diff --git a/git-tools/hooks/pre-commit b/git-tools/hooks/pre-commit
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..23ab8d6cdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-tools/hooks/pre-commit
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# A hook to disallow php syntax errors to be committed
+# by running php -l (lint) on them. It requires php-cli
+# to be installed.
+#
+# This is a pre-commit hook.
+#
+# To install this you can either copy or symlink it to
+# $GIT_DIR/hooks, example:
+#
+# ln -s ../../git-tools/hooks/pre-commit \\
+#   .git/hooks/pre-commit
+
+# NOTE: this is run through /usr/bin/env
+PHP_BIN=php
+
+# necessary check for initial commit
+if git rev-parse --verify HEAD >/dev/null 2>&1
+then
+	against=HEAD
+else
+	# Initial commit: diff against an empty tree object
+	against=4b825dc642cb6eb9a060e54bf8d69288fbee4904
+fi
+
+error=0
+errors=""
+
+IFS=$'\n'
+# get a list of staged files
+for line in $(git diff-index --cached --full-index $against)
+do
+	# split needed values
+	sha=$(echo $line | cut -d' ' -f4)
+	temp=$(echo $line | cut -d' ' -f5)
+	status=$(echo $temp | cut -d'	' -f1)
+	filename=$(echo $temp | cut -d'	' -f2)
+
+	# file extension
+	ext=$(echo $filename | sed 's/^.*\.//')
+
+	# only check files with php extension
+	if [ $ext != "php" ]
+	then
+		continue
+	fi
+
+	# do not check deleted files
+	if [ $status = "D" ]
+	then
+		continue
+	fi
+
+	# check the staged file content for syntax errors
+	# using php -l (lint)
+	result=$(git cat-file -p $sha | /usr/bin/env $PHP_BIN -l 2>/dev/null)
+	if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+	then
+		error=1
+		# Swap back in correct filenames
+		errors+=${result//in - on/"$filename"}
+	fi
+done
+unset IFS
+
+if [ $error -eq 1 ]
+then
+	echo -e "PHP Syntax check failed:";
+	echo -e "$errors" | grep "^Parse error:"
+	exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/git-tools/hooks/prepare-commit-msg b/git-tools/hooks/prepare-commit-msg
index e1e05d67b8..033cb187c7 100755
--- a/git-tools/hooks/prepare-commit-msg
+++ b/git-tools/hooks/prepare-commit-msg
@@ -10,15 +10,25 @@
 #
 # ln -s ../../git-tools/hooks/prepare-commit-msg \\
 #   .git/hooks/prepare-commit-msg
-#
-# Make sure it is executable.
 
-# strip off ref: refs/heads/
-branch="$(cat $GIT_DIR/HEAD | sed 's/ref: refs\/heads\///g')"
+# get branch name
+branch="$(git symbolic-ref HEAD)"
 
+# exit if no branch name is present
+# (eg. detached HEAD)
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+then
+	exit
+fi
+
+# strip off refs/heads/
+branch="$(echo "$branch" | sed "s/refs\/heads\///g")"
+
+# add [branchname] to commit message
 # * only run when normal commit is made (without -m or -F;
 #   not a merge, etc.)
 # * also make sure the branch name begins with bug/ or feature/
-if [ "$2" = "" ] && [ $(echo "$branch" | grep -e '^\(bug\|feature\)/') ]; then
-	echo "[$branch] $(cat $1)" > "$1"
+if [ "$2" = "" ]
+then
+	echo "[$branch] $(cat "$1")" > "$1"
 fi