fix(install): skip prek hook setup when binary not in PATH

[kagura-agent]

Problem

PR #746 (merged) made prek optional in the prepare script, but introduced a regression: when node_modules/@j178/prek directory exists but the prek binary is not in PATH, the script errors with exit 1.

This happens in practice when running npm install --omit=dev (as the NemoClaw install script does) — the package directory may be present from a previous full install, but the binary won't be linked to PATH.

Reported by @DanTup on a clean Ubuntu VM: #746 (comment)

Root Cause

The prepare script tried to distinguish between "prek intentionally absent" and "prek should be here but isn't" by checking for the node_modules/@j178/prek directory. However, this distinction is unreliable — the directory can exist without the binary being available (e.g., after --omit=dev with a stale node_modules).

Fix

Remove the elif [ -d node_modules/@j178/prek ] branch entirely. If prek is not in PATH, simply skip hook setup regardless of whether the package directory exists.

Before:

if [ -d .git ]; then
  if command -v prek >/dev/null 2>&1; then prek install;
  elif [ -d node_modules/@j178/prek ]; then echo "ERROR: ..." && exit 1;  # ← BUG
  else echo "Skipping git hook setup (prek not installed)";
  fi
fi

After:

if [ -d .git ]; then
  if command -v prek >/dev/null 2>&1; then prek install;
  else echo "Skipping git hook setup (prek not installed)";
  fi
fi

Test Scenarios

Scenario	Expected	Result
.git exists + prek in PATH	Runs prek install	✅
.git exists + prek not in PATH + node_modules/@j178/prek exists	Skip (no error)	✅ (was ❌ exit 1)
.git exists + prek not in PATH + no node_modules	Skip	✅
No .git directory	Skip	✅

Fixes regression from #746.

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Chores
  • Simplified the installation preparation script to streamline git hook setup. When the required tooling isn't available, the script now gracefully skips hook configuration (and logs a skip) instead of failing, reducing setup friction for users.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

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Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

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Run ID: 65847d11-5121-4dae-9f53-ef544816bdc0

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 754df31 and 98499b7.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• package.json

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (1)

• package.json

---

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The prepare script in package.json was simplified: it no longer attempts a vendored @j178/prek fallback and only runs prek install when prek is on PATH; otherwise, it logs a skip message if inside a Git repo.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Prepare Script Simplification package.json	Removed fallback branch that checked for a vendored node_modules/@j178/prek; the prepare script now only runs prek install when prek is available on PATH and otherwise prints a skip message without failing.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 1 (Trivial) | ⏱️ ~3 minutes

Poem

🐰 I hopped through scripts both near and far,
Found a prepare that’s trimmed and star,
No bundled search, just a simple ask,
If prek’s present, it does the task,
If not, we skip and keep our spark. ✨

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title 'fix(install): skip prek hook setup when binary not in PATH' accurately describes the main change: simplifying the prepare script to skip prek hook setup when the binary is not found in PATH, fixing a regression from PR #746.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

_{✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.}

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

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[kagura-agent]

Apologies for the extra round-trip — the original #746 should have been tested with a clean install from the start. Will be more thorough with lifecycle script changes going forward.

[wscurran]

✨ Thanks for submitting this fix, which proposes a way to skip prek hook setup when the binary is not in PATH, resolving a regression that occurred during installation with --omit=dev.

[cv]

LGTM — security review PASS.

• Fixes false-positive from stale node_modules/@j178/prek directory breaking end-user installs
• command -v prek is the correct POSIX check
• Security hooks are enforced by CI server-side regardless of local hook state
• "Skipping..." message still provides developer visibility
• No injection risk, no privilege changes

No concerns.

[cv]

Rebased onto current main (resolving conflict with the ts-migration stack from #1659).

Conflict resolution: Mechanical only — the ts-migration PR added adjacent lines (migrate:js-to-ts, ts-migration:*, bump:version) above the prepare script line. Kept all new scripts from main; applied the PR's fix to the prepare line (removed the elif [ -d node_modules/@j178/prek ] branch).

The contributor's fork is returning HTTP 503, so the rebased branch has been pushed to NVIDIA/NemoClaw at fix/prek-prepare-fallback (commit 0d9ef1ce). The diff against main is exactly the intended single-line change.

Tests: 66 passed, 2 failed (both pre-existing failures on main — install-preflight.test.ts and migration-state.test.ts), 2 skipped.