diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 1b03659..d62086c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ pip install -e "packages/parser-core[dev,test]"
 
 # Install parser-free in editable mode (depends on parser-core above)
 pip install -e "packages/parser-free[test]"
+
+# Activate local git hooks (blocks direct pushes to main)
+git config core.hooksPath .githooks
 ```
 
 ### Verify Setup
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8b4e9ec..69ed03e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ setup:	## Full development environment setup
 	$(MAKE) pre-commit-install
 	chmod +x setup-git-hooks.sh
 	./setup-git-hooks.sh
+	git config core.hooksPath .githooks
 	@echo "✅ Setup complete!"
 
 # Testing