Success / failure
Separate hook events provide a stronger outcome signal than guessing from free text.
Claude Code
See no-progress loops.Do not pretend to control them.
MARGINAL integrates with Claude Code in Observe-only mode: collect evidence, detect repetition and keep the execution path unchanged.
- Open source
- Local first
- Shadow first
- Fails open on ambiguity
Claude Code integration
Observe repeated work without changing Claude Code behavior.
MARGINAL's Claude Code integration is intentionally labeled Observe. Native hooks normalize lifecycle evidence into the same provider-neutral governance model, but the adapter declares no blocking capability and does not deny tool calls.
marginal install claude-codeClaude Code exposes separate successful and failed post-tool events, so MARGINAL can record the outcome as an engine-declared fact instead of inferring it from response text. Per-tool token usage is not exposed through that hook surface and is reported as unavailable rather than zero.
Why Observe-only is a feature, not a missing disclaimer
An integration should not claim authority it does not possess. MARGINAL can detect repeated-work recommendations and governance overhead while preserving Claude Code's next action. That evidence can inform future work without pretending enforcement already exists.
What it records
Structured evidence, conservative outcomes.
Decision Ledger
Recommendations and evidence are recorded without turning the hook into an enforcement surface.
Token usage
If the hook surface does not expose per-tool tokens, MARGINAL reports that honestly.
No blocking
The adapter declares no control capability, so repeated-work candidates remain recommendations.
FAQ
Fast answers.
Does MARGINAL block Claude Code tool calls?
No. The current Claude Code adapter is Observe-only and declares no blocking capability.
Can it still detect no-progress repetition?
Yes. It can normalize action, outcome and workspace-state evidence and record repeated-work recommendations in the Decision Ledger.
Does it read Claude Code prompts or transcripts for evidence?
The integration is designed around structured derived signals rather than persisting raw prompts, command text, source paths or transcripts as governance evidence.
Try it
Observe first. Prove waste. Earn enforcement.
Install MARGINAL in Shadow Mode, inspect what your agent actually repeats, and contribute traces that make the governor harder to fool.
Observe-only is an explicit boundary
The governance article explains why evidence and interception capability should determine authority rather than installation alone.