diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7a52e9f..703b491 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -56,3 +56,37 @@ swift test
 # Via xcodebuild (if using .xcodeproj)
 xcodebuild test -scheme FreeThinker
 ```
+
+## Development Setup
+
+After cloning, install the git hooks:
+
+```bash
+bash scripts/setup-hooks.sh
+```
+
+This symlinks everything in `git-hooks/` into `.git/hooks/`. It is idempotent — safe to re-run.
+
+### Commit Convention
+
+All commits must follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) format:
+
+```
+<type>(<scope>): <description>
+```
+
+- **type** — one of: `feat`, `fix`, `docs`, `chore`, `refactor`, `test`, `style`, `perf`, `ci`
+- **scope** — optional, lowercase alphanumeric (e.g. `ui`, `model`, `deps`)
+- **description** — lowercase imperative phrase, no trailing period, max 72 chars on the subject line
+- **body** — optional; must be separated from the subject by a blank line
+
+Examples:
+
+```
+feat(ui): add dark mode toggle
+fix: handle nil pointer in model loader
+docs: update contributing guidelines
+chore(deps): bump sparkle to 2.6.4
+```
+
+The `commit-msg` hook (installed by `setup-hooks.sh`) validates this format automatically.
diff --git a/git-hooks/commit-msg b/git-hooks/commit-msg
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f0c2fea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-hooks/commit-msg
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# commit-msg hook: enforces Conventional Commits format
+#
+# Format: <type>(<scope>): <description>
+#   - type: feat|fix|docs|chore|refactor|test|style|perf|ci
+#   - scope: optional, lowercase alphanumeric/hyphens in parentheses
+#   - description: lowercase imperative phrase, no trailing period
+#   - first line must be <=72 characters
+#   - if a body is present, a blank line must separate it from the subject
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+COMMIT_MSG_FILE="$1"
+COMMIT_MSG=$(head -1 "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
+
+TYPES="feat|fix|docs|chore|refactor|test|style|perf|ci"
+PATTERN="^(${TYPES})(\([a-z0-9]([a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9])?\))?!?: [a-z]([^.]|.*[^.])?$"
+
+error() {
+  printf '\n[commit-msg] ERROR: %s\n\n' "$*" >&2
+}
+
+# 1. Check Conventional Commits format
+if ! echo "$COMMIT_MSG" | grep -qE "$PATTERN"; then
+  error "Commit message does not follow Conventional Commits format."
+  cat >&2 <<'HELP'
+  Expected format:  <type>(<scope>): <description>
+
+  Examples:
+    feat(ui): add dark mode toggle
+    fix: handle nil pointer in model loader
+    docs: update contributing guidelines
+    chore(deps): bump sparkle to 2.6.4
+
+  Allowed types: feat, fix, docs, chore, refactor, test, style, perf, ci
+  Rules:
+    - description must start with a lowercase letter
+    - description must be in imperative mood (e.g. "add" not "adds"/"added")
+    - no trailing period on the subject line
+
+HELP
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# 2. Check subject line length (<= 72 chars)
+SUBJECT_LEN=${#COMMIT_MSG}
+if [[ "$SUBJECT_LEN" -gt 72 ]]; then
+  error "Subject line is ${SUBJECT_LEN} characters (max 72)."
+  printf '  Subject: %s\n\n' "$COMMIT_MSG" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# 3. If a body exists, verify blank line separates subject from body
+LINE_COUNT=$(wc -l < "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
+if [[ "$LINE_COUNT" -gt 1 ]]; then
+  SECOND_LINE=$(sed -n '2p' "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
+  if [[ -n "$SECOND_LINE" ]]; then
+    error "Missing blank line between subject and body."
+    printf '  Add an empty line after the subject before the body text.\n\n' >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+fi
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/scripts/setup-hooks.sh b/scripts/setup-hooks.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed62f69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/setup-hooks.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# setup-hooks.sh — install tracked git hooks into the active git hooks directory
+#
+# Run once after cloning:
+#   bash scripts/setup-hooks.sh
+#
+# Idempotent: safe to run multiple times.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+HOOKS_SOURCE="$REPO_ROOT/git-hooks"
+
+# Respect core.hooksPath when configured; fall back to .git/hooks
+_configured_path="$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" config core.hooksPath 2>/dev/null || true)"
+if [[ -n "$_configured_path" ]]; then
+  # core.hooksPath may be relative — resolve it from the repo root
+  case "$_configured_path" in
+    /*) HOOKS_DEST="$_configured_path" ;;
+    *)  HOOKS_DEST="$REPO_ROOT/$_configured_path" ;;
+  esac
+else
+  HOOKS_DEST="$REPO_ROOT/.git/hooks"
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -d "$HOOKS_SOURCE" ]]; then
+  printf '[setup-hooks] ERROR: %s not found. Run from repo root.\n' "$HOOKS_SOURCE" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -d "$HOOKS_DEST" ]]; then
+  printf '[setup-hooks] ERROR: %s not found. Is this a git repository?\n' "$HOOKS_DEST" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+installed=0
+for hook in "$HOOKS_SOURCE"/*; do
+  [[ -f "$hook" ]] || continue
+  hook_name="$(basename "$hook")"
+  dest="$HOOKS_DEST/$hook_name"
+
+  if [[ -L "$dest" ]]; then
+    # Already a symlink — update it in case source moved
+    rm "$dest"
+  elif [[ -f "$dest" ]]; then
+    printf '[setup-hooks] Backing up existing %s -> %s.bak\n' "$hook_name" "$hook_name"
+    mv "$dest" "${dest}.bak"
+  fi
+
+  ln -s "$hook" "$dest"
+  chmod +x "$dest"
+  printf '[setup-hooks] Installed %s\n' "$hook_name"
+  (( installed++ )) || true
+done
+
+if [[ "$installed" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  printf '[setup-hooks] No hooks found in %s\n' "$HOOKS_SOURCE"
+else
+  printf '[setup-hooks] Done. %d hook(s) installed.\n' "$installed"
+fi