diff --git a/changes/ticket30979 b/changes/ticket30979
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8ae9b3c418
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/ticket30979
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+  o Minor features (git hooks):
+    - Our pre-push git hook now checks for a special file
+      before running practracker, so that it only runs on branches
+      that are based on master.
+      Closes ticket 30979.
diff --git a/scripts/git/pre-push.git-hook b/scripts/git/pre-push.git-hook
index 71abc9aa2b..40a3bffa79 100755
--- a/scripts/git/pre-push.git-hook
+++ b/scripts/git/pre-push.git-hook
@@ -28,10 +28,14 @@ if [ -x "$workdir/.git/hooks/pre-commit" ]; then
   fi
 fi
 
-if [ -e scripts/maint/practracker/practracker.py ]; then
-  if ! python3 ./scripts/maint/practracker/practracker.py "$workdir"; then
-    exit 1
-  fi
+PT_DIR=scripts/maint/practracker
+
+if [ -e "${PT_DIR}/practracker.py" ]; then
+    if [ -e "${PT_DIR}/.enable_practracker_in_hooks" ]; then
+        if ! python3 "${PT_DIR}/practracker.py" "$workdir"; then
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    fi
 fi
 
 remote="$1"
@@ -104,4 +108,3 @@ do
 done
 
 exit 0
-
diff --git a/scripts/maint/practracker/.enable_practracker_in_hooks b/scripts/maint/practracker/.enable_practracker_in_hooks
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a9e707f5da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/maint/practracker/.enable_practracker_in_hooks
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This file is present to tell our git hooks to run practracker on this branch.