diff --git a/docs/contribution.md b/docs/contribution.md
index 6815944e2..2bc585898 100644
--- a/docs/contribution.md
+++ b/docs/contribution.md
@@ -13,13 +13,16 @@ We welcome contributions! If you have an idea for a new module, or are a Python
 
 ```bash
 # clone your forked repo and cd into it
-git clone git@github.com/<username>/bbot.git && cd bbot
+git clone git@github.com/<username>/bbot.git
+cd bbot
 
 # install poetry
 curl -sSL https://install.python-poetry.org | python3 -
 
 # install pip dependencies
 poetry install
+# install pre-commit hooks, etc.
+poetry run pre-commit install
 
 # enter virtual environment
 poetry shell
@@ -28,12 +31,7 @@ bbot --help
 ```
 
 - Now, any changes you make in the code will be reflected in the `bbot` command.
-- Run the tests locally to ensure they pass.
-- Finally, commit and push your changes, and create a pull request to the `dev` branch of the main BBOT repo.
-
-## Running Tests
-
-BBOT makes use of pytest for its unit testing. You can run the tests simply by executing the bash script at `bbot/test/run_tests.sh`:
+- After making your changes, run the tests locally to ensure they pass.
 
 ```bash
 # auto-format code indentation, etc.
@@ -43,6 +41,9 @@ black .
 ./bbot/test/run_tests.sh
 ```
 
+- Finally, commit and push your changes, and create a pull request to the `dev` branch of the main BBOT repo.
+
+
 ## Creating a Module
 
 Writing a module is easy and requires only a basic understanding of Python. It consists of a few steps:
diff --git a/poetry.lock b/poetry.lock
index 358dac389..edda4d005 100644
--- a/poetry.lock
+++ b/poetry.lock
@@ -130,36 +130,33 @@ lxml = ["lxml"]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "black"
-version = "23.3.0"
+version = "23.9.1"
 description = "The uncompromising code formatter."
 optional = false
-python-versions = ">=3.7"
+python-versions = ">=3.8"
 files = [
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-    {file = "black-23.3.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_16_universal2.whl", hash = "sha256:67de8d0c209eb5b330cce2469503de11bca4085880d62f1628bd9972cc3366b9"},
-    {file = "black-23.3.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_16_x86_64.whl", hash = "sha256:7c3eb7cea23904399866c55826b31c1f55bbcd3890ce22ff70466b907b6775c2"},
-    {file = "black-23.3.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl", hash = "sha256:32daa9783106c28815d05b724238e30718f34155653d4d6e125dc7daec8e260c"},
-    {file = "black-23.3.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl", hash = "sha256:35d1381d7a22cc5b2be2f72c7dfdae4072a3336060635718cc7e1ede24221d6c"},
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+    {file = "black-23.9.1-cp39-cp39-macosx_10_16_arm64.whl", hash = "sha256:c619f063c2d68f19b2d7270f4cf3192cb81c9ec5bc5ba02df91471d0b88c4c5c"},
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+    {file = "black-23.9.1-cp39-cp39-macosx_10_16_x86_64.whl", hash = "sha256:c46767e8df1b7beefb0899c4a95fb43058fa8500b6db144f4ff3ca38eb2f6393"},
+    {file = "black-23.9.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl", hash = "sha256:50254ebfa56aa46a9fdd5d651f9637485068a1adf42270148cd101cdf56e0ad9"},
+    {file = "black-23.9.1-cp39-cp39-win_amd64.whl", hash = "sha256:403397c033adbc45c2bd41747da1f7fc7eaa44efbee256b53842470d4ac5a70f"},
+    {file = "black-23.9.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:6ccd59584cc834b6d127628713e4b6b968e5f79572da66284532525a042549f9"},
+    {file = "black-23.9.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:24b6b3ff5c6d9ea08a8888f6977eae858e1f340d7260cf56d70a49823236b62d"},
 ]
 
 [package.dependencies]
@@ -169,7 +166,7 @@ packaging = ">=22.0"
 pathspec = ">=0.9.0"
 platformdirs = ">=2"
 tomli = {version = ">=1.1.0", markers = "python_version < \"3.11\""}
-typing-extensions = {version = ">=3.10.0.0", markers = "python_version < \"3.10\""}
+typing-extensions = {version = ">=4.0.1", markers = "python_version < \"3.11\""}
 
 [package.extras]
 colorama = ["colorama (>=0.4.3)"]
@@ -279,6 +276,17 @@ files = [
 [package.dependencies]
 pycparser = "*"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cfgv"
+version = "3.4.0"
+description = "Validate configuration and produce human readable error messages."
+optional = false
+python-versions = ">=3.8"
+files = [
+    {file = "cfgv-3.4.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:b7265b1f29fd3316bfcd2b330d63d024f2bfd8bcb8b0272f8e19a504856c48f9"},
+    {file = "cfgv-3.4.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:e52591d4c5f5dead8e0f673fb16db7949d2cfb3f7da4582893288f0ded8fe560"},
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "charset-normalizer"
 version = "3.1.0"
@@ -528,6 +536,17 @@ ordered-set = ">=4.0.2,<4.2.0"
 cli = ["click (==8.1.3)", "pyyaml (==6.0)"]
 optimize = ["orjson"]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "distlib"
+version = "0.3.7"
+description = "Distribution utilities"
+optional = false
+python-versions = "*"
+files = [
+    {file = "distlib-0.3.7-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:2e24928bc811348f0feb63014e97aaae3037f2cf48712d51ae61df7fd6075057"},
+    {file = "distlib-0.3.7.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:9dafe54b34a028eafd95039d5e5d4851a13734540f1331060d31c9916e7147a8"},
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dnspython"
 version = "2.4.2"
@@ -603,19 +622,19 @@ testing = ["covdefaults (>=2.3)", "coverage (>=7.2.3)", "diff-cover (>=7.5)", "p
 
 [[package]]
 name = "flake8"
-version = "6.0.0"
+version = "6.1.0"
 description = "the modular source code checker: pep8 pyflakes and co"
 optional = false
 python-versions = ">=3.8.1"
 files = [
-    {file = "flake8-6.0.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:3833794e27ff64ea4e9cf5d410082a8b97ff1a06c16aa3d2027339cd0f1195c7"},
-    {file = "flake8-6.0.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:c61007e76655af75e6785a931f452915b371dc48f56efd765247c8fe68f2b181"},
+    {file = "flake8-6.1.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:ffdfce58ea94c6580c77888a86506937f9a1a227dfcd15f245d694ae20a6b6e5"},
+    {file = "flake8-6.1.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:d5b3857f07c030bdb5bf41c7f53799571d75c4491748a3adcd47de929e34cd23"},
 ]
 
 [package.dependencies]
 mccabe = ">=0.7.0,<0.8.0"
-pycodestyle = ">=2.10.0,<2.11.0"
-pyflakes = ">=3.0.0,<3.1.0"
+pycodestyle = ">=2.11.0,<2.12.0"
+pyflakes = ">=3.1.0,<3.2.0"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "h11"
@@ -710,6 +729,20 @@ files = [
     {file = "hyperframe-6.0.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:ae510046231dc8e9ecb1a6586f63d2347bf4c8905914aa84ba585ae85f28a914"},
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "identify"
+version = "2.5.29"
+description = "File identification library for Python"
+optional = false
+python-versions = ">=3.8"
+files = [
+    {file = "identify-2.5.29-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:24437fbf6f4d3fe6efd0eb9d67e24dd9106db99af5ceb27996a5f7895f24bf1b"},
+    {file = "identify-2.5.29.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:d43d52b86b15918c137e3a74fff5224f60385cd0e9c38e99d07c257f02f151a5"},
+]
+
+[package.extras]
+license = ["ukkonen"]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "idna"
 version = "3.4"
@@ -933,6 +966,20 @@ files = [
     {file = "mypy_extensions-1.0.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:75dbf8955dc00442a438fc4d0666508a9a97b6bd41aa2f0ffe9d2f2725af0782"},
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "nodeenv"
+version = "1.8.0"
+description = "Node.js virtual environment builder"
+optional = false
+python-versions = ">=2.7,!=3.0.*,!=3.1.*,!=3.2.*,!=3.3.*,!=3.4.*,!=3.5.*,!=3.6.*"
+files = [
+    {file = "nodeenv-1.8.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:df865724bb3c3adc86b3876fa209771517b0cfe596beff01a92700e0e8be4cec"},
+    {file = "nodeenv-1.8.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:d51e0c37e64fbf47d017feac3145cdbb58836d7eee8c6f6d3b6880c5456227d2"},
+]
+
+[package.dependencies]
+setuptools = "*"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "omegaconf"
 version = "2.3.0"
@@ -1047,6 +1094,24 @@ tomlkit = ">=0.4"
 [package.extras]
 plugin = ["poetry (>=1.2.0,<2.0.0)"]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pre-commit"
+version = "3.4.0"
+description = "A framework for managing and maintaining multi-language pre-commit hooks."
+optional = false
+python-versions = ">=3.8"
+files = [
+    {file = "pre_commit-3.4.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:96d529a951f8b677f730a7212442027e8ba53f9b04d217c4c67dc56c393ad945"},
+    {file = "pre_commit-3.4.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:6bbd5129a64cad4c0dfaeeb12cd8f7ea7e15b77028d985341478c8af3c759522"},
+]
+
+[package.dependencies]
+cfgv = ">=2.0.0"
+identify = ">=1.0.0"
+nodeenv = ">=0.11.1"
+pyyaml = ">=5.1"
+virtualenv = ">=20.10.0"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "psutil"
 version = "5.9.5"
@@ -1086,13 +1151,13 @@ files = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "pycodestyle"
-version = "2.10.0"
+version = "2.11.0"
 description = "Python style guide checker"
 optional = false
-python-versions = ">=3.6"
+python-versions = ">=3.8"
 files = [
-    {file = "pycodestyle-2.10.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:8a4eaf0d0495c7395bdab3589ac2db602797d76207242c17d470186815706610"},
-    {file = "pycodestyle-2.10.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:347187bdb476329d98f695c213d7295a846d1152ff4fe9bacb8a9590b8ee7053"},
+    {file = "pycodestyle-2.11.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:5d1013ba8dc7895b548be5afb05740ca82454fd899971563d2ef625d090326f8"},
+    {file = "pycodestyle-2.11.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:259bcc17857d8a8b3b4a2327324b79e5f020a13c16074670f9c8c8f872ea76d0"},
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1201,13 +1266,13 @@ email = ["email-validator (>=1.0.3)"]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "pyflakes"
-version = "3.0.1"
+version = "3.1.0"
 description = "passive checker of Python programs"
 optional = false
-python-versions = ">=3.6"
+python-versions = ">=3.8"
 files = [
-    {file = "pyflakes-3.0.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:ec55bf7fe21fff7f1ad2f7da62363d749e2a470500eab1b555334b67aa1ef8cf"},
-    {file = "pyflakes-3.0.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:ec8b276a6b60bd80defed25add7e439881c19e64850afd9b346283d4165fd0fd"},
+    {file = "pyflakes-3.1.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:4132f6d49cb4dae6819e5379898f2b8cce3c5f23994194c24b77d5da2e36f774"},
+    {file = "pyflakes-3.1.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:a0aae034c444db0071aa077972ba4768d40c830d9539fd45bf4cd3f8f6992efc"},
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1659,6 +1724,26 @@ secure = ["certifi", "cryptography (>=1.9)", "idna (>=2.0.0)", "pyopenssl (>=17.
 socks = ["pysocks (>=1.5.6,!=1.5.7,<2.0)"]
 zstd = ["zstandard (>=0.18.0)"]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "virtualenv"
+version = "20.24.1"
+description = "Virtual Python Environment builder"
+optional = false
+python-versions = ">=3.7"
+files = [
+    {file = "virtualenv-20.24.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:01aacf8decd346cf9a865ae85c0cdc7f64c8caa07ff0d8b1dfc1733d10677442"},
+    {file = "virtualenv-20.24.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:2ef6a237c31629da6442b0bcaa3999748108c7166318d1f55cc9f8d7294e97bd"},
+]
+
+[package.dependencies]
+distlib = ">=0.3.6,<1"
+filelock = ">=3.12,<4"
+platformdirs = ">=3.5.1,<4"
+
+[package.extras]
+docs = ["furo (>=2023.5.20)", "proselint (>=0.13)", "sphinx (>=7.0.1)", "sphinx-argparse (>=0.4)", "sphinxcontrib-towncrier (>=0.2.1a0)", "towncrier (>=23.6)"]
+test = ["covdefaults (>=2.3)", "coverage (>=7.2.7)", "coverage-enable-subprocess (>=1)", "flaky (>=3.7)", "packaging (>=23.1)", "pytest (>=7.3.1)", "pytest-env (>=0.8.1)", "pytest-freezer (>=0.4.6)", "pytest-mock (>=3.10)", "pytest-randomly (>=3.12)", "pytest-timeout (>=2.1)", "setuptools (>=67.8)", "time-machine (>=2.9)"]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "websockets"
 version = "11.0.3"
@@ -1793,4 +1878,4 @@ xmltodict = ">=0.12.0,<0.13.0"
 [metadata]
 lock-version = "2.0"
 python-versions = "^3.9"
-content-hash = "22dc78b01007c5fb6a7d8729277e75b0382e5571ba5ec23bd1d53a8467f368bc"
+content-hash = "caa5eee14e9087c9a47b3f25af5e0a453269fe68eaa8617d141c6b1169250c3f"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 70e6b185e..3b8ed842b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ pytest-env = "^0.8.2"
 pytest-httpx = "^0.22.0"
 pytest-timeout = "^2.1.0"
 pytest = "^7.4.0"
+pre-commit = "^3.4.0"
 
 [tool.pytest.ini_options]
 env = [