freeze

name	freeze
description	Hard-block Edit/Write outside a chosen directory. Use to scope-lock edits during a focused fix or refactor. Pair with /unfreeze to release.
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read","AskUserQuestion"]
hooks	{"PreToolUse":[{"matcher":"Edit","hooks":[{"type":"command","command":"bash ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/skills/freeze/check-freeze.sh"}]},{"matcher":"Write","hooks":[{"type":"command","command":"bash ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/skills/freeze/check-freeze.sh"}]},{"matcher":"NotebookEdit","hooks":[{"type":"command","command":"bash ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/skills/freeze/check-freeze.sh"}]}]}

/freeze — Restrict Edits to a Directory

Hard-block any Edit, Write, or NotebookEdit to a file outside the chosen directory for the remainder of the session.

Adapted from garrytan/gstack/freeze. Uses the inline-hooks-in-skill-frontmatter pattern: the PreToolUse hooks above only fire while this skill is active — no global settings.json change.

When to use

• Fixing one feature and want zero risk of touching unrelated code
• Running /deep-review or feature-builder and want scope-locked
• Debugging — pair with /investigate, which auto-engages this hook
• Long sessions where context drift could cause edit creep

Setup

1. Use AskUserQuestion to ask the user which directory to lock to:

   • Question: "Which directory should I restrict edits to? Files outside this path will be blocked."
   • Free-text input — the user types a path. Common choices for DOTS:
     • Main/Features/<FeatureName>/ — single feature scope
     • Main/Adapters/ — adapter layer only
     • Main/_Module/ModuleData/ — XML data only
     • DOTS.Tests/ — tests only

2. Resolve to absolute path and persist to the state file:

FREEZE_INPUT="<user-provided-path>"
# Resolve relative paths against the project root
if [[ "$FREEZE_INPUT" != /* && "$FREEZE_INPUT" != [A-Za-z]:* ]]; then
    FREEZE_DIR="$(cd "$FREEZE_INPUT" 2>/dev/null && pwd)"
else
    FREEZE_DIR="$(cd "$FREEZE_INPUT" 2>/dev/null && pwd)"
fi

if [[ -z "$FREEZE_DIR" || ! -d "$FREEZE_DIR" ]]; then
    echo "Could not resolve '$FREEZE_INPUT' to a directory."
    exit 1
fi

STATE_DIR="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/tmp/freeze"
mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR"
echo "$FREEZE_DIR" > "$STATE_DIR/freeze-dir.txt"
echo "Freeze boundary set: $FREEZE_DIR"

3. Confirm to the user:

Edits are now locked to <resolved-path>/. Any Edit, Write, or NotebookEdit outside this directory will be hard-blocked. Run /unfreeze to release.

How it works

The PreToolUse hooks declared in this skill's frontmatter activate the moment the skill is invoked. On every Edit/Write/NotebookEdit tool call, check-freeze.sh runs:

1. Reads the freeze-dir state file (.claude/tmp/freeze/freeze-dir.txt)
2. Extracts file_path from the tool call's JSON input
3. Resolves both paths to absolute, normalizes slashes (Windows + Git Bash compatible)
4. If the file is outside the freeze boundary → returns {"permissionDecision":"deny",...} to block
5. Otherwise → returns {} to allow

The hook is silent on success and verbose only when blocking, so freeze adds zero noise to normal work.

What's blocked vs. allowed

Tool	Behavior
Edit	Blocked outside boundary
Write	Blocked outside boundary
NotebookEdit	Blocked outside boundary
Read, Glob, Grep	Always allowed (read-only)
Bash	Always allowed — sed, tee, > etc. can still bypass freeze. This is not a security boundary.
MCP server tools (Serena's replace_content, etc.)	Not blocked — these are separate tools. Use Edit/Write for changes you want freeze-protected.

Example session

User: /freeze
Skill: Asks "Which directory?" → user answers "Main/Features/CareerSystem/"
       Sets boundary to C:/Users/mikew/source/repos/DOTS/Main/Features/CareerSystem/
       
User: Edit Main/Features/CareerSystem/Services/CareerService.cs
       → ALLOWED (inside boundary)

User: Edit Main/Adapters/HeroAdapter.cs
       → BLOCKED: "[freeze] Blocked: ... is outside the freeze boundary (.../CareerSystem/)"

User: /unfreeze
       → Boundary cleared

Notes

• Trailing-slash normalization prevents /Main from matching /Main_old
• Symlinks resolved before comparison (POSIX-portable, works in Git Bash)
• The state file is in .claude/tmp/ (gitignored) — boundary clears if you delete the file or run /unfreeze
• This is a productivity guard, not a security boundary. A determined Bash command (echo > /etc/passwd) can still touch anything the user has write access to. The point is to catch accidental drift by the agent, not to protect against malicious actions.