Dbochman/git-pre-push-hook-ssh-timeout

Git Pre-Push Hook SSH Timeout

Problem

Pre-push hooks that make slow API calls (like AI code review) cause GitHub's SSH connection to timeout and close, resulting in a misleading error message.

Context / Trigger Conditions

• git push fails with: Connection to github.com closed by remote host
• You have a pre-push hook that calls external APIs (Codex review, linting services, etc.)
• Push works fine with git push --no-verify
• The hook output shows it's running but never completes

Solution

Option 1: Remove redundant hooks (Recommended)

If CI/CD already runs the same check, the pre-push hook is redundant:

rm .husky/pre-push  # or trash .husky/pre-push

Option 2: Add a timeout

Kill the slow operation if it exceeds a threshold:

# In pre-push hook
timeout 30s codex review --base main || echo "Review timed out, proceeding"

Option 3: Make it async (non-blocking)

Run the check in background and don't block the push:

# In pre-push hook
(codex review --base main > /tmp/review.log 2>&1 &)
echo "Review running in background..."
exit 0

Option 4: Skip flag

Already present in most setups - document it for users:

SKIP_CODEX_REVIEW=1 git push
# or
git push --no-verify

Root Cause

GitHub's SSH server has an idle connection timeout (~60 seconds). When a pre-push hook runs a synchronous API call that takes longer, the SSH connection sits idle waiting for the hook to complete. GitHub eventually closes the connection.

The error message doesn't indicate the hook is the problem - it looks like a network/SSH issue.

Verification

After fixing:

1. git push should complete without --no-verify
2. No "connection closed" errors
3. If using Option 1, verify CI still runs the check

Example

Before (problematic):

# .husky/pre-push
codex review --base main  # Takes 60+ seconds, times out SSH

After (fixed - rely on CI):

# .github/workflows/codex-review.yml already runs on PRs
# Just remove the hook entirely

Notes

• This affects any slow synchronous operation in hooks, not just Codex
• The timeout varies by git host (GitHub ~60s, GitLab may differ)
• CI-based reviews are more reliable than local hooks (no API key issues, rate limits)
• If you need local pre-push validation, prefer fast operations (<10s)