diff --git a/.githooks/.stow-local-ignore b/.githooks/.stow-local-ignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96787ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.githooks/.stow-local-ignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+^/.* # everything
diff --git a/.githooks/prepare-commit-msg b/.githooks/prepare-commit-msg
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..cacaa1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.githooks/prepare-commit-msg
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+
+COMMIT_MSG_FILE="$1"
+COMMIT_SOURCE="$2"
+
+pkgfileloc="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/_bootstrap/packages.txt"
+pkgignoreloc="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/_bootstrap/packages_ignore.txt"
+listgen="yay"
+
+err() {
+  printf "\x1b[33mCAUTION:\x1b[0m %s\n" "$*"
+  exit 1
+}
+
+if [ ! -f "$pkgfileloc" ]; then
+  err "File not found - $pkgfileloc, can not determine package differences!"
+fi
+
+if ! type "$listgen" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  err "Yay not installed on machine, can not reliably determine package differences!"
+fi
+
+# get commited packages, remove empty lines
+# and lines beginning with # to allow comments
+pkgcommited=$(mktemp)
+sed -e '/^[#$]/d' <"$pkgfileloc" | sort >"$pkgcommited"
+
+# get packages on this machine
+# q removes extraneous info
+# e only lists explicitly installed
+# tt removes those that are depended on, but NOT those optionally depended on
+pkgcurrent=$(yay -Qqett | sort)
+# remove those listed in package_ignore.txt
+if [ -f "$pkgignoreloc" ]; then
+  pkgcurrent=$(echo "$pkgcurrent" | comm -23 - "$pkgignoreloc")
+fi
+
+# compare the lists, list differences
+result=$(echo "$pkgcurrent" | comm -3 - "$pkgcommited")
+
+# get files only in repo (field1), and only on machine (field2)
+added=$(echo "$result" | cut -f1 | sed -e '/^$/d')
+removed=$(echo "$result" | cut -s -f2)
+
+# if we have no changes, do nothing
+if [ -n "$added" ] || [ -n "$removed" ]; then
+  text=$(printf "\-- PACKAGE DIFFERENCES TO COMMITED LIST FOUND --\nPackages NOT YET in repo:\n%s\n\nPackages ONLY in repo:%s\n" "$added" "$removed" | sed 's/^/# /gm')
+else
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# prepend package changes to message
+case $COMMIT_SOURCE in
+"" | message, | template,)
+  msg=$(echo "$text" | cat - "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
+  printf "%s" "$msg" >"$COMMIT_MSG_FILE"
+  ;;
+esac
diff --git a/_bootstrap/.stow-local-ignore b/_bootstrap/.stow-local-ignore
index 1bf0cf2..1b5258a 100644
--- a/_bootstrap/.stow-local-ignore
+++ b/_bootstrap/.stow-local-ignore
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 # TODO find a more generic way to express 'ignore any non-folder files'
 
 ^/install_packages.sh
-^/packages.csv
+^/packages.*.txt
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index c67c377..7ce8596 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,19 @@ check_consent() {
   fi
 }
 
+enable_git_hooks() {
+  if [ "$1" == "false" ]; then
+    echo "Should we enable git hooks for this repository, so that installed packages are automatically compared when committing? [Y/n]"
+    read -r no
+    if [[ "$no" == n* ]]; then
+      echo "Not changing repository settings."
+      return
+    fi
+  fi
+  git config --local core.hooksPath .githooks/
+  echo "Changed repository settings."
+}
+
 install() {
   unattended=$1
   if ! "$unattended"; then
@@ -68,6 +81,9 @@ install() {
   # -- for some reason stow only works with unqoted var expansion
   stow -R ${targets} 2> >(grep -v 'Absolute/relative mismatch between Stow dir' 1>&2)
 
+  echo "================== ENABLING GIT REPOSITORY HOOKS =========================="
+  enable_git_hooks "$unattended"
+
   echo "====================== INSTALLATION FINISHED =============================="
   exit 0
 }