diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index fc460f4..443d3a6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ### New Features
 
+- **Claude Code:** an optional front-load hook makes your agent reach for CodeGraph automatically. When you ask a structural question — "how does X work", "what calls Y", "trace the flow from A to B" — CodeGraph injects the relevant source and call paths into the prompt up front, so the agent answers from the graph instead of grepping around to rebuild it. You're asked during `codegraph install` (default yes; Claude Code only, since it's the agent with prompt hooks), it's removed by `codegraph uninstall`, and `codegraph upgrade` turns it on for existing Claude setups. It's strictly additive and degradable — non-structural prompts and un-indexed projects are left alone — and you can switch it off any time without uninstalling by setting `CODEGRAPH_NO_PROMPT_HOOK=1`.
 - Vue store actions, mutations, and getters are now indexed as symbols you can find and read. Whether your store is **Vuex** (`mutations` / `actions` objects in a module) or **Pinia** — both the options form (`defineStore({ actions: { … } })`) and the setup form (`defineStore('id', () => { … })`, where actions are local functions) — each action, mutation, and getter is now a real node. So `codegraph search` finds `login` or `getSessionList`, and `codegraph_explore` / `codegraph_node` show its body and what it calls, instead of "not found" because the function only existed as an object-literal property.
 - `codegraph_explore` now connects a Vue component to the **Pinia** store action it calls. When code does `const store = useUserStore()` and then `store.fetchUser()`, that call now links through to the `fetchUser` action in the store module — so "what happens when this view loads its data?" traces from the component into the action's body instead of stopping at the `store.fetchUser()` line. Works for both Pinia store styles (options and setup), and stays precise (a built-in like `store.$patch()` or an unrelated same-named method isn't mislinked).
 - `codegraph_explore` now follows **Vuex** string dispatch. A `dispatch('user/login')` or `commit('SET_TOKEN')` call — namespaced `'module/action'` keys included — now links to the action or mutation it names, resolved to the correct store module even when several modules share an action name (and without being fooled by a same-named `api/` helper). So "what runs when this dispatches?" traces from the call into the store handler and on to the mutations it commits. Vuex's canonical `export default { namespaced, actions, mutations }` module shape is now indexed too, so those handlers are findable symbols.
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- `codegraph install` now wires up your agents and stops there — it no longer indexes the current directory. Building a project's graph is always the explicit `codegraph init` (or `codegraph index`), so you decide what gets indexed and when, and the steps are the same whether you installed globally or just for one project. This clears up the confusion where a project-local install silently indexed but a global one didn't, and where the docs and the tool disagreed about whether you still had to run `init`. (#826)
 - React components declared with `forwardRef`, `memo`, or styled-components / emotion (`const Button = forwardRef(...)`, `const Card = memo(...)`, `const Box = styled.button\`…\``) are now recognized as components, so finding where they're used works. Before, they were indexed as plain constants, so `codegraph callers` and impact analysis reported "no callers found" even when the component was rendered across dozens of files — a dangerous false "safe to change" right before refactoring a shared component. Now every `<Button/>` usage links back to the component, so callers and blast radius are complete. This is the standard shadcn/ui declaration style, so for typical React design systems the whole UI layer is no longer invisible to impact analysis. Thanks @Arlandaren for the report and @maxmilian for the root-cause. (#841)
 - React Router and Next.js routes defined in `.tsx` / `.jsx` files are now indexed. Routes written as JSX — `<Route path="/users" element={<UsersPage/>}/>`, `createBrowserRouter([...])`, and Next.js `app/`/`pages/` page files — were being skipped entirely (only routes that happened to live in plain `.ts`/`.js` were picked up), so "what renders at this path?" and the route → page-component link were missing for most React apps. Now those routes show up in `codegraph search`/`codegraph_explore` and connect to the component they render, just like the backend route → handler links on other frameworks.
 - `codegraph sync` (and the file-watcher auto-sync behind always-on / MCP use) no longer drops a function's callers when you edit the file that function lives in. Re-indexing a file after an edit — even a docstring-only change — was severing the `calls` / `references` edges coming from *other, unchanged* files (e.g. `from pkg import mod; mod.fn()` callers, or any cross-file reference), so `codegraph callers` / `impact` would abruptly report "no callers" for a function that's used throughout the codebase, until the next full re-index. Sync now preserves those incoming cross-file edges across the re-index, re-matching them to the symbol even when the edit shifted its line number. Most visible in large Python package trees, but it applies to every language. Thanks @JosefAschauer. (#899)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 67f8598..fc4daa4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ In a **new terminal**, run the installer to connect CodeGraph to the agents you
 codegraph install
 ```
 
-<sub>Detects and auto-configures Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, opencode, Hermes Agent, Gemini CLI, Antigravity IDE, and Kiro — wiring the CodeGraph MCP server into each. **This is the step that connects CodeGraph to your agent;** installing the CLI in step 1 does not do it on its own. (Shortcut: `npx @colbymchenry/codegraph` downloads and runs this in one go.)</sub>
+<sub>Detects and auto-configures Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, opencode, Hermes Agent, Gemini CLI, Antigravity IDE, and Kiro — wiring the CodeGraph MCP server into each. **This is the step that connects CodeGraph to your agent;** installing the CLI in step 1 does not do it on its own. It only wires up your agent — it does **not** index any code; building each project's graph is the separate `codegraph init` in step 3. (Shortcut: `npx @colbymchenry/codegraph` downloads and runs this in one go.)</sub>
 
 ### 3. Initialize each project
 
@@ -341,7 +341,8 @@ The installer will:
 - Ask whether configs apply to all your projects or just this one
 - Write each chosen agent's MCP server config, plus a small marker-fenced CodeGraph section in the agent's instructions file (`CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` / `GEMINI.md`) — that's how subagents and non-MCP agents learn the `codegraph explore` command, since the MCP server's own guidance only reaches the main agent. Removed cleanly by `codegraph uninstall`.
 - Set up auto-allow permissions when Claude Code is one of the targets
-- Initialize your current project (local installs only)
+
+The installer **wires up your agents only — it does not index your code.** After it finishes, build each project's graph yourself with `codegraph init` (step 3). One global `codegraph install` covers every project; you run `codegraph init` once per project.
 
 **Non-interactive (scripting / CI):**
 
@@ -466,7 +467,7 @@ The exact text is `src/mcp/server-instructions.ts` — the single source of trut
 codegraph                         # Run interactive installer
 codegraph install                 # Run installer (explicit)
 codegraph uninstall               # Remove CodeGraph from your agents (inverse of install)
-codegraph init [path]             # Initialize in a project (--index to also index)
+codegraph init [path]             # Initialize a project + build its graph (one step)
 codegraph uninit [path]           # Remove CodeGraph from a project (--force to skip prompt)
 codegraph index [path]            # Full index (--force to re-index, --quiet for less output)
 codegraph sync [path]             # Incremental update
diff --git a/__tests__/installer-targets.test.ts b/__tests__/installer-targets.test.ts
index eb15da0..ffa7081 100644
--- a/__tests__/installer-targets.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/installer-targets.test.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import * as os from 'os';
 import { ALL_TARGETS, getTarget, resolveTargetFlag } from '../src/installer/targets/registry';
 import { uninstallTargets } from '../src/installer';
 import { upsertTomlTable, removeTomlTable, buildTomlTable } from '../src/installer/targets/toml';
-import { cleanupLegacyHooks } from '../src/installer/targets/claude';
+import { cleanupLegacyHooks, writePromptHookEntry, removePromptHookEntry } from '../src/installer/targets/claude';
 
 function mkTmpDir(label: string): string {
   return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), `cg-targets-${label}-`));
@@ -1097,6 +1097,84 @@ describe('Installer targets — partial-state idempotency', () => {
     // Both events emptied → the whole `hooks` object is removed.
     expect(after.hooks).toBeUndefined();
   });
+
+  // ---- Front-load prompt hook (UserPromptSubmit) — #841 follow-up ----
+  // Opt-in (default-yes in the installer) UserPromptSubmit hook that runs
+  // `codegraph prompt-hook`. Must write/remove surgically, be idempotent, and
+  // round-trip an opt-out — without disturbing the user's own hooks.
+  const promptCommands = (s: any): string[] =>
+    (s.hooks?.UserPromptSubmit ?? []).flatMap((g: any) => (g.hooks ?? []).map((h: any) => h.command));
+
+  it('claude: install with promptHook:true writes the UserPromptSubmit hook (alongside permissions)', () => {
+    const claude = getTarget('claude')!;
+    claude.install('global', { autoAllow: true, promptHook: true });
+    const s = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.claude', 'settings.json'), 'utf-8'));
+    expect(promptCommands(s)).toContain('codegraph prompt-hook');
+    expect(s.permissions?.allow).toContain('mcp__codegraph__*');
+  });
+
+  it('claude: install without promptHook does NOT add the hook', () => {
+    const claude = getTarget('claude')!;
+    claude.install('global', { autoAllow: true });
+    const s = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.claude', 'settings.json'), 'utf-8'));
+    expect(promptCommands(s)).not.toContain('codegraph prompt-hook');
+  });
+
+  it('claude: install with promptHook:true is idempotent (no duplicate, byte-identical re-run)', () => {
+    const claude = getTarget('claude')!;
+    const file = path.join(tmpHome, '.claude', 'settings.json');
+    claude.install('global', { autoAllow: true, promptHook: true });
+    const first = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8');
+    claude.install('global', { autoAllow: true, promptHook: true });
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8')).toBe(first);
+    const s = JSON.parse(first);
+    expect(promptCommands(s).filter((c: string) => c === 'codegraph prompt-hook')).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it('claude: install with promptHook:false strips a hook a prior install wrote (opt-out round-trips)', () => {
+    const claude = getTarget('claude')!;
+    claude.install('global', { autoAllow: true, promptHook: true });
+    claude.install('global', { autoAllow: true, promptHook: false });
+    const s = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.claude', 'settings.json'), 'utf-8'));
+    expect(promptCommands(s)).not.toContain('codegraph prompt-hook');
+  });
+
+  it('claude: writePromptHookEntry preserves a sibling UserPromptSubmit hook', () => {
+    const file = seedSettings('global', {
+      hooks: { UserPromptSubmit: [{ hooks: [{ type: 'command', command: 'my-own-hook' }] }] },
+    });
+    expect(writePromptHookEntry('global').action).toBe('updated');
+    const s = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8'));
+    expect(promptCommands(s)).toEqual(['my-own-hook', 'codegraph prompt-hook']);
+  });
+
+  it('claude: uninstall removes the prompt hook but keeps the user\'s sibling', () => {
+    const file = seedSettings('global', {
+      hooks: {
+        UserPromptSubmit: [
+          { hooks: [{ type: 'command', command: 'codegraph prompt-hook' }] },
+          { hooks: [{ type: 'command', command: 'my-own-hook' }] },
+        ],
+      },
+    });
+    getTarget('claude')!.uninstall('global');
+    const s = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8'));
+    expect(promptCommands(s)).toEqual(['my-own-hook']);
+  });
+
+  it('claude: removePromptHookEntry leaves the legacy auto-sync hook untouched', () => {
+    const file = seedSettings('global', {
+      hooks: {
+        UserPromptSubmit: [{ hooks: [{ type: 'command', command: 'codegraph prompt-hook' }] }],
+        Stop: [{ hooks: [{ type: 'command', command: 'codegraph sync-if-dirty' }] }],
+      },
+    });
+    expect(removePromptHookEntry('global').action).toBe('removed');
+    const s = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8'));
+    expect(promptCommands(s)).not.toContain('codegraph prompt-hook');
+    const stopCmds = (s.hooks?.Stop ?? []).flatMap((g: any) => (g.hooks ?? []).map((h: any) => h.command));
+    expect(stopCmds).toContain('codegraph sync-if-dirty');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('Installer targets — registry', () => {
diff --git a/src/bin/codegraph.ts b/src/bin/codegraph.ts
index b0c2f4b..8fad0c0 100644
--- a/src/bin/codegraph.ts
+++ b/src/bin/codegraph.ts
@@ -1017,6 +1017,82 @@ program
     }
   });
 
+/**
+ * codegraph prompt-hook  (hidden)
+ *
+ * A Claude Code `UserPromptSubmit` hook entry point. Reads `{prompt, cwd}` JSON
+ * on stdin; for a structural/flow/impact prompt it runs `codegraph_explore` on
+ * the indexed project and prints the result to stdout, which Claude injects into
+ * the agent's context — so the agent's reflex grep/read has nothing left to find
+ * and reliably uses CodeGraph (the adoption problem). Installed by the installer
+ * into Claude's settings.json (opt-in, default-yes).
+ *
+ * LOAD-BEARING: this must NEVER break the user's prompt. Every failure path —
+ * kill-switch, non-structural prompt, no index, engine error — exits 0 with no
+ * output. The only effect is additive context when it can confidently provide it.
+ */
+program
+  .command('prompt-hook', { hidden: true })
+  .description('Claude UserPromptSubmit hook: inject CodeGraph context for structural prompts (reads {prompt,cwd} JSON on stdin)')
+  .action(async () => {
+    try {
+      // Kill-switch: lets a user disable the nudge without uninstalling /
+      // editing settings.json (CI, low-power machines, personal preference).
+      if (process.env.CODEGRAPH_NO_PROMPT_HOOK === '1' || process.env.CODEGRAPH_PROMPT_HOOK === '0') return;
+      if (process.stdin.isTTY) return; // invoked by hand, no piped payload
+
+      const raw = await new Promise<string>((resolve) => {
+        let data = '';
+        process.stdin.setEncoding('utf8');
+        process.stdin.on('data', (c) => { data += c; });
+        process.stdin.on('end', () => resolve(data));
+        process.stdin.on('error', () => resolve(data));
+      });
+
+      let input: { prompt?: string; cwd?: string } = {};
+      try { input = JSON.parse(raw); } catch { return; }
+      const prompt = String(input.prompt || '');
+
+      // Gate: only structural / flow / impact / where-how prompts get context.
+      // A cheap regex keeps every other prompt ("fix this typo") a zero-cost
+      // no-op so we never add latency where there's no structural answer to give.
+      const STRUCTURAL = /\b(how|where|trace|flow|path|reach(?:es|ed)?|call(?:s|ed|er|ers|ee)?|depend|impact|affect|wired?|connect|implement|architect|structure|breaks?|what calls|why does)\b/i;
+      if (!prompt || !STRUCTURAL.test(prompt)) return;
+
+      // Find an indexed project: cwd, then walk up a few levels.
+      let root: string | null = null;
+      let dir = path.resolve(String(input.cwd || process.cwd()));
+      for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
+        if (isInitialized(dir)) { root = dir; break; }
+        const parent = path.dirname(dir);
+        if (parent === dir) break;
+        dir = parent;
+      }
+      if (!root) return; // not indexed — the agent's normal tools apply
+
+      const { default: CodeGraph } = await loadCodeGraph();
+      const cg = await CodeGraph.open(root);
+      try {
+        const { ToolHandler } = await import('../mcp/tools');
+        const handler = new ToolHandler(cg);
+        const result = await handler.execute('codegraph_explore', { query: prompt });
+        const text = result.content[0]?.text ?? '';
+        if (!result.isError && text.trim()) {
+          // Cap the injection so a large-repo explore can't flood the prompt.
+          const MAX = 16000;
+          const body = text.length > MAX ? `${text.slice(0, MAX)}\n…(truncated; call codegraph_explore for the rest)` : text;
+          process.stdout.write(
+            `<codegraph_context note="Structural context from CodeGraph for this prompt — treat returned source as already read; call codegraph_explore for more.">\n${body}\n</codegraph_context>\n`,
+          );
+        }
+      } finally {
+        cg.destroy();
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Degradable by contract: never surface an error to the prompt pipeline.
+    }
+  });
+
 /**
  * codegraph node <name>
  *
diff --git a/src/installer/index.ts b/src/installer/index.ts
index 2c9f2fe..5723183 100644
--- a/src/installer/index.ts
+++ b/src/installer/index.ts
@@ -22,14 +22,13 @@ import {
   resolveTargetFlag,
 } from './targets/registry';
 import type { AgentTarget, Location, TargetId } from './targets/types';
-import { getGlyphs } from '../ui/glyphs';
 // Import the lightweight submodules directly (not the ../sync barrel, which
 // re-exports FileWatcher and would transitively pull in ../extraction — the
 // installer must stay importable even when native modules can't load).
 import { watchDisabledReason } from '../sync/watch-policy';
 import { isGitRepo, isSyncHookInstalled, installGitSyncHook } from '../sync/git-hooks';
-import { getCodeGraphDir, codeGraphDirName, unsafeIndexRootReason } from '../directory';
-import { getTelemetry, recordIndexEvent, TELEMETRY_DOCS } from '../telemetry';
+import { getCodeGraphDir, codeGraphDirName } from '../directory';
+import { getTelemetry, TELEMETRY_DOCS } from '../telemetry';
 
 // Backwards-compat: keep these named exports — downstream code may
 // import them. The shim in `config-writer.ts` continues to re-export
@@ -48,9 +47,6 @@ export type { InstallLocation } from './config-writer';
 const importESM = new Function('specifier', 'return import(specifier)') as
   (specifier: string) => Promise<typeof import('@clack/prompts')>;
 
-function formatNumber(n: number): string {
-  return n.toLocaleString();
-}
 
 function getVersion(): string {
   try {
@@ -205,6 +201,31 @@ export async function runInstallerWithOptions(opts: RunInstallerOptions): Promis
     }
   }
 
+  // Step 4¾: front-load prompt hook (Claude Code only). A UserPromptSubmit hook
+  // that runs `codegraph prompt-hook` — it injects codegraph_explore context on
+  // structural ("how / where / trace / impact") prompts so the agent reliably
+  // reaches for the graph instead of grepping. Opt-in, default-yes. Only Claude
+  // Code has UserPromptSubmit, so it's offered only when Claude is a target;
+  // other targets ignore the option. `undefined` (no Claude / not asked) leaves
+  // any existing hook untouched.
+  let promptHook: boolean | undefined;
+  if (targets.some((t) => t.id === 'claude')) {
+    if (useDefaults) {
+      promptHook = true; // --yes → on
+    } else {
+      const ans = await clack.confirm({
+        message:
+          'Front-load CodeGraph on “how / where / trace” prompts? Auto-injects structural context so answers need fewer steps (adds a moment to those prompts; Claude Code only).',
+        initialValue: true,
+      });
+      if (clack.isCancel(ans)) {
+        clack.cancel('Installation cancelled.');
+        process.exit(0);
+      }
+      promptHook = ans; // false → opt out; install() strips any prior hook
+    }
+  }
+
   // Step 5: per-target install loop.
   const installedIds: TargetId[] = [];
   let sawCreated = false;
@@ -216,7 +237,7 @@ export async function runInstallerWithOptions(opts: RunInstallerOptions): Promis
       );
       continue;
     }
-    const result = target.install(location, { autoAllow });
+    const result = target.install(location, { autoAllow, promptHook });
     installedIds.push(target.id);
     for (const file of result.files) {
       if (file.action === 'created') sawCreated = true;
@@ -243,14 +264,17 @@ export async function runInstallerWithOptions(opts: RunInstallerOptions): Promis
     });
   }
 
-  // Step 6: for local install, initialize the project.
-  if (location === 'local') {
-    await initializeLocalProject(clack, useDefaults);
-  }
-
-  if (location === 'global') {
-    clack.note('cd your-project\ncodegraph init -i', 'Quick start');
-  }
+  // Step 6: install wires up agents only — it deliberately does NOT index.
+  // Building the per-project graph is the user's explicit `codegraph init`
+  // (or `index`), so they choose what gets indexed and when, and we never
+  // index a surprise directory (e.g. a shell sitting in $HOME). Same next step
+  // regardless of global/local scope.
+  clack.note(
+    location === 'local'
+      ? 'codegraph init        # build this project’s graph (one time; auto-syncs after)'
+      : 'cd <your-project>\ncodegraph init        # build a project’s graph (one time; auto-syncs after)',
+    'Next: index a project',
+  );
 
   // Deliver buffered telemetry while we're already in a long interactive
   // command — bounded (~1.5s worst case), invisible after a multi-second install.
@@ -490,73 +514,6 @@ async function resolveTargets(
     .filter((t): t is AgentTarget => t !== undefined);
 }
 
-/**
- * Initialize CodeGraph in the current project (for local installs), then
- * offer the watch fallback when the live watcher won't run here (see
- * offerWatchFallback). Agent-agnostic by nature.
- */
-async function initializeLocalProject(
-  clack: typeof import('@clack/prompts'),
-  useDefaults = false,
-): Promise<void> {
-  const projectPath = process.cwd();
-
-  // Never auto-index the home directory or a filesystem root. Running the
-  // installer from `$HOME` would otherwise index the entire home tree — a
-  // multi-GB index, constant watcher churn, and (pre-1.0 on macOS) fd
-  // exhaustion that crashed the machine (#845). The install itself still
-  // completes; we just skip the auto-index and point them at a real project.
-  const unsafe = unsafeIndexRootReason(projectPath);
-  if (unsafe) {
-    clack.log.warn(`Skipping automatic indexing — ${projectPath} looks like ${unsafe}.`);
-    clack.log.info('Indexing it would pull in caches, other projects, and your whole tree. Run "codegraph init" inside a specific project instead.');
-    return;
-  }
-
-  let CodeGraph: typeof import('../index').default;
-  try {
-    CodeGraph = (await import('../index')).default;
-  } catch (err) {
-    const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
-    clack.log.error(`Could not load native modules: ${msg}`);
-    clack.log.info('Skipping project initialization. Run "codegraph init -i" later.');
-    return;
-  }
-
-  // Check if already initialized
-  if (CodeGraph.isInitialized(projectPath)) {
-    clack.log.info('CodeGraph already initialized in this project');
-    await offerWatchFallback(clack, projectPath, { yes: useDefaults });
-    return;
-  }
-
-  // Initialize
-  const cg = await CodeGraph.init(projectPath);
-  clack.log.success('Created .codegraph/ directory');
-
-  // Index the project with shimmer progress (worker thread for smooth animation)
-  const { createShimmerProgress } = await import('../ui/shimmer-progress');
-  process.stdout.write(`\x1b[2m${getGlyphs().rail}\x1b[0m\n`);
-  const progress = createShimmerProgress();
-
-  const result = await cg.indexAll({
-    onProgress: progress.onProgress,
-  });
-
-  await progress.stop();
-
-  if (result.filesErrored > 0) {
-    clack.log.success(`Indexed ${formatNumber(result.filesIndexed)} files (${formatNumber(result.filesErrored)} failed, ${formatNumber(result.nodesCreated)} symbols)`);
-  } else {
-    clack.log.success(`Indexed ${formatNumber(result.filesIndexed)} files (${formatNumber(result.nodesCreated)} symbols)`);
-  }
-
-  recordIndexEvent(cg, result); // buffered; the installer flushes at the end
-
-  cg.close();
-
-  await offerWatchFallback(clack, projectPath, { yes: useDefaults });
-}
 
 /**
  * When the live file watcher will be disabled for this project (e.g. WSL2
diff --git a/src/installer/targets/claude.ts b/src/installer/targets/claude.ts
index bd65d92..bdfe6e6 100644
--- a/src/installer/targets/claude.ts
+++ b/src/installer/targets/claude.ts
@@ -121,6 +121,18 @@ class ClaudeCodeTarget implements AgentTarget {
     const hookCleanup = cleanupLegacyHooks(loc);
     if (hookCleanup.action === 'removed') files.push(hookCleanup);
 
+    // 2c. Front-load prompt hook (Claude UserPromptSubmit). Opt-in via the
+    // installer prompt (default-yes): `promptHook === true` writes it;
+    // `=== false` strips any a prior install wrote so opting out round-trips
+    // (and an upgrade re-run honors the new choice); `undefined` leaves it
+    // untouched for callers that don't manage it.
+    if (opts.promptHook === true) {
+      files.push(writePromptHookEntry(loc));
+    } else if (opts.promptHook === false) {
+      const removed = removePromptHookEntry(loc);
+      if (removed.action === 'removed') files.push(removed);
+    }
+
     // 3. CLAUDE.md instructions — the short marker-fenced CodeGraph
     // block (#704). The MCP initialize instructions reach only the main
     // agent; CLAUDE.md is what Task-tool subagents (and non-MCP
@@ -187,6 +199,10 @@ class ClaudeCodeTarget implements AgentTarget {
     const hookCleanup = cleanupLegacyHooks(loc);
     if (hookCleanup.action === 'removed') files.push(hookCleanup);
 
+    // 2c. Remove the front-load prompt hook this installer may have written.
+    const promptHookCleanup = removePromptHookEntry(loc);
+    if (promptHookCleanup.action === 'removed') files.push(promptHookCleanup);
+
     // 3. Instructions — strip the legacy CodeGraph block if present.
     files.push(removeInstructionsEntry(loc));
 
@@ -278,6 +294,16 @@ function isLegacyCodegraphHookCommand(command: unknown): boolean {
   );
 }
 
+/**
+ * The front-load prompt-hook command the installer writes into Claude's
+ * `UserPromptSubmit` (see writePromptHookEntry). Matched by substring so an
+ * `npx @colbymchenry/codegraph prompt-hook` form is recognized too.
+ */
+const PROMPT_HOOK_COMMAND = 'codegraph prompt-hook';
+function isPromptHookCommand(command: unknown): boolean {
+  return typeof command === 'string' && command.includes(PROMPT_HOOK_COMMAND);
+}
+
 /**
  * Remove stale codegraph auto-sync hooks from Claude `settings.json`.
  *
@@ -293,7 +319,10 @@ function isLegacyCodegraphHookCommand(command: unknown): boolean {
  * Exported so it can be unit-tested directly and reused by both
  * `install` (an upgrade self-heals) and `uninstall`.
  */
-export function cleanupLegacyHooks(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number] {
+function removeHookCommandsMatching(
+  loc: Location,
+  match: (command: unknown) => boolean,
+): WriteResult['files'][number] {
   const file = settingsJsonPath(loc);
   if (!fs.existsSync(file)) return { path: file, action: 'not-found' };
 
@@ -303,7 +332,7 @@ export function cleanupLegacyHooks(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number]
     return { path: file, action: 'unchanged' };
   }
 
-  // Pass 1: drop the legacy command(s) from inside every matcher group.
+  // Pass 1: drop matching command(s) from inside every matcher group.
   let removedAny = false;
   for (const event of Object.keys(hooks)) {
     const groups = hooks[event];
@@ -311,18 +340,17 @@ export function cleanupLegacyHooks(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number]
     for (const group of groups) {
       if (!group || !Array.isArray(group.hooks)) continue;
       const before = group.hooks.length;
-      group.hooks = group.hooks.filter(
-        (h: any) => !isLegacyCodegraphHookCommand(h?.command),
-      );
+      group.hooks = group.hooks.filter((h: any) => !match(h?.command));
       if (group.hooks.length !== before) removedAny = true;
     }
   }
 
   if (!removedAny) return { path: file, action: 'unchanged' };
 
-  // Pass 2: prune empty matcher groups, then events with no groups
-  // left, then an empty top-level `hooks`. Guarded by `removedAny` so
-  // we never restructure a settings.json that had no codegraph hooks.
+  // Pass 2: prune empty matcher groups, then events with no groups left,
+  // then an empty top-level `hooks`. Guarded by `removedAny` so we never
+  // restructure a settings.json that had no matching hooks. Sibling hooks
+  // (a different command in the group, or a different event) survive.
   for (const event of Object.keys(hooks)) {
     const groups = hooks[event];
     if (!Array.isArray(groups)) continue;
@@ -337,6 +365,24 @@ export function cleanupLegacyHooks(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number]
   return { path: file, action: 'removed' };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Remove stale codegraph auto-sync hooks (`mark-dirty` / `sync-if-dirty`) that a
+ * pre-0.8 install wrote. Exported for direct unit-testing; reused by both
+ * `install` (an upgrade self-heals) and `uninstall`.
+ */
+export function cleanupLegacyHooks(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number] {
+  return removeHookCommandsMatching(loc, isLegacyCodegraphHookCommand);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Remove the front-load `UserPromptSubmit` hook this installer writes (see
+ * writePromptHookEntry). Used by `uninstall`, and by `install` when the user
+ * opts out, so the choice round-trips.
+ */
+export function removePromptHookEntry(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number] {
+  return removeHookCommandsMatching(loc, isPromptHookCommand);
+}
+
 export function writePermissionsEntry(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number] {
   const file = settingsJsonPath(loc);
   const settings = readJsonFile(file);
@@ -359,6 +405,37 @@ export function writePermissionsEntry(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][numbe
   return { path: file, action: created ? 'created' : 'updated' };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Write the front-load `UserPromptSubmit` hook into Claude `settings.json` —
+ * a `command` hook that runs `codegraph prompt-hook`, which injects
+ * codegraph_explore context for structural prompts so the agent reliably uses
+ * the graph. Idempotent: if our command is already wired under UserPromptSubmit
+ * the file is left byte-for-byte untouched and reported `unchanged`. Sibling
+ * hooks (the user's own, or other events) are preserved. Opt-in — the installer
+ * only calls this when the user accepts the prompt (default-yes).
+ */
+export function writePromptHookEntry(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number] {
+  const file = settingsJsonPath(loc);
+  const created = !fs.existsSync(file);
+  const settings = readJsonFile(file);
+
+  if (!settings.hooks || typeof settings.hooks !== 'object' || Array.isArray(settings.hooks)) {
+    settings.hooks = {};
+  }
+  if (!Array.isArray(settings.hooks.UserPromptSubmit)) settings.hooks.UserPromptSubmit = [];
+
+  const already = settings.hooks.UserPromptSubmit.some(
+    (g: any) => g && Array.isArray(g.hooks) && g.hooks.some((h: any) => isPromptHookCommand(h?.command)),
+  );
+  if (already) return { path: file, action: 'unchanged' };
+
+  settings.hooks.UserPromptSubmit.push({
+    hooks: [{ type: 'command', command: PROMPT_HOOK_COMMAND }],
+  });
+  writeJsonFile(file, settings);
+  return { path: file, action: created ? 'created' : 'updated' };
+}
+
 /**
  * Strip the marker-delimited CodeGraph block from CLAUDE.md if a prior
  * install wrote one. Codegraph no longer maintains an instructions file
diff --git a/src/installer/targets/types.ts b/src/installer/targets/types.ts
index 4b3267e..833a801 100644
--- a/src/installer/targets/types.ts
+++ b/src/installer/targets/types.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,13 @@ export interface InstallOptions {
    * target has no permissions concept this option is a no-op.
    */
   autoAllow: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Front-load prompt hook (Claude `UserPromptSubmit`) that injects
+   * codegraph_explore context for structural prompts. `true` installs it,
+   * `false` removes any prior install (so opt-out round-trips), `undefined`
+   * leaves it untouched. Targets without a prompt-hook concept ignore it.
+   */
+  promptHook?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface AgentTarget {
diff --git a/src/upgrade/index.ts b/src/upgrade/index.ts
index bf9d5c3..a949440 100644
--- a/src/upgrade/index.ts
+++ b/src/upgrade/index.ts
@@ -340,16 +340,21 @@ export async function runUpgrade(opts: UpgradeOptions, deps: UpgradeDeps): Promi
     return 0;
   }
 
-  // Dispatch by install method.
+  // Dispatch by install method. bundle/npm perform a real binary update, so
+  // after they succeed we self-heal the front-load hook (below); npx/source/
+  // unknown don't update anything here, so they return directly.
+  let code: number;
   switch (method.kind) {
     case 'bundle':
-      return method.os === 'windows'
+      code = await (method.os === 'windows'
         ? upgradeWindowsBundle(method, latest, deps)
-        : upgradeUnixBundle(method, opts.version ? latest : undefined, deps);
+        : upgradeUnixBundle(method, opts.version ? latest : undefined, deps));
+      break;
     case 'npm':
       // npm version specs have no leading "v" (`@0.9.8`, not `@v0.9.8` — the
       // latter resolves as a nonexistent dist-tag).
-      return upgradeNpm(method, opts.version ? stripV(latest) : 'latest', deps);
+      code = await upgradeNpm(method, opts.version ? stripV(latest) : 'latest', deps);
+      break;
     case 'npx':
       deps.log(c.green('npx always runs the latest version on demand — nothing to upgrade.'));
       deps.log(c.dim(`Force a fresh fetch with: npx ${NPM_PACKAGE}@latest`));
@@ -363,6 +368,38 @@ export async function runUpgrade(opts: UpgradeOptions, deps: UpgradeDeps): Promi
       deps.log(c.dim(`Reinstall manually — see https://github.com/${REPO}#install`));
       return 1;
   }
+
+  // After a successful update, ensure the front-load prompt hook is wired for an
+  // already-configured global Claude install — so existing users pick it up on
+  // upgrade, not only on a fresh `install` (the hook config is version-agnostic,
+  // so the still-running old binary can write it safely). Idempotent + gated on
+  // an existing Claude config, and skipped entirely by the kill-switch. Never
+  // fatal to the upgrade.
+  if (code === 0) {
+    try {
+      await selfHealPromptHook(deps);
+    } catch {
+      /* a hook-wiring hiccup must not fail the upgrade */
+    }
+  }
+  return code;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Wire the Claude `UserPromptSubmit` front-load hook on upgrade for an
+ * already-configured global Claude install. No-op when Claude isn't configured,
+ * when the hook is already present, or when the kill-switch is set.
+ */
+async function selfHealPromptHook(deps: UpgradeDeps): Promise<void> {
+  if (process.env.CODEGRAPH_NO_PROMPT_HOOK === '1' || process.env.CODEGRAPH_PROMPT_HOOK === '0') return;
+  const { claudeTarget, writePromptHookEntry } = await import('../installer/targets/claude');
+  if (!claudeTarget.detect('global').alreadyConfigured) return;
+  const res = writePromptHookEntry('global');
+  if (res.action === 'created' || res.action === 'updated') {
+    deps.log(
+      c.dim('Enabled the CodeGraph front-load hook for Claude Code (structural prompts). Disable any time: CODEGRAPH_NO_PROMPT_HOOK=1'),
+    );
+  }
 }
 
 function upgradeUnixBundle(