diff --git a/setup/git_hooks.py b/setup/git_hooks.py
index 750474e573..e4da9d6d66 100644
--- a/setup/git_hooks.py
+++ b/setup/git_hooks.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ Hook = namedtuple('Hook', ['name', 'file', 'args_count', 'default'])
 HOOKS = {h.name:h for h in (
     Hook('post-checkout', 'git_post_checkout_hook.py', 3, True),
     Hook('post-rewrite', 'git_post_rewrite_hook.py', 1, True),
+    Hook('pre-commit', 'git_pre_commit_hook.py', 0, True),
     # disable by default, because except Kovid, nobody can run this hook
     Hook('commit-msg', 'git_commit_msg_hook.py', 1, False),
 )}
diff --git a/setup/git_pre_commit_hook.py b/setup/git_pre_commit_hook.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6971020948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup/git_pre_commit_hook.py
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+base = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)))
+os.chdir(base)
+setup_py = os.path.realpath('./setup.py')
+
+
+def testfile(file):
+    def t(f, start, end, exclude_end=None):
+        return f.startswith(start) and f.endswith(end) and not f.endswith(exclude_end) if exclude_end else True
+    if t(file, ('src/odf', 'src/calibre'), '.py', exclude_end='_ui.py'):
+        return True
+    if t(file, 'recipes', '.recipe'):
+        return True
+    if t(file, 'src/pyj', '.pyj'):
+        return True
+    return False
+
+
+output = subprocess.check_output((
+    'git', 'diff', '--staged', '--name-only', '--no-ext-diff', '-z',
+    # Everything except for D
+    '--diff-filter=ACMRTUXB',
+)).decode('utf-8')
+
+output = output.strip('\0')
+if not output:
+    output = []
+else:
+    output = output.split('\0')
+
+filenames = tuple(filter(testfile, output))
+if not filenames:
+    sys.exit(0)
+
+check_args = [sys.executable, './setup.py', 'check', '--no-editor']
+# let's hope that too many arguments do not hold any surprises
+for f in filenames:
+    check_args.append('-f')
+    check_args.append(f)
+
+returncode = subprocess.call(check_args)
+sys.exit(returncode)