrote it without an approval prompt. means the session ran in Full access and no prompt appeared. The outcome on the card marks that case too: created without asking (Full access).