diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dccdedc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# pre-commit config, per https://pre-commit.com/
+#
+# These hooks only use local commands.
+repos:
+  - repo: local
+    hooks:
+    - id: pylint
+      name: pylint
+      entry: pylint
+      language: system
+      types: [python]
+      require_serial: true
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e405403b..b1df804f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -49,6 +49,18 @@ deactivate
 
 # Development
 
+## Cloning and setup
+
+* Clone as usual
+* set up your virtual environment, install all dev dependencies from requirements.txt, activate it
+* Install the git pre-commit hooks: `pre-commit install`
+
+## Commit hooks
+
+Pre-commit hooks are installed with the `pre-commit install` step, and are run on every commit.
+
+Skipping a step: `SKIP=pylint git commit -m "Some non-lint-compliant commit."`
+
 ## Using invoke for tasks
 
 Lute3 uses [Invoke](https://docs.pyinvoke.org/en/stable/index.html) to run tasks.  Tasks are in `tasks.py`.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 3b4a4fc2..a869fc14 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ dev = [
   "pipdeptree>=2.13.0,<3",
   "pylint>=2.17.5,<3",
   "pytest-bdd>=7.0.0,<8",
-  "pytest-splinter>=3.3.2,<4"
+  "pytest-splinter>=3.3.2,<4",
+  "pre-commit>=3.5.0,<4"
 ]
 
 [project.urls]
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 78de2e35..9078d05a 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -4,18 +4,22 @@ beautifulsoup4==4.12.2
 blinker==1.6.2
 certifi==2023.7.22
 cffi==1.16.0
+cfgv==3.4.0
 charset-normalizer==3.3.1
 click==8.1.7
 coverage==7.3.1
 dill==0.3.7
+distlib==0.3.7
 docutils==0.20.1
 exceptiongroup==1.1.3
+filelock==3.13.1
 Flask==2.3.3
 Flask-SQLAlchemy==3.1.1
 Flask-WTF==1.2.1
 flit==3.9.0
 flit_core==3.9.0
 h11==0.14.0
+identify==2.5.31
 idna==3.4
 importlib-metadata==6.8.0
 iniconfig==2.0.0
@@ -28,6 +32,7 @@ Mako==1.2.4
 MarkupSafe==2.1.3
 mccabe==0.7.0
 natto-py==1.0.1
+nodeenv==1.8.0
 outcome==1.3.0.post0
 packaging==23.1
 parse==1.19.1
@@ -35,6 +40,7 @@ parse-type==0.6.2
 pipdeptree==2.13.0
 platformdirs==3.10.0
 pluggy==1.3.0
+pre-commit==3.5.0
 pycparser==2.21
 pylint==2.17.5
 PySocks==1.7.1
@@ -58,6 +64,7 @@ trio==0.22.2
 trio-websocket==0.11.1
 typing_extensions==4.8.0
 urllib3==1.26.18
+virtualenv==20.24.6
 waitress==2.1.2
 Werkzeug==2.3.7
 wrapt==1.15.0