[Performance]: massive memory usage from `forge workspace info`

[robtaylor]

Performance Issue Description

the auiomatically run forge workspace info takes a very long time and raises to ~69GB
The issue is that running a test command caused my entire home directory to be a workspace, and my home dir has a LOT of code in it...

Issue Type

High memory usage

Steps to Reproduce

1. follow forge install instructions
2. : Hi

Expected Performance

Didn't expect it to try to index my entire home directory on first run...

Actual Performance

forge workspace info rose to 69GB over a number of minutes.

Performance Measurements

5548   0.0  0.1 496639136  29664 s000  SN    4:49a.m.  15:12.56 forge workspace info /Users/roberttaylor/Code/Claude/claude-helper/apple-profiler



forge workspace list   󱙺 FORGE  claude-opus-4-6

Workspace
  id         9105db55-c526-4570-8332-e2143e410b08
  path       /private/tmp/apple-profiler
  created at 10m ago
  updated at 10m ago

Workspace [Current]
  id         8b01682c-1721-4b34-ae6c-33653c8bfad0
  path       /Users/roberttaylor
  created at 1h 21m ago
  updated at 1h 21m ago

Project Size

I don't even dare to think...

Environment Details

• forge 2.1.0
• macos 26.3.1
• 24GB ram
• Mac M4 Pro

Configuration

FIELD             VALUE
default model     claude-opus-4-6
default provider  ClaudeCode
commit provider   [empty]
commit model      [empty]
suggest provider  [empty]
suggest model     [empty]

Profiling Data

Frequency

Always

Workarounds

No response

Additional Context

FORGE ENVIRONMENT DIAGNOSTICS

Shell Environment
[OK] zsh: 5.9
[OK] Terminal: iTerm.app 3.6.9
[OK] Oh My Zsh: custom
· /Users/roberttaylor/.oh-my-zsh

Forge Installation
[OK] forge: 2.1.0
· /Users/roberttaylor/.local/bin/forge

Plugin
[OK] Forge plugin loaded
[OK] Plugin loading order correct

ZSH Theme RPROMPT
[OK] Forge theme loaded

Dependencies
[OK] fzf: 0.70.0
[OK] fd: 10.4.2
[OK] bat: 0.26.1

Required Plugins
[OK] zsh-autosuggestions loaded
[OK] zsh-syntax-highlighting loaded

System
[OK] FORGE_EDITOR: vim
[OK] PATH: configured

Keyboard Configuration
[WARN] iTerm2: Option key NOT configured as Esc+
· Option+F and Option+B shortcuts won't work for word navigation
· Configure in iTerm2:
· Preferences → Profiles → Keys → Left/Right Option Key → Esc+

Nerd Font
[OK] Nerd Font: enabled (default)
· Forge will auto-detect based on terminal capabilities

Visual Check [Manual Verification Required]
󱙺 FORGE 33.0k  tonic-1.0

Forge uses Nerd Fonts to enrich cli experience, can you see all the icons clearly without any overlap?
If you see boxes (□) or question marks (?), install a Nerd Font from:
https://www.nerdfonts.com/

[WARN] 1 warnings (15 passed)

[tusharmath]

Thanks @robtaylor. Ill try to reproduce it locally.

[tusharmath]

Can you run forge workspace list and see if there is a non project directory that was indexed which has too many files perhaps. The memory issue is still a bug though.

[zhaog100]

/attempt

[chengyixu]

/attempt

I'll fix the memory issue in forge workspace info. The root cause appears to be unbounded directory traversal when the workspace path is set to a user's home directory. I'll add:

1. A max directory depth limit for workspace indexing
2. Respect .gitignore and common ignore patterns (node_modules, .git, etc.)
3. Memory-bounded file listing with streaming instead of collecting all entries

I have experience with performance optimization in Node.js/Rust CLIs and file system operations.

[chengyixu]

/attempt #2630

Implementation Plan:
I will fix the massive memory usage from forge workspace info by:

1. Root cause: The command indexes the entire home directory when workspace path is set to ~, causing 69GB+ memory usage
2. Fix approach: Add directory size/depth limits before indexing begins — check total file count and abort or warn if it exceeds a threshold (e.g., 100K files)
3. Memory optimization: Implement streaming file enumeration instead of loading all paths into memory, with configurable max-files limit
4. Path validation: Add a check at workspace creation time to prevent indexing overly broad directories (/, ~, /Users)
5. Graceful handling: Add a progress indicator and ability to cancel long-running indexing operations

Timeline: PR within 48 hours.
Background: Experienced with Rust and TypeScript performance optimization. GitHub: @chengyixu

[robtaylor]

Can you run forge workspace list and see if there is a non project directory that was indexed which has too many files perhaps. The memory issue is still a bug though.

Oh yes, it indexed my whole home directory... on a Mac..

Fixing the memory hog issue is good, but there should also be a tweak to the documentation so you don't accidentally make whereever you did your first : Hi somewhere you don't want to be a project...

[chengyixu]

Thanks for confirming @robtaylor! I'll address both:

1. Memory fix: Add a configurable max depth/file count limit in forge workspace info to prevent unbounded directory traversal. Will implement a --max-depth flag and add sensible defaults (e.g., skip directories with >10K files).

2. Documentation fix: Update the getting-started docs to warn users about running :Hi in their home directory, and add a safeguard that detects when the workspace root is a home directory and prompts for confirmation.

I'll have a PR ready within 24 hours. Should I target the main branch?