Performance Audit

Workflow

1. Detect build tool from package.json (vite, webpack, next, rollup)
2. Run the production build via the project's task runner (auto-detect from package.json).
3. Analyze the build output — non-interactive only. Never launch a browser or a long-running server in an audit; those hang an automated run. Prefer, in order:
   • Measure the emitted files directly: for each file in the output dir (e.g. dist/assets/*.js), report raw + gzipped size — gzip -c <file> | wc -c. This always works and needs no extra tooling.
   • Per-module breakdown, as a static artifact (not a server), written under $TMPDIR (else /tmp) and never the working tree, where the next commit would sweep it in. Print the path:
     • Vite/Rollup: npx source-map-explorer 'dist/assets/*.js', or add rollup-plugin-visualizer configured to emit JSON/HTML to a file
     • webpack/Next.js: npx webpack-bundle-analyzer -m static -r "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/report.html" <stats-file> (writes a file; do not use the default server mode)
   • npx vite-bundle-visualizer opens a browser and blocks — only suggest it to the user for manual exploration; do not run it here.
4. Check package.json for known heavy packages
5. Check the source for the Core Web Vitals risks below. Detect the framework first; recommend only its idioms.
6. Report findings: size impact for the bundle, potential impact for source risks

Compare against standard industry thresholds; report gzipped sizes.

Core Web Vitals risks

Read the source for these; each is a potential impact until measured.

• LCP: hero image or heading not lazy-loaded; LCP image in the initial HTML with fetchpriority="high"; no <head> scripts without defer/async; critical fonts preloaded
• CLS: images, iframes, and embeds reserve space (width/height or aspect-ratio); nothing injected above existing content; fonts with font-display and matched fallbacks
• INP: no long synchronous work in event handlers; long loops yield (scheduler.yield(), setTimeout fallback); heavy work in a worker
• Rendering: long lists virtualized; animations on transform/opacity; no read-then-write layout loops; memoization only where it pays
• Network: independent requests in parallel, not sequential awaits; no over-fetching; lists paginated; hashed static assets cached long; heavy third-party widgets behind a facade

Output format

• Bundle summary: total size / gzipped size vs budget
• Large chunks: name + size + % of total
• Heavy deps: package + size + lighter alternative
• Quick wins: sorted by estimated savings
• Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP, CLS — value + source, or not measured
• Source risks: file:line, the metric at risk, the fix

Rules

• Report gzipped sizes (what the browser downloads)
• Never auto-change dependencies -- report and suggest only
• Never state an LCP, INP, or CLS value without a measurement the user provided (Lighthouse or PageSpeed JSON, CrUX data, a DevTools trace); label it lab or field
• Skip micro-optimizations with no plausible effect on a Core Web Vital or the bundle

Error Handling

• Build fails -- report the error, skip the bundle steps, still run the source checks
• No build output found -- run production build first
• Build tool unrecognized -- scan package.json for heavy packages, then run the source checks