makeplane/plane · error · ValidationError

File too large. Size should not exceed 5 MB.

Error message

File too large. Size should not exceed 5 MB.

What it means

Django ValidationError raised by the `file_size` validator attached to `FileAsset` fields when an uploaded file's byte size exceeds `settings.FILE_SIZE_LIMIT`. The default limit is 5242880 bytes (5 MiB) per common.py:353, set from the `FILE_SIZE_LIMIT` env var. The message hardcodes '5 MB' even though the real limit is configurable.

Source

Thrown at apps/api/plane/db/models/asset.py:28

from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
from django.db import models

# Module import
from plane.utils.path_validator import sanitize_filename

from .base import BaseModel


def get_upload_path(instance, filename):
    filename = sanitize_filename(filename) or uuid4().hex
    if instance.workspace_id is not None:
        return f"{instance.workspace.id}/{uuid4().hex}-{filename}"
    return f"user-{uuid4().hex}-{filename}"


def file_size(value):
    if value.size > settings.FILE_SIZE_LIMIT:
        raise ValidationError("File too large. Size should not exceed 5 MB.")


class FileAsset(BaseModel):
    """
    A file asset.
    """

    class EntityTypeContext(models.TextChoices):
        ISSUE_ATTACHMENT = "ISSUE_ATTACHMENT"
        ISSUE_DESCRIPTION = "ISSUE_DESCRIPTION"
        COMMENT_DESCRIPTION = "COMMENT_DESCRIPTION"
        PAGE_DESCRIPTION = "PAGE_DESCRIPTION"
        USER_COVER = "USER_COVER"
        USER_AVATAR = "USER_AVATAR"
        WORKSPACE_LOGO = "WORKSPACE_LOGO"
        PROJECT_COVER = "PROJECT_COVER"
        DRAFT_ISSUE_ATTACHMENT = "DRAFT_ISSUE_ATTACHMENT"
        DRAFT_ISSUE_DESCRIPTION = "DRAFT_ISSUE_DESCRIPTION"

View on GitHub (pinned to 1c8a60f858)

Solutions

1. Reduce the file below `FILE_SIZE_LIMIT` bytes (default 5 MiB) before uploading.
2. Raise the limit in your environment: set `FILE_SIZE_LIMIT=<bytes>` (e.g. 10485760 for 10 MiB) and restart the API; remember DATA_UPLOAD_MAX_MEMORY_SIZE is bound to the same env var (common.py:371).
3. Compress/resize images or split large attachments before upload.
4. If surfacing to users, read `settings.FILE_SIZE_LIMIT` dynamically rather than trusting the hardcoded '5 MB' text.

Example fix

# before (env)
FILE_SIZE_LIMIT=5242880

# after - allow 10 MiB
FILE_SIZE_LIMIT=10485760

from django.conf import settings

def under_limit(uploaded_file) -> bool:
    # mirrors asset.py:27 file_size validator
    return getattr(uploaded_file, 'size', 0) <= settings.FILE_SIZE_LIMIT

from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
try:
    asset.full_clean()
except ValidationError as e:
    if 'File too large' in str(e):
        # surface the configured limit, not the hardcoded '5 MB'
        return bad_request(f'Exceeds {settings.FILE_SIZE_LIMIT} bytes')

When it happens

Trigger: Uploading a workspace logo, page/issue/comment description asset, or any FileAsset-bound file larger than `FILE_SIZE_LIMIT`. The validator fires during model full_clean / form/serializer validation when `value.size` is read from the stored upload.

Common situations: Default deployment where FILE_SIZE_LIMIT is unchanged (5 MiB) and a user uploads a high-res image or PDF; raising FILE_SIZE_LIMIT in env but the message still says '5 MB'; uploads that pass the presigned-URL size check (which clamps client size) but the actual stored object is larger.

Related errors

• File too large. Size should not exceed 5 MB.
• Invalid file type. Please select an image.
• Missing required fields.
• Invalid expression: empty or null data
• AND group must contain at least one condition

AI-assisted analysis of makeplane/plane@1c8a60f858 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f597408f16808a1d. Report an issue: GitHub.