[Python] Pre-commit finds local hooks even after deleting the hooks directory and clearing the...

I am using pre-commit to manage local hooks for my repository. Initially, I added a local repository containing my hooks and configured the .pre-commit-config.yaml file to reference these hooks. It worked perfectly both in my local environment and in the CI pipeline.

snippet of code from .pre-commit-config.yaml. I have installed pre_commit_hooks as a local module, configed

- repo: local
hooks:
- id: trailing-whitespace
name: Trim trailing-whitespace
language: python
entry: python3 -m pre_commit_hooks.trailing_whitespace_fixer
additional_dependencies: [pre_commit_hooks]


However, I noticed a strange behavior:

• 
  If I delete the directory containing the hooks (the repository with the hooks files), pre-commit still runs the hooks successfully.
  
  
• 
  I tried clearing the cache using pre-commit clean and even manually deleted the cache folder (e.g., ~/.cache/pre-commit/), but the hooks still run without issues.
  

I cannot figure out how pre-commit is able to find and execute the hooks after the source directory has been deleted.

My questions:

• 
  How is pre-commit able to find and execute the hooks after the source directory is deleted?
  
  
• 
  How can I ensure pre-commit no longer runs the hooks if the source directory is deleted?
  

I have tried:

1. 
   Cleared Pre-Commit Cache:
   
   • 
     Ran pre-commit clean and manually removed the cache directory (e.g., ~/.cache/pre-commit).
     
     
   • 
     Verified the cache directory was empty.
     
2. 
   Removed Git Hooks:
   
   • Checked .git/hooks/ for any residual scripts and deleted the pre-commit script.
3. 
   Verified Configuration:
   
   • Removed the .pre-commit-config.yaml file temporarily, and as expected, pre-commit failed to run.
4. 
   Inspected Pre-Commit’s Behavior:
   
   • Ran pre-commit run --verbose to trace execution but didn’t find useful information about where the hooks were being sourced from.

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