diff --git a/checks.nix b/checks.nix
index 65cb936..397d9ab 100644
--- a/checks.nix
+++ b/checks.nix
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@ forEachSystem (system: {
       statix.enable = false;
 
       # json hooks
-      check-json.enable = true;
+      check-json = {
+        enable = true;
+        # exclude vscode json files as they allow comments and check-json doesn't
+        excludes = [ "settings.json$" ];
+      };
 
       # git hooks
       check-merge-conflicts.enable = true;
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 206d8a9..e9a6960 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@
         }
       );
       inherit (lib.rad-dev.systems) genSystems;
+      inherit (self) outputs; # for hydra
     in
     rec {
-      inherit (self) outputs; # for hydra
       inherit lib; # for allowing use of custom functions in nix repl
 
       hydraJobs = import ./hydra/jobs.nix { inherit inputs outputs; };