diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index fc8ca8f..fc5e0c4 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -1,11 +1,19 @@
 repos:
-  - repo: https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint.git
-    rev: v2.12.0
-    hooks:
-      - id: golangci-lint
-        args: [--fix]
   - repo: local
     hooks:
+      # Uses the golangci-lint on PATH rather than the upstream pre-commit
+      # repo, which builds the linter from source with whatever Go it finds.
+      # A linter built with Go < 1.26 refuses to load this config ("the Go
+      # language version used to build golangci-lint is lower than the
+      # targeted Go version"). Install the matching binary with:
+      #   go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint@v2.12.0
+      - id: golangci-lint
+        name: golangci-lint
+        entry: golangci-lint run --fix
+        language: system
+        types: [go]
+        pass_filenames: false
+        require_serial: true
       - id: go-test
         name: go test
         entry: go test ./...
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 83db91b..a4074e6 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -18,7 +18,13 @@ pre-commit run --all-files    # lint+test against the whole tree
 ~/go/bin/golangci-lint run    # lint without pre-commit (needs v2.12+)
 ```
 
-`pre-commit install` was already run in this clone — every commit runs golangci-lint (with `--fix`) and `go test ./...`. The hooks pin golangci-lint v2.12.0; CI pins the same version through `golangci/golangci-lint-action@v7`.
+`pre-commit install` was already run in this clone — every commit runs golangci-lint (with `--fix`) and `go test ./...`. The lint hook shells out to the `golangci-lint` on `PATH` instead of the upstream pre-commit repo, which builds the linter from source with whatever Go it finds; a linter built with Go < 1.26 refuses to load this config. Install the matching binary once:
+
+```bash
+go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint@v2.12.0
+```
+
+CI pins the same version through `golangci/golangci-lint-action@v7`.
 
 ## Architecture