diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 78a5c7fc7a..61ea4be128 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -7,10 +7,19 @@ repos:
     -   id: check-yaml
     -   id: check-added-large-files
     -   id: check-ast
-        exclude: >-
+        exclude: &check_ast_exclusion >-
           (?x)^(
             tools/autotune_grid/xyz_to_vab/pyratemp.py|
           )$
+    -   id: check-ast
+        name: Check python ast (with Python 2.7)
+        language_version: python2.7
+        stages: [manual]
+    -   id: check-ast
+        name: Check python ast (with Python 3)
+        exclude: *check_ast_exclusion
+        language_version: python3
+        stages: [manual]
 -   repo: local
     hooks:
     -   id: prettify
diff --git a/tools/docker/scripts/install_python.sh b/tools/docker/scripts/install_python.sh
index 419ea0c851..5e5ad12526 100755
--- a/tools/docker/scripts/install_python.sh
+++ b/tools/docker/scripts/install_python.sh
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ apt-get update -qq
 apt-get install -qq --no-install-recommends \
     python                \
     python3               \
+    libpython-stdlib      \
+    libpython3-stdlib     \
     python-pip            \
     python3-pip           \
     python-wheel          \
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@ rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 # install python packages
 pip  install --quiet numpy matplotlib requests
-pip3 install --quiet numpy matplotlib requests
+pip3 install --quiet numpy matplotlib requests pre-commit
 
 # install python2.6
 echo "Building Python-2.6.9... "
diff --git a/tools/docker/scripts/test_python.sh b/tools/docker/scripts/test_python.sh
index 3cde8b6f40..aaa4eea9b3 100755
--- a/tools/docker/scripts/test_python.sh
+++ b/tools/docker/scripts/test_python.sh
@@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ function run_tests {
           echo "Skipping $i - it's Python3 only."
           continue
         fi
-        echo "Selftesting $i"
+        echo "Running $i"
         cd "$(dirname "$i")"
         SCRIPT=$(basename "$i")
         if ! $PYTHON -B "./${SCRIPT}" ; then
-            echo "Selftest of $i failed"
+            echo "Test $i failed"
             ERRORS=$((ERRORS+1))
         fi
         set -e #re-enable error trapping
@@ -28,6 +28,15 @@ function run_tests {
     done
 }
 
+function run_pre_commit {
+    set +e #disable error trapping
+    if ! pre-commit run --all-files --hook-stage manual check-ast ; then
+        echo "Syntax check failed for either Python 2 or 3"
+        ERRORS=$((ERRORS+1))
+    fi
+    set -e #re-enable error trapping
+}
+
 #===============================================================================
 ERRORS=0
 
@@ -46,8 +55,11 @@ run_tests python2.7 "${ALL_TEST_SCRIPTS}"
 # python 3.x
 run_tests python3 "${ALL_TEST_SCRIPTS}"
 
+# run manual pre-commit checks
+run_pre_commit
+
 # print report
-NUM_TEST_SCRIPTS=$(echo "${ALL_TEST_SCRIPTS}" | wc -w)
+NUM_TEST_SCRIPTS=$(( $(wc -w <<< "${ALL_TEST_SCRIPTS}") + 1 ))
 echo ""
 echo "Summary: Run ${NUM_TEST_SCRIPTS} Python test scripts, found ${ERRORS} errors."
 if [ $ERRORS == 0 ]; then