ratchet

A code-size budget for your repo that only goes down.

A real run on pallets/click; the bloated change is a scripted patch standing in for an agent. Full commands and output: docs/examples.md.

Why

Coding agents are good at adding code and bad at deciding not to. Ratchet gives the repo a line budget that can only shrink. When a change would go over it, the agent is refused in plain words: it trims the code, or stops and asks you, since only a human can raise the budget.

Quickstart

Remove it any time: uninstall.

1. Install: pip install ratchet-size (or pipx install ratchet-size)
2. Baseline: run ratchet init anywhere in the repo, and commit the .ratchet.json it writes.
3. Wire up your agent: tell it: "Set up ratchet in /path/to/repo by following https://raw.githubusercontent.com/krishansubudhi/ratchet/main/SETUP-FOR-AGENTS.md"

A real Gemini CLI run after step 3, sped up: refused, it asks for a grant instead of cutting code, declines "commit it", and commits once granted (cast).

Only code files count, split into source and tests groups; docs never do. Your own commits are not blocked.

Strict mode (optional): to block your own commits too, install the git pre-commit hook.

What a refusal looks like

A real headless Claude Code run, replayed: the commit is blocked by 1 line, the agent stops and asks instead of cutting code, and commits once a human grants it (docs/agent-demo.sh).

ratchet: refused -- source grew 56 lines past its limit (556 / 500)

  app/api.py  +40
  app/store.py  +16

Fix it one of two ways:
  1. remove 56 lines of code (dead code, duplicates), or
  2. stop and ask a human to allow the growth (humans only -- never run this yourself):
     ratchet grant +56 --group source --reason "why"

Do not edit .ratchet.json or .ratchet-grants.jsonl to get past this.
Refused again on the same change? Stop here: report these numbers to a human instead of cutting more and resubmitting.

Humans see the same facts with "allow the growth" instead of "ask a human". Other wordings: How it works.

More

• How it works / FAQ: what counts, the four rules, ratchet budget, grants, refusal wording, exit codes, requirements
• Configuration: .ratchet.json, groups, slack
• Integrations: Claude Code plugin, Cursor, Codex, aider, pre-commit, GitHub Actions, strict mode, CI
• Uninstall

License

Apache-2.0. Copyright 2026 Krishan Subudhi.