diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index ccc8cfb..d16ba22 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -407,11 +407,9 @@ If the incremental argument is used, per-resource checkpoints are only advanced
 
 It's therefore recommended to only use the incremental argument if the output/result is being actively monitored, or complimented with periodic full non-incremental runs, to avoid unexpected missing data in a regular backup runs.
 
-**Starred public repo hooks blocking**
+**Hooks need admin access**
 
-Since the ``--all`` argument includes ``--hooks``, if you use ``--all`` and ``--all-starred`` together to clone a users starred public repositories, the backup will likely error and block the backup continuing.
-
-This is due to needing the correct permission for ``--hooks`` on public repos.
+Reading a repository's hooks requires admin access to it, and fine-grained tokens also need the Webhooks read permission. Since the ``--all`` argument includes ``--hooks``, repositories you don't administer, such as starred repositories with ``--all-starred``, are skipped for hooks and the rest of the backup continues.
 
 
 "bare" is actually "mirror"
diff --git a/github_backup/github_backup.py b/github_backup/github_backup.py
index a8297c9..9fbfacf 100644
--- a/github_backup/github_backup.py
+++ b/github_backup/github_backup.py
@@ -3155,6 +3155,15 @@ def backup_hooks(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template):
     if not auth:
         logger.info("Skipping hooks since no authentication provided")
         return
+    # Reading hooks needs admin access, and GitHub returns 404 without it.
+    # Skip the request when the repository listing says we aren't an admin.
+    if repository.get("permissions", {}).get("admin") is False:
+        logger.info(
+            "Skipping hooks for {0} since admin access is required".format(
+                repository["full_name"]
+            )
+        )
+        return
     hook_cwd = os.path.join(repo_cwd, "hooks")
     output_file = "{0}/hooks.json".format(hook_cwd)
     template = "{0}/{1}/hooks".format(repos_template, repository["full_name"])
@@ -3162,7 +3171,12 @@ def backup_hooks(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template):
         _backup_data(args, "hooks", template, output_file, hook_cwd)
     except HTTPError as e:
         if e.code == 404:
-            logger.info("Unable to read hooks, skipping")
+            logger.info(
+                "Unable to read hooks for {0}, skipping (requires admin access, "
+                "or Webhooks read permission for fine-grained tokens)".format(
+                    repository["full_name"]
+                )
+            )
         else:
             raise e
 
diff --git a/tests/test_hooks.py b/tests/test_hooks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4869a7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_hooks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+"""Tests for hooks backup permissions (GitHub issue #532).
+
+Reading ``/repos/{owner}/{repo}/hooks`` needs admin access to the repository.
+Without it GitHub responds with HTTP 404 rather than 403, which used to log an
+API error for every repository the user doesn't administer.
+"""
+
+import logging
+from urllib.error import HTTPError
+
+import pytest
+
+from github_backup import github_backup
+
+REPOS_TEMPLATE = "https://api.github.com/repos"
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def hook_args(create_args):
+    return create_args(include_hooks=True, token_classic="ghp_token")
+
+
+def _repository(**fields):
+    return {"full_name": "owner/repo", **fields}
+
+
+def test_hooks_skipped_without_request_when_not_admin(
+    hook_args, tmp_path, monkeypatch, caplog
+):
+    def fail_retrieve_data(*args, **kwargs):
+        raise AssertionError("hooks should not be requested without admin access")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(github_backup, "retrieve_data", fail_retrieve_data)
+
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.INFO, logger=github_backup.logger.name):
+        github_backup.backup_hooks(
+            hook_args,
+            tmp_path,
+            _repository(permissions={"admin": False, "push": True, "pull": True}),
+            REPOS_TEMPLATE,
+        )
+
+    assert "Skipping hooks for owner/repo since admin access is required" in caplog.text
+    assert not (tmp_path / "hooks").exists()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "repository",
+    [
+        _repository(permissions={"admin": True, "push": True, "pull": True}),
+        _repository(),
+    ],
+    ids=["admin", "no-permissions-field"],
+)
+def test_hooks_requested_when_admin_or_permissions_unknown(
+    hook_args, tmp_path, monkeypatch, repository
+):
+    requested = []
+
+    def fake_retrieve_data(passed_args, template, *args, **kwargs):
+        requested.append(template)
+        return [{"id": 1, "name": "web"}]
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(github_backup, "retrieve_data", fake_retrieve_data)
+
+    github_backup.backup_hooks(hook_args, tmp_path, repository, REPOS_TEMPLATE)
+
+    assert requested == ["https://api.github.com/repos/owner/repo/hooks"]
+    assert (tmp_path / "hooks" / "hooks.json").exists()
+
+
+def test_hooks_404_is_skipped_with_reason(hook_args, tmp_path, monkeypatch, caplog):
+    def fake_retrieve_data(passed_args, template, *args, **kwargs):
+        raise HTTPError(template, 404, "Not Found", hdrs=None, fp=None)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(github_backup, "retrieve_data", fake_retrieve_data)
+
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.INFO, logger=github_backup.logger.name):
+        github_backup.backup_hooks(
+            hook_args,
+            tmp_path,
+            _repository(permissions={"admin": True}),
+            REPOS_TEMPLATE,
+        )
+
+    assert "Unable to read hooks for owner/repo, skipping" in caplog.text
+
+
+def test_hooks_non_404_error_propagates(hook_args, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    def fake_retrieve_data(passed_args, template, *args, **kwargs):
+        raise HTTPError(template, 500, "Server Error", hdrs=None, fp=None)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(github_backup, "retrieve_data", fake_retrieve_data)
+
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPError):
+        github_backup.backup_hooks(hook_args, tmp_path, _repository(), REPOS_TEMPLATE)