diff --git a/py/src/braintrust/framework.py b/py/src/braintrust/framework.py
index 84a504aa..5367dd40 100644
--- a/py/src/braintrust/framework.py
+++ b/py/src/braintrust/framework.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 from .serializable_data_class import SerializableDataClass
 from .span_types import SpanTypeAttribute
 from .types._eval import EvalCaseDict, EvalCaseDictNoOutput, ExperimentDatasetEvent
-from .util import bt_iscoroutinefunction, eprint, merge_dicts
+from .util import bt_iscoroutinefunction, eprint, get_signature, merge_dicts
 
 
 Input = TypeVar("Input")
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ def run_f(args, kwargs, ctx):
 
 def _call_user_fn_args(fn, kwargs):
     try:
-        signature = inspect.signature(fn)
+        signature = get_signature(fn)
     except:
         return [], kwargs
 
@@ -1585,7 +1585,7 @@ def report_progress(event: TaskProgressEvent):
                 # Check if the task takes a hooks argument
                 task_args = [datum.input]
                 try:
-                    if len(inspect.signature(evaluator.task).parameters) == 2:
+                    if len(get_signature(evaluator.task).parameters) == 2:
                         task_args.append(hooks)
                 except:
                     pass
diff --git a/py/src/braintrust/logger.py b/py/src/braintrust/logger.py
index 6ed497a1..522b31e1 100644
--- a/py/src/braintrust/logger.py
+++ b/py/src/braintrust/logger.py
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
     encode_uri_component,
     eprint,
     get_caller_location,
+    get_signature,
     mask_api_key,
     merge_dicts,
     parse_env_var_float,
@@ -2466,7 +2467,7 @@ def decorator(span_args, span_kwargs, f: F):
             span_args += (f.__name__,)
 
         try:
-            f_sig = inspect.signature(f)
+            f_sig = get_signature(f)
         except:
             f_sig = None
 
diff --git a/py/src/braintrust/test_framework.py b/py/src/braintrust/test_framework.py
index 608b7585..71168a38 100644
--- a/py/src/braintrust/test_framework.py
+++ b/py/src/braintrust/test_framework.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import importlib.util
 import re
+import sys
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
 import pytest
@@ -209,6 +210,56 @@ def _run_eval_sync(self, *args, **kwargs):
         assert result.summary.scores[scorer_name].score == 1.0
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    sys.version_info < (3, 14),
+    reason="PEP 649 lazy annotation evaluation is 3.14+",
+)
+async def test_hooks_with_type_checking_only_annotation():
+    """Regression test for #263.
+
+    On Python 3.14 (PEP 649), `inspect.signature(fn)` defaults to VALUE
+    format, which eagerly evaluates annotations and raises `NameError` for
+    TYPE_CHECKING-only imports. The bare except in `_call_user_fn_args`
+    used to fall back to passing every kwarg through, and the separate
+    signature call that decides whether to inject `hooks` would also raise,
+    leaving the task to crash on a missing `hooks` argument.
+    """
+    # The unresolved name in the annotation must be unquoted to trigger the
+    # PEP 649 lazy-eval path; defining this at module top-level would fail
+    # on Python <3.14, so build it via exec inside the 3.14-only branch.
+    saw_hooks: list[bool] = []
+    ns: dict = {"saw_hooks": saw_hooks, "EvalHooks": EvalHooks}
+    exec(
+        "def task_with_unresolvable_hooks_annotation(\n"
+        "    input_value: int,\n"
+        "    hooks: EvalHooks[frozenset[SomeType]],\n"
+        ") -> int:\n"
+        "    saw_hooks.append(hooks is not None)\n"
+        "    return input_value * 2\n",
+        ns,
+    )
+    task = ns["task_with_unresolvable_hooks_annotation"]
+
+    evaluator = Evaluator(
+        project_name="test-project",
+        eval_name="test-pep649-typecheck-only",
+        data=[EvalCase(input=1, expected=2)],
+        task=task,
+        scores=[],
+        experiment_name=None,
+        metadata=None,
+        trial_count=1,
+    )
+
+    result = await run_evaluator(experiment=None, evaluator=evaluator, position=None, filters=[])
+
+    assert len(result.results) == 1
+    assert saw_hooks == [True]
+    assert result.results[0].error is None
+    assert result.results[0].output == 2
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_hooks_trial_index():
     """Test that trial_index is correctly passed to task via hooks."""
diff --git a/py/src/braintrust/util.py b/py/src/braintrust/util.py
index 7fdb8abb..09c5b2c3 100644
--- a/py/src/braintrust/util.py
+++ b/py/src/braintrust/util.py
@@ -34,6 +34,20 @@ def parse_env_var_float(name: str, default: float) -> float:
 BT_IS_ASYNC_ATTRIBUTE = "_BT_IS_ASYNC"
 
 
+def get_signature(fn: Callable) -> inspect.Signature:
+    # On Python 3.14+ (PEP 649), inspect.signature evaluates annotations
+    # eagerly in VALUE format by default. Annotations referencing
+    # TYPE_CHECKING-only imports raise NameError. Use FORWARDREF so
+    # unresolvable names become ForwardRef objects; callers here only
+    # inspect parameter names/kinds, not annotation values.
+    if sys.version_info >= (3, 14):
+        import annotationlib
+
+        kwargs = {"annotation_format": annotationlib.Format.FORWARDREF}
+        return inspect.signature(fn, **kwargs)  # pylint: disable=unexpected-keyword-arg
+    return inspect.signature(fn)
+
+
 # Taken from
 # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5574702/how-do-i-print-to-stderr-in-python.
 def is_numeric(v):