diff --git a/src/CommandLineOptions.ts b/src/CommandLineOptions.ts
index 53880baf..e8b1a2f9 100644
--- a/src/CommandLineOptions.ts
+++ b/src/CommandLineOptions.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import ts from 'typescript'
 
 import packageJson from '../package.json'
 
+import { parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber } from './parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber'
 import * as scip from './scip'
 
 /** Configuration options to index a multi-project workspace. */
@@ -14,6 +15,8 @@ export interface MultiProjectOptions {
   yarnBerryWorkspaces: boolean
   pnpmWorkspaces: boolean
   globalCaches: boolean
+  maxFileByteSize?: string
+  maxFileByteSizeNumber?: number
   cwd: string
   output: string
   indexedProjects: Set<string>
@@ -36,7 +39,7 @@ export interface GlobalCache {
 }
 
 export function mainCommand(
-  indexAction: (projects: string[], otpions: MultiProjectOptions) => void
+  indexAction: (projects: string[], options: MultiProjectOptions) => void
 ): Command {
   const command = new Command()
   command
@@ -67,12 +70,28 @@ export function mainCommand(
       '--no-global-caches',
       'whether to disable global caches between TypeScript projects'
     )
+    .option(
+      '--max-file-byte-size <value>',
+      'skip files that have a larger byte size than the provided value. Supported formats: 1kb, 1mb, 1gb.',
+      '1mb'
+    )
     .argument('[projects...]')
     .action((parsedProjects, parsedOptions) => {
-      indexAction(
-        parsedProjects as string[],
-        parsedOptions as MultiProjectOptions
+      const options = parsedOptions as MultiProjectOptions
+
+      // Parse and validate human-provided --max-file-byte-size value
+      options.maxFileByteSizeNumber = parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber(
+        options.maxFileByteSize ?? '1mb'
       )
+      if (isNaN(options.maxFileByteSizeNumber)) {
+        console.error(
+          `invalid byte size '${options.maxFileByteSize}'. To fix this problem, change the value of the flag --max-file-byte-size to use a valid byte size format: 1kb, 1mb, 1gb.`
+        )
+        process.exitCode = 1
+        return
+      }
+
+      indexAction(parsedProjects as string[], options)
     })
   return command
 }
diff --git a/src/FileIndexer.ts b/src/FileIndexer.ts
index 1f889d42..044e8c53 100644
--- a/src/FileIndexer.ts
+++ b/src/FileIndexer.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
 } from './Descriptor'
 import { Input } from './Input'
 import { Packages } from './Packages'
+import { formatByteSizeAsHumanReadable } from './parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber'
 import { Range } from './Range'
 import * as scip from './scip'
 import { ScipSymbol } from './ScipSymbol'
@@ -42,6 +43,23 @@ export class FileIndexer {
     // if (!this.sourceFile.fileName.includes('constructor')) {
     //   return
     // }
+
+    const byteSize = Buffer.from(this.sourceFile.getText()).length
+    if (
+      this.options.maxFileByteSizeNumber &&
+      byteSize > this.options.maxFileByteSizeNumber
+    ) {
+      const humanSize = formatByteSizeAsHumanReadable(byteSize)
+      const humanMaxSize = formatByteSizeAsHumanReadable(
+        this.options.maxFileByteSizeNumber
+      )
+      console.log(
+        `info: skipping file '${this.sourceFile.fileName}' because it has byte size ${humanSize} that exceeds the maximum threshold ${humanMaxSize}. ` +
+          'If you intended to index this file, use the flag --max-file-byte-size to configure the maximum file size threshold.'
+      )
+      return
+    }
+
     this.emitSourceFileOccurrence()
     this.visit(this.sourceFile)
   }
diff --git a/src/parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber.test.ts b/src/parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8c7b0651
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { test } from 'uvu'
+import * as assert from 'uvu/assert'
+
+import { parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber } from './parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber'
+
+function checkHumanByteSize(
+  humanInput: string,
+  expectedByteNumber: number
+): void {
+  test(humanInput, () => {
+    const obtained = parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber(humanInput)
+    assert.equal(obtained, expectedByteNumber)
+  })
+}
+
+// Invalid formats
+checkHumanByteSize('invalid', NaN)
+checkHumanByteSize('15tb', NaN)
+checkHumanByteSize('15b', NaN)
+
+// All numeral
+checkHumanByteSize('1001', 1001)
+
+// All lowercase
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2kb', 1_200)
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2mb', 1_200_000)
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2gb', 1_200_000_000)
+
+// All uppercase
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2KB', 1_200)
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2MB', 1_200_000)
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2GB', 1_200_000_000)
+
+// Mixed case
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2Kb', 1_200)
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2Mb', 1_200_000)
+checkHumanByteSize('1.2Gb', 1_200_000_000)
diff --git a/src/parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber.ts b/src/parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef82b081
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+const kilo = 1_000
+const mega = 1_000_000
+const giga = 1_000_000_000
+
+export function parseHumanByteSizeIntoNumber(humanByteSize: string): number {
+  let value = humanByteSize.toLowerCase()
+  let multiplier = 1
+  if (value.endsWith('kb')) {
+    multiplier = kilo
+    value = value.slice(0, -2)
+  } else if (value.endsWith('mb')) {
+    multiplier = mega
+    value = value.slice(0, -2)
+  } else if (value.endsWith('gb')) {
+    multiplier = giga
+    value = value.slice(0, -2)
+  }
+  return Number.parseFloat(value) * multiplier
+}
+
+export function formatByteSizeAsHumanReadable(byteSize: number): string {
+  if (byteSize > giga) {
+    return `${byteSize / giga}gb`
+  }
+  if (byteSize > mega) {
+    return `${byteSize / mega}mb`
+  }
+  if (byteSize > kilo) {
+    return `${byteSize / kilo}kb`
+  }
+  return byteSize.toString()
+}