diff --git a/bin/install.js b/bin/install.js
index 988713d4a5..a4e3c9b305 100755
--- a/bin/install.js
+++ b/bin/install.js
@@ -2977,16 +2977,16 @@ function migrateCodexHooksMapFormat(content) {
 
 /**
  * Detect whether the user already uses the namespaced AoT hooks form
- * (`[[hooks.<EVENT>]]`) for the given event in the config. When true,
+ * (`[[hooks.<EVENT>]]`) in the config. When true,
  * the GSD-managed hook block must be emitted in the same shape so it
  * coexists cleanly — mixing `[[hooks]]` (flat) with `[[hooks.SessionStart]]`
  * (namespaced) in the same file confuses round-trip writers and can
  * produce a config that Codex rejects (#2760, defect 3).
  */
-function hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content, event) {
+function hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content) {
   const sections = getTomlTableSections(content);
   return sections.some(
-    (section) => section.array && section.path === `hooks.${event}`
+    (section) => section.array && section.path.startsWith('hooks.')
   );
 }
 
@@ -6988,19 +6988,21 @@ function install(isGlobal, runtime = 'claude') {
       // Add SessionStart hook for update checking. Default to top-level
       // `[[hooks]]` AoT with `event` field — the form GSD has emitted since
       // the Codex 0.124 migration (#2637). When the user already uses the
-      // namespaced AoT form `[[hooks.SessionStart]]` for their own hooks,
+      // namespaced AoT form `[[hooks.<Event>]]` for their own hooks,
       // emit our managed entry in that same shape so the two forms don't
       // collide on round-trip (#2760, defect 3).
+      //
+      // #2802 review finding: sense style from user content ONLY by stripping
+      // previous GSD-managed blocks first.
+      const userContent = stripGsdFromCodexConfig(configContent) || '';
       const updateCheckScript = path.resolve(targetDir, 'hooks', 'gsd-check-update.js').replace(/\\/g, '/');
-      const useNamespacedAot = hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(configContent, 'SessionStart');
-      const hookBlock = useNamespacedAot
-        ? `${eol}# GSD Hooks${eol}` +
-          `[[hooks.SessionStart]]${eol}` +
-          `command = "node ${updateCheckScript}"${eol}`
-        : `${eol}# GSD Hooks${eol}` +
-          `[[hooks]]${eol}` +
-          `event = "SessionStart"${eol}` +
-          `command = "node ${updateCheckScript}"${eol}`;
+      const hookBlock = `${eol}# GSD Hooks${eol}` +
+        (hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(userContent)
+          ? `[[hooks.SessionStart]]${eol}` +
+            `command = "node ${updateCheckScript}"${eol}`
+          : `[[hooks]]${eol}` +
+            `event = "SessionStart"${eol}` +
+            `command = "node ${updateCheckScript}"${eol}`);
 
       // Migrate legacy gsd-update-check entries from prior installs (#1755 followup)
       // Remove stale hook blocks that used the inverted filename or wrong path.
diff --git a/tests/bug-2760-codex-install-defensive.test.cjs b/tests/bug-2760-codex-install-defensive.test.cjs
index 790efbb22d..701e092e83 100644
--- a/tests/bug-2760-codex-install-defensive.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-2760-codex-install-defensive.test.cjs
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ describe('#2760 — hasUserNamespacedAotHooks helper', () => {
       'command = "x"',
       '',
     ].join('\n');
-    assert.equal(hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content, 'SessionStart'), true);
+    assert.equal(hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content), true);
   });
 
   test('returns false when only top-level [[hooks]] entries exist', () => {
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ describe('#2760 — hasUserNamespacedAotHooks helper', () => {
       'command = "x"',
       '',
     ].join('\n');
-    assert.equal(hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content, 'SessionStart'), false);
+    assert.equal(hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content), false);
   });
 
   test('returns false when only single-bracket [hooks.SessionStart] exists', () => {
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ describe('#2760 — hasUserNamespacedAotHooks helper', () => {
       'command = "x"',
       '',
     ].join('\n');
-    assert.equal(hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content, 'SessionStart'), false);
+    assert.equal(hasUserNamespacedAotHooks(content), false);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/tests/codex-config.test.cjs b/tests/codex-config.test.cjs
index 89523fa72f..bb4c214c00 100644
--- a/tests/codex-config.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/codex-config.test.cjs
@@ -1236,8 +1236,16 @@ describe('Codex install hook configuration (e2e)', () => {
     runCodexInstall(codexHome);
 
     const content = readCodexConfig(codexHome);
-    assert.ok(content.includes('[features]\ncodex_hooks = true\n'), 'writes codex_hooks feature');
-    assert.ok(content.includes('# GSD Hooks\n[[hooks]]\nevent = "SessionStart"\n'), 'writes GSD SessionStart hook block');
+    const parsed = parseTomlToObject(content);
+    assert.strictEqual(parsed.features && parsed.features.codex_hooks, true, 'writes codex_hooks feature');
+    assert.ok(
+      Array.isArray(parsed.hooks),
+      'fresh install must produce top-level [[hooks]] AoT, got: ' + typeof parsed.hooks
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      parsed.hooks.some((h) => h && h.event === 'SessionStart' && h.command.includes('gsd-check-update.js')),
+      'top-level [[hooks]] AoT must contain the GSD SessionStart entry'
+    );
     assert.strictEqual(countMatches(content, /^codex_hooks = true$/gm), 1, 'writes one codex_hooks key');
     assert.strictEqual(countMatches(content, /gsd-check-update\.js/g), 1, 'writes one GSD update hook');
     assertNoDraftRootKeys(content);
@@ -1846,7 +1854,15 @@ describe('Codex install hook configuration (e2e)', () => {
     // [features] is inserted after top-level lines, before [model] — not prepended
     assert.ok(content.includes('# first line wins\n\n[features]\ncodex_hooks = true\n'), 'inserts features after top-level lines using first newline style');
     assert.ok(content.includes(`# GSD Agent Configuration — managed by get-shit-done installer\n`), 'writes the managed agent block using the first newline style');
-    assert.ok(content.includes('# GSD Hooks\n[[hooks]]\nevent = "SessionStart"\n'), 'writes the GSD hook block using the first newline style');
+    const parsed = parseTomlToObject(content);
+    assert.ok(
+      Array.isArray(parsed.hooks),
+      'fresh install must produce top-level [[hooks]] AoT, got: ' + typeof parsed.hooks
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      parsed.hooks.some((h) => h && h.event === 'SessionStart' && h.command.includes('gsd-check-update.js')),
+      'top-level [[hooks]] AoT must contain the GSD SessionStart entry'
+    );
     assert.ok(content.includes('[model]\r\nname = "o3"'), 'preserves the existing CRLF model lines');
     assert.strictEqual(countMatches(content, /^codex_hooks = true$/gm), 1, 'remains idempotent on repeated installs');
     assert.strictEqual(countMatches(content, /gsd-check-update\.js/g), 1, 'does not duplicate the GSD hook block');