glob_matcher

`glob_matcher`

You can configure which glob matching engine lefthook uses to filter files. By default, lefthook uses gobwas/glob, but you can opt-in to use doublestar for standard glob behavior.

Values:

gobwas (default): The current glob implementation
doublestar: Standard glob behavior where ** matches 0 or more directories

Example:

# lefthook.yml

glob_matcher: doublestar

pre-commit:
  jobs:
    - name: lint
      run: yarn eslint {staged_files}
      glob: "**/*.{js,ts}"

Key Differences

The main difference between the two matchers is how they handle **:

Default behavior (`gobwas`)

The ** pattern matches 1 or more directories:

**/*.js matches folder/file.js, a/b/c/file.js
**/*.js does NOT match file.js at the root level

Standard behavior (`doublestar`)

The ** pattern matches 0 or more directories:

**/*.js matches file.js, folder/file.js, a/b/c/file.js
This is consistent with most glob implementations

When to Use

Use glob_matcher: doublestar when:

You want standard glob behavior consistent with other tools
You need ** to match files at any level including the root
You're migrating from other tools that use standard glob patterns

Keep the default (gobwas) when:

You want to maintain existing behavior
You specifically need ** to require at least one directory level
You have existing patterns that depend on the current behavior

Example Comparison

# With default (gobwas)
glob_matcher: gobwas  # or omit this line

pre-commit:
  jobs:
    - run: eslint {staged_files}
      glob: "**/*.js"
      # Matches: src/app.js, lib/util.js
      # Does NOT match: app.js

    - run: eslint {staged_files}
      glob: "*.js"
      # Matches: app.js
      # Does NOT match: src/app.js

# With doublestar
glob_matcher: doublestar

pre-commit:
  jobs:
    - run: eslint {staged_files}
      glob: "**/*.js"
      # Matches: app.js, src/app.js, lib/util.js

Notes

The glob_matcher setting is global and applies to all glob and exclude patterns in your configuration
This setting does not affect root or other path-related options
The setting is fully backward compatible - existing configurations continue to work without modification

Lefthook Documentation