How to fix error: pre-rebase hook exited with error code 1 in Git

When the pre-rebase hook fails, it typically outputs a message explaining why. Read this message carefully:

$ git rebase main
pre-rebase: Rebasing published commits is not allowed.
error: pre-rebase hook exited with error code 1

The message before the error line comes from the hook itself and explains the rejection reason. This tells you what policy you're violating.

If there's no descriptive message, you can examine the hook script directly:

cat .git/hooks/pre-rebase

This will show you exactly what the hook is checking for.

Verify whether the pre-rebase hook is intentionally active or was accidentally enabled:

# List hooks in the repository
ls -la .git/hooks/

# Check if pre-rebase exists (without .sample extension)
ls -la .git/hooks/pre-rebase 2>/dev/null && echo "Hook is active" || echo "No active pre-rebase hook"

# Check for sample hooks
ls -la .git/hooks/pre-rebase.sample 2>/dev/null

If you find a pre-rebase file but expected no hook, someone may have accidentally renamed pre-rebase.sample to pre-rebase.

To disable an accidentally activated hook:

# Rename it back to sample (preserves the hook for reference)
mv .git/hooks/pre-rebase .git/hooks/pre-rebase.sample

# Or make it non-executable
chmod -x .git/hooks/pre-rebase

# Or remove it entirely
rm .git/hooks/pre-rebase

Git can use hooks from a global directory instead of or in addition to repository hooks. Check if global hooks are configured:

# Check if a global hooks path is set
git config --global core.hooksPath

# Check all hook configurations
git config --list | grep -i hook

If core.hooksPath is set, hooks are loaded from that directory:

# Example: if core.hooksPath is ~/.git-hooks
ls -la ~/.git-hooks/pre-rebase 2>/dev/null

To temporarily disable global hooks:

# Unset for the current repository only
git config --local core.hooksPath ""

# Or temporarily override for one command
git -c core.hooksPath="" rebase main

If you understand why the hook is blocking and have a legitimate reason to proceed anyway, you can bypass it:

# Skip the pre-rebase hook for this rebase
git rebase --no-verify main

# Also works with interactive rebase
git rebase -i --no-verify HEAD~3

Warning: The --no-verify flag bypasses both the pre-rebase hook and any commit-msg hooks during the rebase. Only use this if you understand the implications.

Common legitimate reasons to bypass:
- You're rebasing a local branch that was never pushed
- You're the only developer working on this branch
- You're cleaning up commits before the first push
- The hook logic is outdated or doesn't apply to your situation

A non-invasive way to disable hooks temporarily without modifying them:

# Point hooks to a non-existent or empty directory
git config core.hooksPath /dev/null

# Now run your rebase
git rebase main

# Restore hooks afterward
git config --unset core.hooksPath

For a single command only:

# Temporarily override hooks path for just this command
git -c core.hooksPath=/dev/null rebase main

This approach is safer than modifying or removing hook files because:
- It doesn't change any files
- It's easily reversible
- Other team members' hooks remain unaffected

Git ships with a sample pre-rebase hook that's well-documented. Understanding it helps you work with similar custom hooks:

# View the sample hook
cat .git/hooks/pre-rebase.sample

The sample hook checks:
1. If rebasing onto a protected branch: It defines a "publish" branch (default: "next") and a "mainline" branch (default: "master")
2. If commits are already merged: Uses git merge-base to determine if commits have been integrated

The logic essentially asks: "Has this topic branch been merged into the mainline? If so, rebasing would rewrite published history."

To customize the sample hook for your workflow:

# Copy and activate the sample
cp .git/hooks/pre-rebase.sample .git/hooks/pre-rebase

# Edit to match your branch names
# Change 'next' to your integration branch
# Change 'master' to 'main' if needed

The hook parameters are:
- $1: The upstream branch that the series was forked from
- $2: The branch being rebased (empty if rebasing current branch)

If the pre-rebase hook is blocking your rebase for valid reasons (protecting published history), consider alternatives:

Use merge instead of rebase:

# Instead of rebase, merge to incorporate changes
git checkout feature-branch
git merge main

Merging preserves history and is safe for published branches.

Create a new branch for the rebase:

# Create a fresh branch from your work
git checkout -b feature-branch-v2 feature-branch

# Rebase the new branch (hasn't been pushed yet)
git rebase main

# The old branch remains intact for reference

Use cherry-pick for specific commits:

# Create a new branch from main
git checkout -b feature-clean main

# Cherry-pick specific commits you want
git cherry-pick abc123 def456 ghi789

This achieves a similar result to rebase without rewriting the original branch's history.

If the hook's logic doesn't match your team's workflow, modify it:

# Open the hook in your editor
code .git/hooks/pre-rebase
# or
vim .git/hooks/pre-rebase

Example: Allow rebase on feature branches only:

#!/bin/bash
# pre-rebase hook - allow rebasing only on feature/* branches

branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)

if [[ "$branch" == "main" || "$branch" == "master" || "$branch" == "develop" ]]; then
    echo "pre-rebase: Rebasing $branch is not allowed."
    echo "Create a feature branch first: git checkout -b feature/my-feature"
    exit 1
fi

exit 0

Example: Detect if we're in a rebase and allow it:

#!/bin/bash
# Check if we're in the middle of a rebase already
if [ -d ".git/rebase-merge" ] || [ -d ".git/rebase-apply" ]; then
    exit 0  # Allow continuing rebases
fi

# Your normal hook logic here...

Make sure the hook is executable:

chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-rebase