diff --git a/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml b/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be45bff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+name: Pre-commit
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+      - "release/**"
+  pull_request:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  run-pre-commit:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.10"
+
+      - name: Install uv
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v7
+
+      - name: Cache uv & pre-commit
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            .venv
+            ~/.cache/uv
+            ~/.cache/pre-commit
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-uv-${{ hashFiles('uv.lock', '.pre-commit-config.yaml') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            ${{ runner.os }}-uv-
+
+      - name: Install dev dependencies
+        run: uv sync --group dev
+
+      - name: Run pre-commit
+        run: uv run pre-commit run --all-files
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5e1de1e..c12fb62 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -123,6 +123,22 @@ I haven't invested too much here but some tests exist, especially for the tokeni
 python -m pytest tests/test_rustbpe.py -v -s
 ```
 
+## Pre-commit hooks
+
+Linting and formatting are enforced with [pre-commit](https://pre-commit.com/) both locally and in CI via GitHub Actions. To match the checks that run in PRs:
+
+- Make sure the dev extras are installed (`uv sync --group dev`).
+- Run the suite on demand: `uv run pre-commit run --all-files`.
+- (optional) Install the git hook once (for automation during `git commit`): `uv run pre-commit install`.
+
+Hook coverage (auto-fixes most issues; review and stage the changes afterward):
+
+- [`ruff`](https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff): a fast Rust-based linter and formatter that replaces multiple tools:
+  - **Linting** (`ruff-check`): removes unused imports (like autoflake), upgrades syntax (like pyupgrade), and sorts imports (like isort).
+  - **Formatting** (`ruff-format`): applies consistent code formatting (like black), with quote style preserved.
+- [`pre-commit-hooks`](https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks): repo hygiene (trim trailing whitespace, enforce LF endings/newlines, detect merge conflicts, block oversized files).
+- [`codespell`](https://github.com/codespell-project/codespell): catches common spelling mistakes in code and docs (add false positives to `[tool.codespell].ignore-words-list` in `pyproject.toml`).
+
 ## File structure
 
 ```