diff --git a/.githooks/pre-commit b/.githooks/pre-commit
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..6133000b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.githooks/pre-commit
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Pre-commit hook that runs the suspicious patterns check on staged files
+
+# Get the repository's root directory
+repo_root=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+
+# Run the suspicious patterns script in pre-commit mode
+"$repo_root/suspicious_patterns.sh" --pre-commit
+
+# Exit with the same code as the script
+exit $?
diff --git a/.githooks/setup.sh b/.githooks/setup.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eb77aa11c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.githooks/setup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+echo "Configuring git to use .githooks directory..."
+git config core.hooksPath .githooks
diff --git a/.github/workflows/checkpatterns.yml b/.github/workflows/checkpatterns.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 8b60a12e5..000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/checkpatterns.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-name: checkpatterns
-
-on: [push, pull_request]
-
-jobs:
-  checkpatterns:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Check for suspicious patterns
-        run: |
-          if [ -f "suspicious_patterns.sh" ]; then
-            bash suspicious_patterns.sh
-          else
-            echo "Warning: suspicious_patterns.sh not found, skipping check"
-            # Still exit with success for compatibility with dependent jobs
-            exit 0
-          fi
diff --git a/suspicious_patterns.sh b/suspicious_patterns.sh
index 39287a6a1..421919d94 100755
--- a/suspicious_patterns.sh
+++ b/suspicious_patterns.sh
@@ -1,25 +1,123 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+# Exit on error, undefined variables, and pipe failures
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Enable debug mode if DEBUG environment variable is set
+[[ "${DEBUG:-}" == "1" ]] && set -x
+
+# This script prevents accidental commits of XRPL/Ripple cryptographic keys
+# It searches for:
+#   - Secret seeds (s...) - can derive keypairs
+#   - Private keys (p...) - validator private keys! 
+#   - Raw key material (02/03/ED + hex) - compressed public keys or Ed25519 keys
+#
+# Usage:
+#   suspicious_patterns.sh           # Check last commit (for CI)
+#   suspicious_patterns.sh --pre-commit  # Check staged files (for pre-commit hook)
+#
+# WARNING: If this catches a real key in CI, that key is already compromised!
+# The key has been pushed to the git history and must be immediately decommissioned.
+# 
+# To mark keys as safe, add comment: // not-suspicious
+# Files excluded: See exclude_files array below
+# Lines excluded: Matching exclude_pattern regex below
+
+# Pattern for lines to exclude from checking
+exclude_pattern="public_key|not-suspicious"
+
+# Array of files to exclude from checking (paths relative to repo root)
+exclude_files=(
+  "src/test/app/Import_test.cpp"
+  "cfg/validators-example.txt"
+)
+
 # Get the repository's root directory
 repo_root=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
 
-# Get a list of files changed in the last commit with their relative paths
-files_changed=$(git diff --name-only --relative HEAD~1 HEAD)
+# Determine which files to check based on context:
+# 1. Pre-commit hook: Check staged files before commit
+# 2. GitHub PR: Check all files changed in the PR (HEAD is a synthetic merge commit)
+# 3. Regular push/CI: Check files in the last real commit
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "--pre-commit" ]]; then
+  # Pre-commit mode: Check what's about to be committed
+  files_changed=$(git diff --cached --name-only --relative)
+  mode="staged files"
+else
+  # CI mode - need to handle two different scenarios
+  if [[ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME:-}" == "pull_request" ]]; then
+    # GitHub PR event: HEAD is a synthetic merge commit created by GitHub
+    # that merges PR branch into base. Must diff against base to get only PR files.
+    base_ref="${GITHUB_BASE_REF:-dev}"
+    
+    # Ensure we have the base branch (GitHub Actions shallow clone might not have it)
+    if ! git rev-parse --verify "origin/$base_ref" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      echo "Fetching base branch origin/$base_ref..."
+      git fetch --depth=1 origin "$base_ref"
+    fi
+    
+    # Since there's no merge base in shallow clones, we need to be creative
+    # Save current HEAD, switch to base, then diff the trees
+    current_head=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
+    echo "Comparing against base branch origin/$base_ref..."
+    
+    # Get the tree objects to compare (this works even without shared history)
+    base_tree=$(git rev-parse "origin/$base_ref^{tree}")
+    head_tree=$(git rev-parse "$current_head^{tree}")
+    
+    # Compare the two trees directly
+    files_changed=$(git diff --name-only "$base_tree" "$head_tree")
+    mode="PR changes"
+  else
+    # Regular push event: Check the actual commit that was pushed
+    # Using 'git show' works even with shallow clones (no HEAD~1 needed)
+    # See: https://github.com/Xahau/xahaud/actions/runs/15492442104/job/43620965462#step:3:11
+    files_changed=$(git show --name-only --pretty=format:'' HEAD)
+    mode="last commit"
+  fi
+fi
+
+echo "Checking $mode for suspicious patterns..."
+
+# Show additional info in CI or when verbose mode is enabled
+if [[ -n "${CI:-}" ]] || [[ "${VERBOSE:-}" == "1" ]]; then
+  if [[ "${1:-}" != "--pre-commit" ]]; then
+    echo "Commit: $(git rev-parse HEAD)"
+  fi
+  echo "Files to check:"
+  if [[ -n "$files_changed" ]]; then
+    echo "$files_changed" | nl
+  else
+    echo "  (none)"
+  fi
+fi
 
 # Loop through each file and search for the patterns
 for file in $files_changed; do
-  # Skip if the file is Import_test.cpp (exact filename match regardless of path)
-  if [[ "$(basename "$file")" == "Import_test.cpp" ]]; then
-    continue
-  fi
+  # Check if file should be excluded (exact path match)
+  for excluded in "${exclude_files[@]}"; do
+    if [[ "$file" == "$excluded" ]]; then
+      continue 2  # Continue outer loop
+    fi
+  done
 
   # Construct the absolute path
   absolute_path="$repo_root/$file"
 
   # Check if the file exists (it might have been deleted)
   if [ -f "$absolute_path" ]; then
-    # Search the file for the given patterns, but exclude lines containing 'public_key'
-    grep_output=$(grep -n -E '(([^rpshnaf39wBUDNEGHJKLM4PQRST7VWXYZ2bcdeCg65jkm8oFqi1tuvAxyz]|^)(s|p)[rpshnaf39wBUDNEGHJKLM4PQRST7VWXYZ2bcdeCg65jkm8oFqi1tuvAxyz]{25,60}([^(]|$)))|([^A-Fa-f0-9](02|03|ED)[A-Fa-f0-9]{64})' "$absolute_path" | grep -v "public_key")
+    # Get file content based on mode
+    if [[ "${1:-}" == "--pre-commit" ]]; then
+      # For staged files, use git show with the staging area
+      file_content=$(git show ":$file" 2>/dev/null)
+    else
+      # For committed files, read from disk
+      file_content=$(cat "$absolute_path")
+    fi
+    
+    # Search the file content for the given patterns, but exclude lines matching the exclusion pattern
+    # Use || true to prevent grep from failing the script when no matches are found
+    grep_output=$(echo "$file_content" | grep -n -E '(([^rpshnaf39wBUDNEGHJKLM4PQRST7VWXYZ2bcdeCg65jkm8oFqi1tuvAxyz]|^)(s|p)[rpshnaf39wBUDNEGHJKLM4PQRST7VWXYZ2bcdeCg65jkm8oFqi1tuvAxyz]{25,60}([^(]|$)))|([^A-Fa-f0-9](02|03|ED)[A-Fa-f0-9]{64})' | grep -vE "$exclude_pattern" || true)
 
     # Check if grep found any matches
     if [ ! -z "$grep_output" ]; then