diff --git a/add-repo-user.sh b/add-repo-user.sh
index 768f3cc..79551fd 100755
--- a/add-repo-user.sh
+++ b/add-repo-user.sh
@@ -15,11 +15,23 @@ my_www=${my_www:-"/srv/www"}
 echo ""
 
 set -x
+# user
 sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "Git Site Deploys" --home "$my_repos" --no-create-home $my_user >/dev/null
+
+# ssh
 sudo mkdir -p "$my_repos/.ssh" "$my_www"
 sudo chmod 0700 "$my_repos/.ssh"
 sudo ssh-keygen -t rsa -N "" -C "$my_user@$(hostname)" -f "$my_repos/.ssh/id_rsa"
 sudo install -m 0600 /dev/null "$my_repos/.ssh/authorized_keys"
+
+# git templates
+sudo rsync -a git-templates/project/ "$my_repos/git-template/"
+sudo install -m 0644 /dev/null "$my_repos/.gitconfig"
+my_config='[init]
+  templatedir = '"$my_repos/git-template"
+sudo bash -c "echo '$my_config' >> '$my_repos/.gitconfig'"
+
+# fix permissions
 sudo chown -R $my_user:$my_user "$my_repos" "$my_www"
 set +x
 
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test.sh b/git-templates/project-test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba31f97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+rsync -a project/ project-test/
+my_input='old1 new1 name1
+000 fff refs/heads/master
+'
+echo "$my_input" | ./project-test/hooks/pre-receive
+./project-test/hooks/update ref_name old_rev new_rev
+echo "$my_input" | ./project-test/hooks/post-receive
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/03-fail b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/03-fail
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9a97fdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/03-fail
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+set -u
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+echo "$my_input" | while read my_line; do
+	exit 159
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/04-fail b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/04-fail
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bd51cd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/04-fail
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+set -u
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+echo "$my_input" | while read my_line; do
+	exit 160
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/98-succeed b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/98-succeed
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..3ab2f5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/post-receive.d/98-succeed
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -u
+set -e
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+echo "$my_input" | while read my_line; do
+	echo "Success $my_line"
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/pre-receive.d/02-pass b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/pre-receive.d/02-pass
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..565aff1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/pre-receive.d/02-pass
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+set -u
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+echo "$my_input" | while read my_line; do
+	echo "$my_line"
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/pre-receive.d/07-fail b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/pre-receive.d/07-fail
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bd51cd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/pre-receive.d/07-fail
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+set -u
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+echo "$my_input" | while read my_line; do
+	exit 160
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/01-hello b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/01-hello
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f1af382
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/01-hello
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+echo "Hello $1 $2 $3"
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/50-fail b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/50-fail
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7412f43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/50-fail
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+echo "Fail $1 $2 $3"
+exit 158
diff --git a/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/99-goodbye b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/99-goodbye
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d69540a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project-test/hooks/update.d/99-goodbye
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+echo "Goodbye $1 $2 $3"
diff --git a/git-templates/project/hooks/post-receive b/git-templates/project/hooks/post-receive
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b3c2f87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project/hooks/post-receive
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -u
+set -e
+
+# post-receive
+# this accepts multiple lines of input at a time
+# it defers exit on failure until after all scripts have run
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+my_dir=$(dirname $0)
+my_success="true"
+
+for my_hook in ${my_dir}/post-receive.d/*; do
+
+	# Let the user know if the hook isn't executable, but don't bail
+	if [ ! -x "${my_hook}" ] || [ ! -f "${my_hook}" ]; then
+		>&2 echo "${my_hook} is not (or does not point to) an executable file"
+	fi
+
+	# Allow the script to fail so we can bubble the exit code and ensure an error message
+	set +e
+	echo "${my_input}" | ("${my_hook}")
+	my_exit_code=$?
+	set -e
+
+	# Don't bail on script failure
+	if [ "0" != "${my_exit_code}" ]; then
+		my_success=""
+		>&2 echo "${my_hook} failed with exit code ${my_exit_code}"
+	fi
+done
+
+if [ -z "${my_success}" ]; then
+	echo "some post-receives failed"
+	exit 156
+fi
diff --git a/git-templates/project/hooks/post-receive.d/.gitkeep b/git-templates/project/hooks/post-receive.d/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/git-templates/project/hooks/pre-receive b/git-templates/project/hooks/pre-receive
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9347e78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project/hooks/pre-receive
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -u
+set -e
+
+# pre-receive
+# this accepts multiple lines of input at a time
+# it fails at the first of any child script failing
+
+my_input=$(cat)
+my_dir=$(dirname $0)
+
+for my_hook in ${my_dir}/pre-receive.d/*; do
+
+	# Bail and let the user know if the hook isn't executable
+	if [ ! -x "${my_hook}" ] || [ ! -f "${my_hook}" ]; then
+		>&2 echo "${my_hook} is not (or does not point to) an executable file"
+		exit 155
+	fi
+
+	# Allow the script to fail so we can bubble the exit code and ensure an error message
+	# and subscript it so that any set -e won't cause this to fail
+	set +e
+
+	# foo="$(echo bar; exit 3)"; echo $?; echo $foo
+	#my_output="$(echo "${my_input}" | "${my_hook}")"
+	echo "${my_input}" | ("${my_hook}")
+	my_exit_code=$?
+	set -e
+
+	#echo my_output: $my_output
+
+	# Bail on the first script failure
+	if [ "0" != "${my_exit_code}" ]; then
+		>&2 echo "${my_hook} failed with exit code ${my_exit_code}"
+ 		exit ${my_exit_code}
+	fi
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project/hooks/pre-receive.d/.gitkeep b/git-templates/project/hooks/pre-receive.d/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/git-templates/project/hooks/update b/git-templates/project/hooks/update
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1e94417
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/project/hooks/update
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -u
+set -e
+
+# update script
+# this accepts a single line up input in three args
+# it fails at the first of any child script failing (and that branch fails to update)
+
+my_dir=$(dirname $0)
+my_exit_code=""
+
+for my_hook in ${my_dir}/update.d/*; do
+
+	# Bail and let the user know if the hook isn't executable
+	if [ ! -x "${my_hook}" ] || [ ! -f "${my_hook}" ]; then
+		>&2 echo "${my_hook} is not (or does not point to) an executable file"
+		exit 155
+	fi
+
+	# Allow the script to fail so we can bubble the exit code and ensure an error message
+	set +e
+	("${my_hook}" $1 $2 $3)
+	my_exit_code=$?
+	set -e
+
+	# Bail on the first script failure
+	if [ "0" != "${my_exit_code}" ]; then
+		>&2 echo "${my_hook} failed with exit code ${my_exit_code}"
+ 		exit ${my_exit_code}
+	fi
+done
diff --git a/git-templates/project/hooks/update.d/.gitkeep b/git-templates/project/hooks/update.d/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/git-templates/user/.gitconfig b/git-templates/user/.gitconfig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/git-templates/user/gitconfig.symlink b/git-templates/user/gitconfig.symlink
new file mode 120000
index 0000000..e717d37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-templates/user/gitconfig.symlink
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.gitconfig
\ No newline at end of file