diff --git a/logger.go b/logger.go
index e04de7cb3..d87f1f0ee 100644
--- a/logger.go
+++ b/logger.go
@@ -288,9 +288,18 @@ func (log *Logger) check(lvl zapcore.Level, msg string) *zapcore.CheckedEntry {
 		ce = ce.Should(ent, zapcore.WriteThenPanic)
 	case zapcore.FatalLevel:
 		onFatal := log.onFatal
-		// nil is the default value for CheckWriteAction, and it leads to
-		// continued execution after a Fatal which is unexpected.
-		if onFatal == nil {
+		// nil or WriteThenNoop will lead to continued execution after
+		// a Fatal log entry, which is unexpected. For example,
+		//
+		//   f, err := os.Open(..)
+		//   if err != nil {
+		//     log.Fatal("cannot open", zap.Error(err))
+		//   }
+		//   fmt.Println(f.Name())
+		//
+		// The f.Name() will panic if we continue execution after the
+		// log.Fatal.
+		if onFatal == nil || onFatal == zapcore.WriteThenNoop {
 			onFatal = zapcore.WriteThenFatal
 		}
 		ce = ce.After(ent, onFatal)
diff --git a/logger_test.go b/logger_test.go
index 50f8c6599..c71306c7d 100644
--- a/logger_test.go
+++ b/logger_test.go
@@ -535,6 +535,17 @@ func TestLoggerConcurrent(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestLoggerFatalOnNoop(t *testing.T) {
+	exitStub := exit.Stub()
+	defer exitStub.Unstub()
+	core, _ := observer.New(InfoLevel)
+
+	// We don't allow a no-op fatal hook.
+	New(core, WithFatalHook(zapcore.WriteThenNoop)).Fatal("great sadness")
+	assert.True(t, exitStub.Exited, "must exit for WriteThenNoop")
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, exitStub.Code, "must exit with status 1 for WriteThenNoop")
+}
+
 func TestLoggerCustomOnFatal(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		msg          string
diff --git a/options.go b/options.go
index d6c3449ca..e2028df70 100644
--- a/options.go
+++ b/options.go
@@ -139,6 +139,18 @@ func OnFatal(action zapcore.CheckWriteAction) Option {
 }
 
 // WithFatalHook sets a CheckWriteHook to run on fatal logs.
+// Zap will call this hook after writing a log statement with a Fatal level.
+//
+// For example, the following builds a logger that will exit the current
+// goroutine after writing a fatal log message, but it will not exit the
+// program.
+//
+//   zap.New(core, zap.WithFatalHook(zapcore.WriteThenGoexit))
+//
+// It is important that the provided CheckWriteHook stops the control flow at
+// the current statement to meet expectations of callers of the logger.
+// We recommend calling os.Exit or runtime.Goexit inside custom hooks at
+// minimum.
 func WithFatalHook(hook zapcore.CheckWriteHook) Option {
 	return optionFunc(func(log *Logger) {
 		log.onFatal = hook
diff --git a/zapcore/entry.go b/zapcore/entry.go
index b035915f1..d91efe831 100644
--- a/zapcore/entry.go
+++ b/zapcore/entry.go
@@ -151,10 +151,24 @@ type Entry struct {
 	Stack      string
 }
 
-// CheckWriteHook allows to customize the action to take after a Fatal log entry
-// is processed.
+// CheckWriteHook is a custom action that may be executed after an entry is
+// written.
+//
+// Register one on a CheckedEntry with the After method.
+//
+//  if ce := logger.Check(...); ce != nil {
+//    ce = ce.After(hook)
+//    ce.Write(...)
+//  }
+//
+// You can configure the hook for Fatal log statements at the logger level with
+// the zap.WithFatalHook option.
 type CheckWriteHook interface {
-	// OnWrite gets invoked when an entry is written
+	// OnWrite is invoked with the CheckedEntry that was written and a list
+	// of fields added with that entry.
+	//
+	// The list of fields DOES NOT include fields that were already added
+	// to the logger with the With method.
 	OnWrite(*CheckedEntry, []Field)
 }