How to configure husky when .git is in a different folder?

When configuring Husky in your project, but the .git folder is not located in the root directory, you need to make minor adjustments to ensure Husky correctly identifies the location of the Git hooks.

Steps:

1. Determine the location of the .git folder: First, identify the exact location of the .git folder. For example, consider the following project structure where the .git folder resides in the parent directory:

   shell
   /parent-folder
   ├── .git        # Git directory
   └── my-project  # Your project directory
       ├── node_modules
       ├── package.json
       ├── src
       └── ...

2. Install Husky: In the project directory (e.g., my-project), execute the following command to install Husky:

   bash
   npm install husky --save-dev

3. Configure Husky: In package.json, add Husky configuration. Specifically, set the husky field, and if necessary, specify the path to the .git directory. In this example, since the .git folder is in the parent directory, use a relative path to reference it:

   json
   "husky": {
     "hooks": {
       "pre-commit": "npm test",
       "pre-push": "npm run lint"
     }
   }

   Note: For Husky versions 5 and above, additional configuration steps may be required, such as using a .huskyrc file or specifying the Git hooks path through alternative methods.

4. Verify the configuration: Before performing any Git operations (e.g., commit), manually trigger the hooks to validate the configuration. For instance, attempt a commit to confirm that the pre-commit hook is activated.

5. Debug issues: If Husky does not function as expected, investigate the following:

   • Ensure the path is accurate.
   • Review project logs or console output for error messages.
   • Confirm compatibility between the Git version supported by Husky and the Git version used in your project.

Example:

In a previous project, the .git directory was not in the root directory due to historical reasons. We configured Husky by specifying a relative path in package.json, which worked successfully. Prior to each commit, the code automatically executed unit tests and code style checks to ensure quality. This approach enhanced code stability and team development efficiency.

This configuration is particularly beneficial for multi-module projects or sub-projects, ensuring consistent and standardized code commits even with a complex Git repository structure.