diff --git a/.githooks/pre-commit b/.githooks/pre-commit
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f1a483e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.githooks/pre-commit
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Pre-commit hook: mirrors GitHub CI checks locally.
+# Installed via: git config core.hooksPath .githooks
+#
+# Runs on every `git commit`. Catches format/lint/test failures before push.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
+cd "$REPO_ROOT"
+
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m'
+
+_ok() { echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} $1"; }
+_fail() { echo -e "${RED}✗${NC} $1"; }
+_info() { echo -e "${YELLOW}→${NC} $1"; }
+
+echo ""
+_info "Running pre-commit checks (mirrors GitHub CI)..."
+echo ""
+
+# Only check staged shell/Go files to keep commits fast.
+STAGED=$(git diff --cached --name-only --diff-filter=ACM)
+HAS_SHELL=$(echo "$STAGED" | grep -E '\.sh$|^mole$|^bin/' || true)
+HAS_GO=$(echo "$STAGED" | grep -E '\.go$' || true)
+
+FAILED=0
+
+# --- 1. Shell syntax check (fast, no tool required) ---
+if [[ -n "$HAS_SHELL" ]]; then
+    _info "Shell syntax check..."
+    while IFS= read -r f; do
+        [[ -f "$f" ]] || continue
+        if ! bash -n "$f" 2>&1; then
+            _fail "Syntax error: $f"
+            FAILED=1
+        fi
+    done <<< "$HAS_SHELL"
+    [[ $FAILED -eq 0 ]] && _ok "Shell syntax clean"
+fi
+
+# --- 2. shfmt format check (if installed) ---
+if [[ -n "$HAS_SHELL" ]] && command -v shfmt > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    _info "shfmt format check..."
+    UNFORMATTED=""
+    while IFS= read -r f; do
+        [[ -f "$f" ]] || continue
+        if ! shfmt -i 4 -ci -sr -d "$f" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            UNFORMATTED="$UNFORMATTED $f"
+        fi
+    done <<< "$HAS_SHELL"
+    if [[ -n "$UNFORMATTED" ]]; then
+        _fail "shfmt: unformatted files:$UNFORMATTED"
+        _info "Fix with: ./scripts/check.sh --format"
+        FAILED=1
+    else
+        _ok "shfmt format clean"
+    fi
+fi
+
+# --- 3. shellcheck (if installed) ---
+if [[ -n "$HAS_SHELL" ]] && command -v shellcheck > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    _info "shellcheck..."
+    while IFS= read -r f; do
+        [[ -f "$f" ]] || continue
+        if ! shellcheck "$f" 2>&1; then
+            FAILED=1
+        fi
+    done <<< "$HAS_SHELL"
+    [[ $FAILED -eq 0 ]] && _ok "shellcheck clean"
+fi
+
+# --- 4. Go vet (if staged Go files) ---
+if [[ -n "$HAS_GO" ]] && command -v go > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    _info "go vet..."
+    if go vet ./cmd/... 2>&1; then
+        _ok "go vet clean"
+    else
+        _fail "go vet failed"
+        FAILED=1
+    fi
+fi
+
+echo ""
+if [[ $FAILED -ne 0 ]]; then
+    _fail "Pre-commit checks failed. Fix the issues above before committing."
+    _info "Run './scripts/check.sh --format' to auto-fix formatting."
+    echo ""
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+_ok "All pre-commit checks passed."
+echo ""
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index cf7ec5f..0bdb017 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ brew install shfmt shellcheck bats-core golangci-lint
 
 # Install goimports for better Go formatting
 go install golang.org/x/tools/cmd/goimports@latest
+
+# Install pre-commit hook (runs format/lint checks on every commit)
+git config core.hooksPath .githooks
 ```
 
 ## Development