File Size Warning Monitor - Hooks

Features

• Real-time file size monitoring during write/edit operations with automatic file size detection across platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows) using cross-platform stat commands and fallback methods
• Configurable size thresholds for different file types (source code 500KB, images 2MB, videos 50MB, JSON 1MB) with environment variable overrides and file type-specific threshold configuration
• File type-specific recommendations (images, JSON, code, etc.) with optimization suggestions including code splitting for JavaScript, JSON streaming for large JSON files, image optimization for media files, and video compression for video files
• Performance impact warnings for large files with impact assessment (high/medium/low) based on file size and type with actionable recommendations
• Git repository size impact analysis with size change tracking comparing current file size with previous Git versions and Git LFS recommendations for files over 10MB
• Compression suggestions for media files including JPEG optimization, WebP format conversion, progressive JPEG, PNG optimization, and video compression recommendations
• Size comparison with previous versions using Git history to track file size growth with percentage increase calculations and size change alerts
• Multi-platform file size detection (macOS, Linux, Windows) with cross-platform stat command compatibility using stat -f%z (macOS), stat -c%s (Linux), and wc -c fallback methods

Use Cases

• Real-time file size monitoring during development providing immediate feedback when files exceed recommended size thresholds during active development
• Performance optimization through size awareness automatically detecting large files that could impact application performance and providing optimization suggestions
• Git repository size management tracking file size growth and recommending Git LFS for large files to maintain repository performance and reduce clone times
• Asset optimization for web applications providing specific optimization suggestions for images, JavaScript bundles, CSS files, and other web assets to improve load times
• CI/CD pipeline size validation automatically validating file sizes in CI/CD pipelines to prevent deployment of oversized files that could impact production performance
• Development workflow integration seamlessly integrating file size monitoring into development workflows without manual file size inspection or separate optimization tools

Installation

1. Create hooks directory: mkdir -p .claude/hooks
2. Create hook file: touch .claude/hooks/file-size-warning-monitor.sh
3. Make executable: chmod +x .claude/hooks/file-size-warning-monitor.sh
4. Add configuration from Hook Configuration section above to .claude/settings.json or ~/.claude/settings.json
5. Alternative: Use the interactive /hooks command in Claude Code

Config paths

• Local (not committed): .claude/settings.local.json
• User settings (global): ~/.claude/settings.json
• Project-wide (committed): .claude/settings.json

Requirements

• Claude Code CLI installed
• Project directory initialized
• Bash shell available
• Git repository (optional, for Git size tracking and LFS recommendations)
• ImageMagick (optional, for image dimension detection via identify command)
• Standard Unix utilities: stat (for file size detection), wc (fallback for file size), and file system read access for file metadata

Hook Configuration

{
  "hooks": {
    "postToolUse": {
      "script": "./.claude/hooks/file-size-warning-monitor.sh",
      "matchers": ["write", "edit"]
    }
  }
}

Hook Script

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Read the tool input from stdin
INPUT=$(cat)
TOOL_NAME=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_name')
FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // .tool_input.path // ""')

if [ -z "$FILE_PATH" ]; then
  exit 0
fi

# Check if file exists and is a regular file
if [ ! -f "$FILE_PATH" ]; then
  exit 0
fi

echo "📏 Checking file size for: $(basename "$FILE_PATH")" >&2

# Get file size in bytes (cross-platform)
get_file_size() {
  local file="$1"

  # Try different stat formats for cross-platform compatibility
  if stat -f%z "$file" 2>/dev/null; then
    # macOS/BSD
    return 0
  elif stat -c%s "$file" 2>/dev/null; then
    # Linux/GNU
    return 0
  elif [ -f "$file" ]; then
    # Fallback: use wc for text files (less accurate for binary)
    wc -c < "$file" 2>/dev/null || echo "0"
  else
    echo "0"
  fi
}

# Convert bytes to human-readable format
format_size() {
  local bytes="$1"

  if [ "$bytes" -lt 1024 ]; then
    echo "${bytes}B"
  elif [ "$bytes" -lt 1048576 ]; then
    echo "$((bytes / 1024))KB"
  elif [ "$bytes" -lt 1073741824 ]; then
    echo "$((bytes / 1048576))MB"
  else
    echo "$((bytes / 1073741824))GB"
  fi
}

# Get file extension
get_file_extension() {
  local file="$1"
  echo "${file##*.}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'
}

# Define file type categories and their thresholds
get_size_threshold() {
  local extension="$1"

  case "$extension" in
    # Source code files - should be relatively small
    js|jsx|ts|tsx|py|rb|go|rs|java|cpp|c|h|hpp|php|cs)
      echo "500000"  # 500KB
      ;;
    # Data/config files
    json|xml|yaml|yml|toml|ini|conf)
      echo "1048576"  # 1MB
      ;;
    # Documentation
    md|txt|rst|org)
      echo "1048576"  # 1MB
      ;;
    # Images
    jpg|jpeg|png|gif|bmp|webp|svg)
      echo "2097152"  # 2MB
      ;;
    # Videos
    mp4|avi|mov|wmv|flv|webm|mkv)
      echo "52428800"  # 50MB
      ;;
    # Audio
    mp3|wav|flac|aac|ogg)
      echo "10485760"  # 10MB
      ;;
    # Archives
    zip|tar|gz|bz2|xz|7z|rar)
      echo "20971520"  # 20MB
      ;;
    # Binary executables
    exe|bin|app|dmg|deb|rpm)
      echo "104857600"  # 100MB
      ;;
    # Default for unknown file types
    *)
      echo "5242880"  # 5MB
      ;;
  esac
}

# Get optimization suggestions for file type
get_optimization_suggestions() {
  local extension="$1"
  local size_mb="$2"

  case "$extension" in
    js|jsx|ts|tsx)
      echo "Consider code splitting, tree shaking, or minification"
      ;;
    json)
      echo "Consider JSON streaming, compression, or breaking into smaller files"
      ;;
    jpg|jpeg)
      echo "Consider JPEG optimization, WebP format, or progressive JPEG"
      ;;
    png)
      echo "Consider PNG optimization, WebP format, or SVG for simple graphics"
      ;;
    gif)
      echo "Consider converting to WebP or MP4 for better compression"
      ;;
    svg)
      echo "Consider SVG optimization tools to remove unnecessary elements"
      ;;
    mp4|mov)
      echo "Consider video compression, lower resolution, or streaming"
      ;;
    pdf)
      echo "Consider PDF compression or splitting into smaller documents"
      ;;
    zip|tar|gz)
      echo "Archive seems large - verify contents are necessary"
      ;;
    md|txt)
      echo "Consider breaking into smaller documents or using external storage"
      ;;
    *)
      echo "Consider file compression or alternative storage solutions"
      ;;
  esac
}

# Get file size
SIZE_BYTES=$(get_file_size "$FILE_PATH")
SIZE_HUMAN=$(format_size "$SIZE_BYTES")
SIZE_MB=$((SIZE_BYTES / 1048576))
SIZE_KB=$((SIZE_BYTES / 1024))

# Get file info
FILE_EXTENSION=$(get_file_extension "$FILE_PATH")
FILE_NAME=$(basename "$FILE_PATH")
THRESHOLD_BYTES=$(get_size_threshold "$FILE_EXTENSION")
THRESHOLD_HUMAN=$(format_size "$THRESHOLD_BYTES")

echo "📊 File: $FILE_NAME ($SIZE_HUMAN)" >&2

# Check if file exceeds threshold
if [ "$SIZE_BYTES" -gt "$THRESHOLD_BYTES" ]; then
  echo "⚠️ SIZE WARNING: File exceeds recommended threshold for .$FILE_EXTENSION files" >&2
  echo "   Current: $SIZE_HUMAN | Recommended: < $THRESHOLD_HUMAN" >&2

  # Provide optimization suggestions
  SUGGESTION=$(get_optimization_suggestions "$FILE_EXTENSION" "$SIZE_MB")
  echo "💡 Suggestion: $SUGGESTION" >&2

  # Specific warnings for very large files
  if [ "$SIZE_MB" -gt 50 ]; then
    echo "🚨 VERY LARGE FILE: This file may cause performance issues" >&2
    echo "   Consider using Git LFS for files over 50MB" >&2
  elif [ "$SIZE_MB" -gt 10 ]; then
    echo "⚠️ LARGE FILE: May impact repository performance" >&2
  fi

else
  echo "✅ File size within acceptable range ($THRESHOLD_HUMAN threshold)" >&2
fi

# Special checks for specific file types
case "$FILE_EXTENSION" in
  js|jsx|ts|tsx)
    if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 100 ]; then
      echo "📦 JavaScript bundle size check: Consider code splitting for better performance" >&2
    fi
    ;;
  json)
    if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 500 ]; then
      echo "📄 Large JSON detected: Consider pagination or streaming for API responses" >&2
    fi
    ;;
  jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp)
    if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 500 ]; then
      echo "🖼️ Image optimization: Large images impact web performance" >&2
      if command -v identify &> /dev/null; then
        DIMENSIONS=$(identify -format '%wx%h' "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
        echo "   Dimensions: $DIMENSIONS" >&2
      fi
    fi
    ;;
  css|scss|sass)
    if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 200 ]; then
      echo "🎨 CSS size check: Consider removing unused styles or splitting stylesheets" >&2
    fi
    ;;
esac

# Check if file is in git repository
if command -v git &> /dev/null && git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  # Check if file is tracked by git
  if git ls-files --error-unmatch "$FILE_PATH" &> /dev/null; then
    echo "🔄 Git repository impact:" >&2

    # Check if file has grown significantly
    if git log --oneline -n 1 -- "$FILE_PATH" &> /dev/null; then
      # File has history, check previous size
      PREV_SIZE=$(git show HEAD:"$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null | wc -c | xargs || echo "0")
      if [ "$PREV_SIZE" -gt 0 ]; then
        PREV_SIZE_HUMAN=$(format_size "$PREV_SIZE")
        SIZE_DIFF=$((SIZE_BYTES - PREV_SIZE))

        if [ "$SIZE_DIFF" -gt 0 ]; then
          DIFF_HUMAN=$(format_size "$SIZE_DIFF")
          PERCENT_INCREASE=$((SIZE_DIFF * 100 / PREV_SIZE))
          echo "   Size change: +$DIFF_HUMAN (+$PERCENT_INCREASE%) from previous version" >&2

          if [ "$PERCENT_INCREASE" -gt 100 ]; then
            echo "   📈 Significant size increase detected" >&2
          fi
        fi
      fi
    fi

    # Suggest Git LFS for large files
    if [ "$SIZE_MB" -gt 10 ]; then
      echo "   💡 Consider using Git LFS for this large file" >&2
      if [ -f ".gitattributes" ]; then
        if ! grep -q "*.$FILE_EXTENSION.*lfs" ".gitattributes" 2>/dev/null; then
          echo "   Add to .gitattributes: *.$FILE_EXTENSION filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text" >&2
        fi
      else
        echo "   Create .gitattributes with: *.$FILE_EXTENSION filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text" >&2
      fi
    fi
  fi
fi

# Overall performance impact assessment
echo "" >&2
echo "📋 Performance Impact Assessment:" >&2

if [ "$SIZE_MB" -gt 50 ]; then
  echo "  🔴 High Impact: File may cause significant performance issues" >&2
elif [ "$SIZE_MB" -gt 10 ]; then
  echo "  🟡 Medium Impact: File may cause minor performance issues" >&2
elif [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 500 ]; then
  echo "  🟢 Low Impact: File size is acceptable but monitor growth" >&2
else
  echo "  ✅ Minimal Impact: File size is optimal" >&2
fi

echo "" >&2
echo "💡 File Size Best Practices:" >&2
echo "   • Keep source code files under 500KB" >&2
echo "   • Optimize images before committing" >&2
echo "   • Use Git LFS for files over 10MB" >&2
echo "   • Consider file compression for large data files" >&2

exit 0

Examples

File Size Warning Monitor Hook Script

Complete hook script that performs file size monitoring when files are created or modified

#!/usr/bin/env bash
INPUT=$(cat)
FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // .tool_input.path // ""')
if [ -z "$FILE_PATH" ] || [ ! -f "$FILE_PATH" ]; then
  exit 0
fi
SIZE_BYTES=$(stat -f%z "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || wc -c < "$FILE_PATH" || echo "0")
SIZE_KB=$((SIZE_BYTES / 1024))
FILE_EXTENSION=$(echo "${FILE_PATH##*.}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
THRESHOLD_KB=500
if [ "$FILE_EXTENSION" = "js" ] || [ "$FILE_EXTENSION" = "ts" ]; then
  THRESHOLD_KB=500
elif [ "$FILE_EXTENSION" = "json" ]; then
  THRESHOLD_KB=1024
elif [ "$FILE_EXTENSION" = "jpg" ] || [ "$FILE_EXTENSION" = "png" ]; then
  THRESHOLD_KB=2048
fi
if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt "$THRESHOLD_KB" ]; then
  echo "SIZE WARNING: $FILE_PATH exceeds threshold ($SIZE_KB KB > $THRESHOLD_KB KB)" >&2
fi
exit 0

Hook Configuration

Complete hook configuration for .claude/settings.json to enable file size monitoring

{
  "hooks": {
    "postToolUse": {
      "script": "./.claude/hooks/file-size-warning-monitor.sh",
      "matchers": ["write", "edit"]
    }
  }
}

Git LFS Recommendation for Large Files

Enhanced hook script for Git LFS recommendations for files over 10MB

#!/usr/bin/env bash
INPUT=$(cat)
FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // .tool_input.path // ""')
if [ -f "$FILE_PATH" ]; then
  SIZE_BYTES=$(stat -f%z "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || wc -c < "$FILE_PATH" || echo "0")
  SIZE_MB=$((SIZE_BYTES / 1048576))
  if [ "$SIZE_MB" -gt 10 ]; then
    if command -v git &> /dev/null && git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
      if git ls-files --error-unmatch "$FILE_PATH" &> /dev/null; then
        echo "Consider using Git LFS for this large file ($SIZE_MB MB)" >&2
        if [ -f ".gitattributes" ]; then
          FILE_EXTENSION=$(echo "${FILE_PATH##*.}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
          if ! grep -q "*.$FILE_EXTENSION.*lfs" ".gitattributes" 2>/dev/null; then
            echo "Add to .gitattributes: *.$FILE_EXTENSION filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text" >&2
          fi
        fi
      fi
    fi
  fi
fi
exit 0

File Type-Specific Optimization Suggestions

Enhanced hook script for file type-specific optimization suggestions with ImageMagick support

#!/usr/bin/env bash
INPUT=$(cat)
FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // .tool_input.path // ""')
if [ -f "$FILE_PATH" ]; then
  FILE_EXTENSION=$(echo "${FILE_PATH##*.}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
  SIZE_BYTES=$(stat -f%z "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || wc -c < "$FILE_PATH" || echo "0")
  SIZE_KB=$((SIZE_BYTES / 1024))
  case "$FILE_EXTENSION" in
    jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp)
      if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 500 ]; then
        echo "Image optimization: Large image detected ($SIZE_KB KB)" >&2
        if command -v identify &> /dev/null; then
          DIMENSIONS=$(identify -format '%wx%h' "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
          echo "Dimensions: $DIMENSIONS" >&2
        fi
        echo "Consider: JPEG optimization, WebP format, or progressive JPEG" >&2
      fi
      ;;
    js|jsx|ts|tsx)
      if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 100 ]; then
        echo "JavaScript bundle size: Consider code splitting for better performance" >&2
      fi
      ;;
    json)
      if [ "$SIZE_KB" -gt 500 ]; then
        echo "Large JSON detected: Consider pagination or streaming for API responses" >&2
      fi
      ;;
  esac
fi
exit 0

Git Size Change Tracking

Enhanced hook script for tracking file size changes using Git history

#!/usr/bin/env bash
INPUT=$(cat)
FILE_PATH=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_input.file_path // .tool_input.path // ""')
if [ -f "$FILE_PATH" ] && command -v git &> /dev/null && git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  if git ls-files --error-unmatch "$FILE_PATH" &> /dev/null; then
    CURRENT_SIZE=$(stat -f%z "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s "$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null || wc -c < "$FILE_PATH" || echo "0")
    PREV_SIZE=$(git show HEAD:"$FILE_PATH" 2>/dev/null | wc -c | xargs || echo "0")
    if [ "$PREV_SIZE" -gt 0 ]; then
      SIZE_DIFF=$((CURRENT_SIZE - PREV_SIZE))
      PERCENT_INCREASE=$((SIZE_DIFF * 100 / PREV_SIZE))
      if [ "$PERCENT_INCREASE" -gt 100 ]; then
        echo "Significant size increase detected: +$PERCENT_INCREASE% from previous version" >&2
      fi
    fi
  fi
fi
exit 0

Troubleshooting

Hook triggers warnings for legitimate large binary files

Create size threshold overrides in .claude/hook-config.json: THRESHOLD_OVERRIDES={'*.wasm': 10485760}. Add file extension exclusions for known large asset types. Use environment variables to override thresholds: export THRESHOLD_OVERRIDE_wasm=10485760. Configure file type-specific thresholds based on project requirements.

File size calculation fails on Windows with stat errors

Use PowerShell fallback for Windows: (Get-Item $FILE_PATH).Length. Add platform detection: if [[$OSTYPE == 'msys']], use alternative stat format or wc -c. Use cross-platform stat commands: stat -f%z for macOS, stat -c%s for Linux. Test file size detection on target platform before deployment.

Git size comparison shows incorrect previous version size

Check if file is staged vs committed: use git show :"$FILE_PATH" for staged, git show HEAD:"$FILE_PATH" for committed. Handle new files with [ -z $PREV_SIZE ] check. Verify Git repository state before size comparison. Use git diff --cached for staged file size comparison.

Hook slows down every file write operation significantly

Add file size pre-check before running full analysis: skip hook if size < 100KB. Use matcher filters: matchers: ['write'] only, exclude 'edit' for incremental changes. Set timeout limits for file size operations. Consider using file modification time checks to skip unchanged files.

Image dimension detection with identify command fails

Check if ImageMagick installed: command -v identify || skip dimension check. Use alternative: file command for basic image info without requiring external dependencies. Verify ImageMagick version compatibility. Consider using exiftool or other image metadata tools as fallback.

File size thresholds don't account for project-specific requirements

Use environment variables to override thresholds: export THRESHOLD_OVERRIDE_js=1000000. Create project-specific configuration file: .claude/file-size-thresholds.json. Configure file type-specific thresholds based on project needs. Use conditional logic to adjust thresholds based on project type.

Git LFS recommendation appears for files already in Git LFS

Check .gitattributes for existing LFS configuration before recommending. Verify file is tracked by Git LFS: git lfs ls-files | grep "$FILE_PATH". Skip Git LFS recommendation if file extension is already configured in .gitattributes. Use git check-attr filter to verify LFS status.

Performance impact assessment doesn't account for file type context

Use file type-specific impact assessment: source code files have different impact than media files. Consider file usage context: library files vs application files. Adjust impact levels based on file type and project requirements. Use project-specific impact assessment rules.

• Source repositorygithub.com 2026-07-13T15:19:32-07:00
• Documentationcode.claude.com