diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index b4eb294..10785aa 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -164,9 +164,11 @@ leo-claude-mktplace/
 - **CLI tools forbidden** - Use MCP tools exclusively (never `tea`, `gh`, etc.)
 
 #### ⚠️ plugin.json Format Rules (CRITICAL)
-- **Hooks MUST be inline** - NEVER use `"hooks": "path/to/file.json"`
+- **Hooks in separate file** - Use `hooks/hooks.json` (auto-discovered), NOT inline in plugin.json
+- **NEVER reference hooks** - Don't add `"hooks": "..."` field to plugin.json at all
 - **Agents auto-discover** - NEVER add `"agents": ["./agents/"]` - .md files found automatically
 - **Always validate** - Run `./scripts/validate-marketplace.sh` before committing
+- **Working examples:** projman, pr-review, claude-config-maintainer all use `hooks/hooks.json`
 - See lesson: `lessons/patterns/plugin-manifest-validation---hooks-and-agents-format-requirements`
 
 ### Hooks (Valid Events Only)
diff --git a/plugins/data-platform/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/plugins/data-platform/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index 00bae91..489fcee 100644
--- a/plugins/data-platform/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/plugins/data-platform/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -18,14 +18,6 @@
     "etl",
     "dataframe"
   ],
-  "hooks": {
-    "SessionStart": [
-      {
-        "type": "command",
-        "command": "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/startup-check.sh"
-      }
-    ]
-  },
   "commands": ["./commands/"],
   "mcpServers": ["./.mcp.json"]
 }
diff --git a/plugins/data-platform/hooks/hooks.json b/plugins/data-platform/hooks/hooks.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..529b5ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/data-platform/hooks/hooks.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+  "hooks": {
+    "SessionStart": [
+      {
+        "type": "command",
+        "command": "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/startup-check.sh"
+      }
+    ]
+  }
+}