Commit Size Check - VS Code / Cursor Extension

An extension that shows warning popups when your branch has too many lines compared to the primary branch, encouraging smaller, more reviewable PRs.

Features

• Branch Comparison: Compares your current branch to the primary branch (main/master)
• Warning Popup: Shows warning when your branch exceeds the line limit
• Real-time Status Bar: Shows current lines added vs. your limit with color coding
• Exclude Files: Exclude files by regex patterns (e.g., lock files, generated code)
• Configurable via File: Uses .commitsizecheck.json in your repo (shareable with team)
• Smart Line Counting: Only counts meaningful lines (excludes imports, comments, empty lines)

How It Works

1. Branch Diff: The extension compares your current branch to the configured primary branch (default: main) using git diff origin/<primaryBranch>...HEAD

2. Status Bar: Shows live count with color:

   • Normal: Within limit
   • Red: Limit exceeded
   • Shows "On main" when you're on the primary branch

3. Warnings: Get notified when your branch has too many changes

What Counts as a "Meaningful" Line?

The extension intelligently filters out non-essential lines:

• Import/package statements (import, package)
• Comments (//, #, /* */, Javadoc *)
• Auto-generated comments (// Generated, // AUTO-GENERATED)
• Empty lines

Only actual code logic is counted toward your limit!

Configuration

The extension uses a config file in your repository root: .commitsizecheck.json

Create Config File

Run command: Commit Size Check: Create Config File

Or manually create .commitsizecheck.json in your repo root:

{
  "lineLimit": 250,
  "primaryBranch": "main",
  "excludePatterns": [
    "package-lock\\.json$",
    "yarn\\.lock$",
    "\\.min\\.js$",
    "\\.generated\\."
  ]
}

Config Options

Environment Variables in primaryBranch

You can use environment variables in the primaryBranch config using the ${VAR_NAME} syntax:

{
  "primaryBranch": "develop/${SQUAD_NAME}"
}

Setting Environment Variables (Recommended)

The recommended way is via Cursor/VS Code User Settings:

1. Open Settings: Cmd + , (Mac) or Ctrl + , (Windows/Linux)
2. Click the { } icon (top right) to open settings.json
3. Add your variables:

{
  "commitSizeCheck.envVariables": {
    "SQUAD_NAME": "payments"
  }
}

Benefits:

• Set once globally (applies to all workspaces)
• Works immediately (no restart needed)
• Syncs across machines via Settings Sync
• No system-level configuration needed

The extension resolves variables in this order:

1. Cursor/VS Code Settings (commitSizeCheck.envVariables)

This is useful for teams where different developers work on different feature branches based on their squad/team.

Exclude Patterns

Use regex patterns to exclude files from the line count. Common examples:

{
  "excludePatterns": [
    "package-lock\\.json$",
    "yarn\\.lock$",
    "pnpm-lock\\.yaml$",
    "\\.min\\.js$",
    "\\.min\\.css$",
    "\\.generated\\.",
    "dist/",
    "build/",
    "__snapshots__/",
    "\\.test\\.ts$",
    "\\.spec\\.ts$"
  ]
}

Note: Patterns are JavaScript regex. Remember to escape special characters like . → \\.

Default Behavior

If no .commitsizecheck.json exists, the extension uses these defaults:

• lineLimit: 250
• primaryBranch: "main"
• excludePatterns: [] (none excluded)

Share with Team

Commit .commitsizecheck.json to your repo so the whole team uses the same settings!

Commands

• Commit Size Check: Check Lines Before Commit - Manually check branch diff
• Commit Size Check: Create Config File - Create .commitsizecheck.json with defaults
• Commit Size Check: Open Config File - Open the config file for editing

Status Bar

The extension adds a status bar item showing:

• $(git-commit) Lines: X/Y - Within limit (shows lines in your branch vs primary)
• $(error) Lines: X/Y - Limit exceeded (red background)
• $(git-commit) On main - You're on the primary branch

Click it to manually trigger a check.

Why Smaller PRs?

• Easier Code Reviews: Reviewers can focus on smaller changes
• Better Git History: Atomic commits are easier to understand and revert
• Reduced Merge Conflicts: Smaller changes mean fewer conflicts
• Faster Reviews: Large PRs often get delayed or rubber-stamped
• Improved Quality: Encourages incremental development

Compatibility

Works with:

• VS Code
• Cursor
• Any VS Code-based editor

License

MIT