There isn’t actually a fixed global list of hook types in app.yml.
Hooks are provided dynamically by Pups, and you can only attach to the ones that exist inside the templates you include.
How it works
When you see something like:
hooks:
after_code:
- exec:
cd: $home/plugins
cmd:
- git clone https://github.com/discourse/docker_manager.git
that works because the templates contain a step like:
- hook: code
run:
- exec: ...
Pups lets you attach commands before or after any of those defined hook points.
So if a template defines hook: code, you can use before_code: or after_code:.
If it defines hook: assets_precompile, you can use before_assets_precompile: or after_assets_precompile: — and so on.
If there’s no hook: restart (for example), then after_restart: simply won’t fire.
Hooks known to exist in the stock templates
From the default templates/*.yml shipped with Discourse Docker:
| Hook name |
Common usage |
Works with |
code |
Main setup stage for plugin clones, custom file edits, etc. |
before_code: / after_code: |
assets_precompile |
After Rails assets are compiled (e.g., upload to S3, clean up) |
after_assets_precompile: |
web |
For last-minute tweaks before the web process boots |
before_web: |
You’ll often see after_code: and before_code: used in plugin-install examples — these are the only ones needed in most setups.
Hooks that don’t exist by default
Names like after_restart or after_post_boot don’t correspond to any hook: inside the standard templates, so Pups doesn’t know where to attach them.
They won’t trigger unless you add a matching hook: restart step in a custom template.
How to find all hooks available on your system
From your /var/discourse folder, run:
grep -R "hook:" -n templates/ samples/
That’ll list every hook name supported by the templates you currently include.
Anything you find there can be used as before_<name>: or after_<name>: inside your hooks: block.
Reference
This behaviour is explained briefly in the Pups README (the config-management tool used by Discourse’s Docker setup):
“Hooks are points in templates that allow commands to be injected before or after a step labelled with hook:.”
In practice
- Use
after_code: for most custom shell commands (like plugin installs).
- For things that should happen at container boot or restart, use a small startup script or
supervisord task instead of inventing new hook names.
- To add your own hook type, make a new template with a custom
hook: something entry, then target it from app.yml.
TL;DR:
Only the hook names that actually appear as hook: entries in your templates exist.
In stock Discourse Docker, that’s basically code, assets_precompile, and web.
.