Hooks write to stderr causing false "hook error" display in Claude Code

[flexorflex]

Description

All hooks in PAI v2.3 write informational/status messages to stderr using console.error(). Claude Code interprets any stderr output as a hook failure, displaying "hook error" messages even when hooks execute successfully.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install PAI v2.3
2. Start a new Claude Code session
3. Observe multiple "SessionStart:startup hook error" messages at startup
4. Observe "UserPromptSubmit hook error" and "PreToolUse:Bash hook error" during normal usage

Expected Behavior

No error messages when hooks complete successfully (exit code 0).

Actual Behavior

Claude Code shows "hook error" for every hook, even though:

• Hooks execute correctly (banner displays, context loads)
• Exit codes are 0
• The "errors" are just informational log messages

Root Cause

Hooks use console.error() for status messages. For example, in LoadContext.hook.ts:

console.error('⏱️ Session start time recorded for notification timing');
console.error('📚 Reading PAI core context from skill file...');
console.error(`✅ Read ${paiContent.length} characters from PAI SKILL.md`);

Claude Code treats any stderr output as an error condition.

Suggested Fix

Option A (Recommended): Change informational console.error() calls to console.log() or remove them entirely. Reserve console.error() only for actual errors.

Option B (Workaround): Add 2>/dev/null to hook commands in settings.json:

{ "type": "command", "command": "${PAI_DIR}/hooks/LoadContext.hook.ts 2>/dev/null" }

Affected Files

All hooks in Releases/v2.3/.claude/hooks/ and Packs/pai-hook-system/src/hooks/:

• LoadContext.hook.ts
• StartupGreeting.hook.ts
• CheckVersion.hook.ts
• UpdateTabTitle.hook.ts
• SetQuestionTab.hook.ts
• ExplicitRatingCapture.hook.ts
• SecurityValidator.hook.ts
• (and others)

Environment

• PAI Version: 2.3.0
• Claude Code Version: 2.1.17
• OS: macOS

[danielmiessler]

Thanks for reporting this! We've been doing a major restructuring of PAI's core systems, including a complete redesign of the hook architecture (consolidated from 22 to ~19 hooks), a rewritten Algorithm (now v0.5.1 with PRD-based verification), removal of the observability system, and numerous path/configuration fixes.

This specific issue is addressed by those changes. We're targeting a v3.0 release soon that will include all of this. We appreciate your patience and your help in identifying these issues — it directly informed our redesign work. Stay tuned!