> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-cloud-runtime-security/cortex-cli/cortex-cli-for-code-security/cortex-cli-pre-commit-hooks/pre-commit-hook-usage.md).

# Pre-commit hook usage

You can run secrets checks on your code, customize its behavior using supported flags, and suppress detected secrets when required.

By default, Cortex CLI pre-commit hooks:

* **Scan staged files only**: The scan performs a quick and efficient check by only analyzing the changes you are about to commit, rather than the entire codebase
* **Scan for secrets only**: Pre-commit hooks support secrets scans only
* **Do not upload results to the platform**: All scan results are kept local to your machine, ensuring your data remains private

## Command flag reference

Use the following flags with the `cortexcli code pre-commit` command to customize scanner behavior.

* `--ignore-existing-secrets`: Ignores secrets that already exist from a periodic scan (default: false) `[$CORTEX_CODE_IGNORE_EXISTING_SECRETS]`
* `--validate-secrets`: Checks if the secrets are valid (default: false) `[$CORTEX_CODE_VALIDATE_SECRETS]`
* `--skip-path`: Specifies a file or directory path to skip during the scan `[$CORTEX_CODE_SKIP_PATH]`
* `--compact`: Prevents the display of code blocks in the output (default: false) `[$CORTEX_CODE_COMPACT]`
* `--summary-position`: Determines whether the summary appears on top (before the check results) or on bottom (after the check results). (default: top) `[$CORTEX_CODE_SUMMARY_POSITION]`
* `--no-fail-on-crash`: Returns exit code 0 instead of 2 in case of a failure in the integration with the platform (default: false) `[$CORTEX_CODE_NO_FAIL_ON_CRASH]`
* `--help, -h`: Displays a help message with available options

## Secrets suppression

You can suppress secrets directly within your code by adding a comment. This is useful for secrets that are intentionally included or a false positive and are not a security risk. Currently, suppression is not supported in `JSON` files.

The comment format is:

```programlisting
 cortex:skip=<SECRET_ID>:<suppression justification>
```

Replace `<SECRET_ID>` with the specific ID provided in the scan output, and provide a brief explanation for why the secret is being suppressed. The comment syntax will depend on the file type.

EXAMPLE

Comments in a Dockerfile begin with (`#`). Note the comment in the **After suppression** code-block below.

* **Before suppression**:

  ```programlisting
  ENV SEC_1="ghp_3xyKmc3W7XanE82IKHJ3Z3AfHbV"
  ```
* **After suppression**:

  ```programlisting
  # cortex:skip=APPSEC_SECRET_43: Suppress this key for testing purposes
  ENV SEC_1="ghp_3xyKmc3W7XanE82IKHJ3Z3AfHbV"           
  ```


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