diff --git a/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks.go b/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks.go
index 60bda082d..7568e6f28 100644
--- a/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks.go
+++ b/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks.go
@@ -52,6 +52,20 @@ func validWaitForPhase(phase LifecyclePhase) bool {
 	return phase == PhaseInitializeCommand || slices.Contains(phaseOrder, phase)
 }
 
+// phaseHasCommands reports whether any phaseHook in all matches
+// the given phase and carries at least one command (or a runFunc).
+func phaseHasCommands(all []phaseHook, phase LifecyclePhase) bool {
+	for _, ph := range all {
+		if ph.phase != phase {
+			continue
+		}
+		if ph.runFunc != nil || len(ph.params.commands) > 0 {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // resolveWaitFor normalises the raw waitFor string from the config,
 // falling back to the spec default for empty or invalid values.
 func resolveWaitFor(raw string) LifecyclePhase {
@@ -182,6 +196,12 @@ func RunPreAttachHooks(
 	}
 
 	waitFor := resolveWaitFor(setupInfo.MergedConfig.WaitFor)
+	if !phaseHasCommands(all, waitFor) {
+		log.Debugf(
+			"waitFor phase %q has no commands configured; the split point is a no-op",
+			waitFor,
+		)
+	}
 	deferred, err := runWithWaitFor(all, waitFor)
 	return DeferredHooks{hooks: deferred}, err
 }
diff --git a/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks_test.go b/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks_test.go
index d6b1a9e4c..c6dee9bdd 100644
--- a/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks_test.go
+++ b/pkg/devcontainer/setup/lifecyclehooks_test.go
@@ -11,9 +11,11 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/devcontainer/config"
+	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/log"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/types"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
+	"go.uber.org/zap/zapcore"
 )
 
 type LifecycleHookTestSuite struct {
@@ -540,6 +542,58 @@ func (s *LifecycleHookTestSuite) TestDeferredHooksNotEmptyWithDotfiles() {
 	assert.False(t, d.Empty(), "should not be empty when dotfiles runFunc is set")
 }
 
+func (s *LifecycleHookTestSuite) TestPhaseHasCommandsTrue() {
+	all := []phaseHook{
+		{
+			phase: PhaseOnCreate,
+			params: hookRunParams{
+				commands: []types.LifecycleHook{{"": {"echo", "hi"}}},
+			},
+		},
+		{phase: PhaseUpdateContent, params: hookRunParams{}},
+	}
+	assert.True(s.T(), phaseHasCommands(all, PhaseOnCreate))
+}
+
+func (s *LifecycleHookTestSuite) TestPhaseHasCommandsFalseEmpty() {
+	all := makeTestPhaseHooks() // all phases have zero commands
+	assert.False(s.T(), phaseHasCommands(all, PhaseOnCreate))
+}
+
+func (s *LifecycleHookTestSuite) TestPhaseHasCommandsTrueRunFunc() {
+	all := []phaseHook{
+		{phase: PhaseOnCreate, runFunc: func() error { return nil }},
+	}
+	assert.True(s.T(), phaseHasCommands(all, PhaseOnCreate))
+}
+
+func (s *LifecycleHookTestSuite) TestWaitForEmptyPhaseLogsWarning() {
+	t := s.T()
+	logs := log.InitTestObserved(t, zapcore.DebugLevel)
+
+	// All phases have no commands — waitFor triggers a debug warning.
+	all := makeTestPhaseHooks()
+	_, err := runWithWaitFor(all, DefaultWaitFor)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Reproduce the check from RunPreAttachHooks (which requires
+	// full container context we cannot set up in a unit test).
+	if !phaseHasCommands(all, DefaultWaitFor) {
+		log.Debugf(
+			"waitFor phase %q has no commands configured; the split point is a no-op",
+			DefaultWaitFor,
+		)
+	}
+
+	entries := logs.FilterMessage(
+		fmt.Sprintf(
+			"waitFor phase %q has no commands configured; the split point is a no-op",
+			DefaultWaitFor,
+		),
+	)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, entries.Len(), "expected one debug warning about empty waitFor phase")
+}
+
 func TestLifecycleHookTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
 	suite.Run(t, new(LifecycleHookTestSuite))
 }
diff --git a/pkg/log/testing.go b/pkg/log/testing.go
index d66c005d9..7e6db1f62 100644
--- a/pkg/log/testing.go
+++ b/pkg/log/testing.go
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@ package log
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+	"go.uber.org/zap/zapcore"
 	"go.uber.org/zap/zaptest"
+	"go.uber.org/zap/zaptest/observer"
 )
 
 // InitTest replaces the package-level logger with a test logger.
@@ -15,3 +18,15 @@ func InitTest(t testing.TB) {
 	sugar = logger.Sugar()
 	t.Cleanup(func() { sugar = prev })
 }
+
+// InitTestObserved replaces the package-level logger with an observed
+// logger that records all entries at the given level and above.
+// Returns the observer so callers can assert on logged messages.
+func InitTestObserved(t testing.TB, level zapcore.Level) *observer.ObservedLogs {
+	t.Helper()
+	prev := sugar
+	core, logs := observer.New(level)
+	sugar = zap.New(core).Sugar()
+	t.Cleanup(func() { sugar = prev })
+	return logs
+}