diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 5f654fe..f3fa23b 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ Rationale, Design, TODO, License, Author) if any are still missing.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-01: `script/install-precommit` asks git for the repository's git
+  directory, so `make hooks` also works where `.git` is a file (closes #129).
 - 2026-09-29: the live-DNS test package is renamed `internal/livednstest` and
   added to the `test-support` `deny` list in `.golangci.yml`, so `make lint`
   fails when program code imports it (closes #164).
diff --git a/script/install-precommit b/script/install-precommit
index 723bae1..f599be8 100755
--- a/script/install-precommit
+++ b/script/install-precommit
@@ -7,7 +7,13 @@ ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd -P)"
 
 main() {
     cd "$ROOT"
-    hook=".git/hooks/pre-commit"
+    # Ask git for the repository's own git directory: .git is a file, not
+    # a directory, in some checkouts (for example a clone made with
+    # --separate-git-dir). core.hooksPath is deliberately not followed, so
+    # the hook is never written outside this repository.
+    hooks="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks"
+    mkdir -p "$hooks"
+    hook="$hooks/pre-commit"
     printf '#!/bin/sh\nset -e\nscript/precommit\n' > "$hook"
     chmod +x "$hook"
     echo "pre-commit hook installed: runs script/precommit"