husky ".husky/pre-commit: command not found" - Fix Hook Script in CI

This is the runtime side of husky: a Git hook (e.g. .husky/pre-commit) runs but a command inside it - lint-staged, a linter, a formatter - is not found because it was not installed or is not on PATH in that context.

What this error means

A commit or a hook-triggering step fails with .husky/pre-commit: line N: <tool>: command not found. The hook itself runs, but the tool it calls is missing - often in CI commits or environments without devDependencies.

husky output

.husky/pre-commit: line 4: lint-staged: command not found
husky - pre-commit script failed (code 127)

Common causes

The hook’s tool is not installed in this context

A hook invoking lint-staged/eslint/prettier fails when those devDependencies are absent (e.g. a production install) or the bare binary is expected on PATH.

PATH does not include node_modules/.bin

Hooks run in a minimal shell. Calling a bare tool name relies on it being on PATH; without npx/node_modules/.bin, it is not found.

How to fix it

Invoke hook tools via the local binary

Call the tool through npm/npx so it resolves from node_modules.

.husky/pre-commit

# .husky/pre-commit
npx --no-install lint-staged
# ensure the tool is a devDependency:
npm install -D lint-staged

Skip hooks where they do not belong

Do not rely on devDependency hook tools in production installs.
In CI that does not need hooks, set HUSKY=0 to disable them.
Ensure any committing CI job installs the hook tools first.

How to prevent it

Call hook tools via npx --no-install or node_modules/.bin.
Keep hook tools as installed devDependencies.
Disable husky (HUSKY=0) in contexts without dev deps.