diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 886eee1..f8a7e51 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@ bun run rename:project  # one-shot rebrand after Use this template (boringstack
 ./scripts/audit-repo-settings.sh # diff GitHub repo settings vs .github/desired-repo-settings.json
 ```
 
+## Pre-push
+
+The root `pre-push` hook is fast by default: the secret scan, each changed
+app's `bun run check`, the UI tests for changed files, shared packages and the
+static Compose checks. Full suites, builds, budgets, semgrep, osv-scanner and
+the smoke/Playwright runs are the pull request's required checks.
+`FULL_PREPUSH=1 git push` runs the whole gate locally.
+
 ## Structured verification
 
 Start account-owned feature work with `bun run agent:inspect -- account-resource --json`.
diff --git a/apps/docs/public/agents.md b/apps/docs/public/agents.md
index 6fff6f3..2cf7062 100644
--- a/apps/docs/public/agents.md
+++ b/apps/docs/public/agents.md
@@ -150,7 +150,8 @@ Turning the optional overlays off is the right move on a small machine:
 
 **`bun run check` is the oracle.** If anything here disagrees with what `check` says, the
 lint config wins, so flag the drift rather than working around it. Run it before every commit;
-CI runs the same gates and a pre-push hook mirrors them.
+CI runs the same gates. The pre-push hook runs the fast ones (secret scan, each changed
+app's `check`, tests for changed UI files); `FULL_PREPUSH=1 git push` runs all of them.
 
 | Rule                                              | What it means                                                                                                                                                           |
 | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/architecture/lint-as-contract.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/architecture/lint-as-contract.mdx
index 3aa264d..58e6727 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/architecture/lint-as-contract.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/architecture/lint-as-contract.mdx
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ bun run lint:fix   # autofix what can be fixed mechanically
 bun run knip       # unused files, exports, and dependencies
 ```
 
-The same merge gate runs in three places so a broken change cannot reach `main`. A husky `pre-commit` hook runs `bun run lint-staged` against the staged files, the cheap, scoped check on every commit. A husky `pre-push` hook (installed via `prepare` on `bun run install` / `bun install`; for `infra/compose` and `.github`, run `./scripts/install-hooks.sh` once) then runs the full `validate` locally before anything leaves your machine: typecheck, lint, knip, tests, build, `osv-scanner` against the lockfile, and (when workspace apps are present) an OpenAPI schema drift check across apps/api and apps/ui. CI re-runs the same gate so a `--no-verify` push is still caught.
+The same merge gate runs in three places so a broken change cannot reach `main`. A husky `pre-commit` hook runs `bun run lint-staged` against the staged files, the cheap, scoped check on every commit. A husky `pre-push` hook (installed via `prepare` on `bun run install` / `bun install`; for `infra/compose` and `.github`, run `./scripts/install-hooks.sh` once) then runs the fast gate before anything leaves your machine: the gitleaks secret scan, each changed app's `bun run check` (typecheck, lint, lint:meta, format, knip), the UI tests for the files the push changes, shared packages and the static Compose checks. Full test suites, builds, bundle budgets, semgrep, `osv-scanner` and the smoke and Playwright runs belong to the pull request's required checks, which block the merge. `FULL_PREPUSH=1 git push` runs the whole gate locally, and CI catches a `--no-verify` push either way.
 
 [Knip](https://knip.dev) sits alongside the lint plugins, surfacing unused files, unused exports, and unused dependencies. It runs as part of `validate` so dead code can't drift in unnoticed.
 
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ The same merge gate runs in three places so a broken change cannot reach `main`.
 
 The UI's bundle budgets (`.size-limit.json`, plus the modulepreload coverage check) run in
 `bun run validate`. The budget limits do not go up silently. `bun run check:size-budget`
-runs in `validate`, in CI and in the pre-push hook. It fails when a limit is raised or a new
+runs in `validate`, in CI and in the full pre-push gate (`FULL_PREPUSH=1`). It fails when a limit is raised or a new
 entry is added, unless `apps/ui/budgets.md` has a reason for that entry, and the reason is
 new or changed in the same change. The check compares against the base branch, so an old
 reason cannot cover a later raise.
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/changelog.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/changelog.mdx
index 110361b..35d0df6 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/changelog.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/changelog.mdx
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ A log of substantial changes to the docs, templates, and tooling. For per-commit
 
 ## 2026-10
 
+### Fast pre-push by default
+
+- The root `pre-push` hook runs the secret scan, each changed app's `bun run check`, the UI
+  tests for changed files, shared packages and the static Compose checks. Full suites, builds,
+  budgets and scanners are the pull request's required checks. `FULL_PREPUSH=1 git push` runs
+  the whole gate locally.
+
 ### Template fixes from the first product's code
 
 A diff of every template file the first product changed found bugs it had to fix.
diff --git a/apps/ui/budgets.md b/apps/ui/budgets.md
index 77c1828..f9f351a 100644
--- a/apps/ui/budgets.md
+++ b/apps/ui/budgets.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Bundle budget reasons
 
 Limits in `.size-limit.json` do not go up silently. `bun run check:size-budget`
-(part of `bun run validate`, CI and pre-push) fails when a limit is raised, or a
+(part of `bun run validate`, CI and the full pre-push gate) fails when a limit is raised, or a
 new entry is added, unless this file has a reason for that entry that is new or
 changed in the same change. Compare against the base branch, so an old reason
 cannot cover a later raise.
diff --git a/docs/maintenance/product-feedback.md b/docs/maintenance/product-feedback.md
index 588c4c4..91602bb 100644
--- a/docs/maintenance/product-feedback.md
+++ b/docs/maintenance/product-feedback.md
@@ -153,4 +153,4 @@ it was fixed; Report 2 items are not repeated.
 | 116 | `pre-push.sh` used `echo \| grep -q` under `pipefail`; with many changed paths the pipeline exits 141 and the app gate is skipped silently. Hooks also leaked `GIT_DIR` into tests that create repositories. | Implemented: here-strings everywhere and the git variables are unset. `tools/agent/pre-push-shell.test.ts`. |
 | 117 | Code in `packages/*` could not reach the images or the dev containers. | Implemented: a BuildKit `packages` build context and read-only dev mounts; `packages/README.md` keeps the directory present. |
 | 118 | CI ran the API suite twice, and the UI lacked small conveniences the product added (retry on list errors, a home action on the error page, opt-in devtools, return-to after login, jsdom stubs). | Implemented: one coverage run; the UI items as listed. |
-| 119 | The product made pre-push fast by default, skipped main runs for trees a merged PR verified, and removed the per-app release workflows. | Not adopted: the first two weaken gates by policy, and Compose still publishes through the per-app workflows. |
+| 119 | The product made pre-push fast by default, skipped main runs for trees a merged PR verified, and removed the per-app release workflows. | Fast pre-push adopted after review: secrets, each changed app's `check`, changed-file UI tests, packages and static Compose checks, with `FULL_PREPUSH=1` for the whole gate. Not adopted: skipping main runs weakens the gate by policy, and Compose still publishes through the per-app workflows. |
diff --git a/scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh b/scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh
index a92ea51..a6a8c40 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@ gitleaks detect \
   || fail "gitleaks found leaked secrets. Inspect the output above and fix or add a narrow allowlist entry to .gitleaks.toml."
 ok "gitleaks clean"
 
+# The fast pre-push stops here: a leaked secret must never reach the remote,
+# while semgrep and osv-scanner run in the security-sast/deps workflows.
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "--secrets-only" ]]; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
 # ─── 2. semgrep ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Matches the two security-sast workflows: apps-api-security-sast.yml +
 # apps-ui-security-sast.yml. Configs are kept in lockstep with those
diff --git a/scripts/ci/pre-push.sh b/scripts/ci/pre-push.sh
index c6d6ccb..8d48d7c 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/pre-push.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/pre-push.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 #   - The workflow file under .github/workflows/apps-<app>-*.yml.
 #   - The root codecov.yml (affects upload behaviour for every app).
 #
+# Fast by default (see "Fast by default" below); `FULL_PREPUSH=1 git push`
+# runs every gate as CI does.
 # Bypass: `git push --no-verify` (use sparingly, breaks the build).
 
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -112,6 +114,57 @@ else
   echo "$CHANGED_PATHS" | sed 's/^/    /'
 fi
 
+# ─── Fast by default ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# A push runs what fails fastest and most often: the secret scan, each
+# changed app's own `check` (lint, lint:meta, format, typecheck, knip, as the
+# app defines it), the UI tests touching what this push adds, shared packages
+# and the static Compose gate. Full test suites, builds, bundle budgets,
+# semgrep, osv-scanner and the smoke/Playwright run stay in the pull
+# request's required checks, which block the merge, so they are not paid
+# twice per push. The first product built on the template paid them on every
+# push and ended up skipping the hook instead.
+# FULL_PREPUSH=1 git push runs the whole local gate below.
+if [[ "${FULL_PREPUSH:-0}" != "1" ]]; then
+  bash "$ROOT/scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh" --secrets-only
+
+  for app_path in "$ROOT"/apps/*/; do
+    [[ -f "$app_path/package.json" ]] || continue
+    app="$(basename "$app_path")"
+    app_changed "$app" || continue
+    if ! grep -q '"check":' "$app_path/package.json"; then
+      warn "${app}: no check script, left to CI"
+      continue
+    fi
+    step "${app}: fast checks (bun run check)"
+    ( cd "apps/${app}" && bun run check )
+    ok "${app} fast checks passed"
+  done
+
+  if app_changed ui || grep -q '^packages/' <<< "$CHANGED_PATHS"; then
+    step "ui: tests for the files this push changes"
+    # Only what this push adds: since the branch's last push, or main for a
+    # new branch.
+    since="$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name '@{upstream}' 2>/dev/null || echo "$UPSTREAM")"
+    ( cd apps/ui && bunx vitest run --changed "$since" --passWithNoTests )
+    ok "ui tests for changed files passed"
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -z "$CHANGED_PATHS" ]] || grep -q '^packages/' <<< "$CHANGED_PATHS"; then
+    step "Running shared packages validate"
+    bash -c 'source "$1/scripts/stack-lib.sh" && validate_packages' _ "$ROOT"
+    ok "shared packages validate passed"
+  fi
+
+  if infra_compose_changed; then
+    step "Running infra/compose pre-push gate (compose config + shellcheck + yamllint)"
+    bash "$ROOT/infra/compose/scripts/pre-push.sh"
+    ok "infra/compose gate passed"
+  fi
+
+  ok "Fast pre-push finished. Full suites run in the PR checks; FULL_PREPUSH=1 runs them here."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
 # Security scanners run first: gitleaks, semgrep, osv-scanner all
 # fail the entire push, so racing them ahead of the slower per-app
 # `validate` saves time when a finding lands here.
diff --git a/tools/agent/pre-push-shell.test.ts b/tools/agent/pre-push-shell.test.ts
index 4ae5673..4d88ea1 100644
--- a/tools/agent/pre-push-shell.test.ts
+++ b/tools/agent/pre-push-shell.test.ts
@@ -71,3 +71,27 @@ test("the root pre-push hook clears inherited git environment before any gate ru
   expect(unsetIndex).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
   expect(unsetIndex).toBeLessThan(firstGateIndex);
 });
+
+test("the root pre-push hook is fast by default and FULL_PREPUSH=1 reaches the full gate", () => {
+  const script = readFileSync(join(ROOT, "scripts/ci/pre-push.sh"), "utf8");
+  const fastGuard = script.indexOf(
+    'if [[ "${FULL_PREPUSH:-0}" != "1" ]]; then'
+  );
+  const secretsOnly = script.indexOf('pre-push-security.sh" --secrets-only');
+  const fastExit = script.indexOf("  exit 0\nfi", fastGuard);
+  const fullSecurity = script.indexOf(
+    'bash "$ROOT/scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh"\n'
+  );
+  const security = readFileSync(
+    join(ROOT, "scripts/ci/pre-push-security.sh"),
+    "utf8"
+  );
+
+  expect(fastGuard).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+  expect(secretsOnly).toBeGreaterThan(fastGuard);
+  expect(fastExit).toBeGreaterThan(secretsOnly);
+  expect(fullSecurity).toBeGreaterThan(fastExit);
+  expect(security.indexOf('"--secrets-only"')).toBeGreaterThan(
+    security.indexOf("gitleaks clean")
+  );
+});