freeze

name	freeze
description	Scope or freeze which files Claude can edit during debugging, a refactor, or review. Use when edits should stay in specific dirs, or for a read-only investigate lock. Backed by a sentinel + PreToolUse hook.
effort	low

Freeze — scoped edit lock

Toggle a project-local edit lock so Claude can only modify the files you intend during a focused task (debugging, a tight refactor, a review pass). Enforced by the freeze-gate.sh PreToolUse hook, which denies Edit/Write/NotebookEdit outside the allow-list. No sentinel = no lock; the hook stays dormant.

The lock lives in .claude/.freeze — one allowed path prefix per line, project-relative. Empty file = freeze everything.

Usage

/phx:freeze [args] — resolve $ARGUMENTS and run the matching Bash branch.

Invocation	Effect
/phx:freeze	Freeze ALL edits — read-only investigation mode
/phx:freeze lib/app_web priv/repo	Allow edits only under these dirs
/phx:freeze status	Show current lock state
/phx:freeze off	Lift the lock (delete the sentinel)

Freeze all edits (investigation mode)

mkdir -p .claude && : > .claude/.freeze
echo "Freeze ON — all edits blocked. Lift with /phx:freeze off"

Scope edits to specific directories

mkdir -p .claude
printf '%s\n' lib/app_web priv/repo > .claude/.freeze
echo "Freeze ON — edits limited to: lib/app_web priv/repo"

Map $ARGUMENTS to the dirs the user named. Include any directory you still need to write to — e.g. add .claude if progress/scratchpad logging must continue.

Show status

if [ -f .claude/.freeze ]; then
  if [ -s .claude/.freeze ]; then echo "Freeze ON — limited to:"; cat .claude/.freeze
  else echo "Freeze ON — ALL edits blocked"; fi
else echo "Freeze OFF — no edit lock"; fi

Lift the lock

rm -f .claude/.freeze && echo "Freeze OFF — edits unlocked"

Iron Laws

1. MANAGE the sentinel via Bash only (:>, printf, rm) — NEVER via Edit/Write. The freeze hook gates Edit/Write and would block you from re-scoping or clearing the lock.
2. NEVER leave a freeze active across unrelated tasks — it persists until /phx:freeze off, including into later sessions. Clear it when the task ends.
3. PATHS ARE PROJECT-RELATIVE PREFIXES, one per line — lib/foo allows lib/foo and everything under it; it does NOT allow lib/foobar.

Notes

• The hook denies with a reason and tells Claude not to retry, so a frozen edit surfaces clearly instead of failing silently.
• Pairs with /phx:investigate (freeze all while root-causing) and /phx:work (scope to the plan's dirs). The lock is advisory tooling, not a security boundary — anyone can run /phx:freeze off.