Introduce a configuration (e.g., max.children.per.folder) that defines the maximum number of child nodes (assets or subfolders) allowed within a given folder.

AEM currently allows more than 1,000 assets (child nodes) to exist within a single folder. However, it’s well known that exceeding this threshold leads to significant performance degradation.

To help our administrators effectively monitor and control within our environment, we request the addition of functionality that provides both preventive and diagnostic controls related to folder child limits. This request covers two main objectives:

1) Prevent Adding Assets Beyond a Configurable Folder Child Limit

2) Expose a Method to Identify Overpopulated Folders

Requested Enhancements
1. Prevent Adding Assets Beyond a Configurable Folder Child Limit

Introduce a configuration (e.g., max.children.per.folder) that defines the maximum number of child nodes (assets or subfolders) allowed within a given folder.

Enforce this limit across all methods of asset ingestion or modification, including:

• Author UI uploads (single and bulk)
• Programmatic or API-based imports (e.g., via custom integrations)
• Workflow-driven imports
• Package or Content Transfer installations

When the limit is reached, block additional assets from being created under that folder and return a clear, user-friendly error message (e.g., “Folder has reached its maximum capacity of 1000 assets. Please create or use a subfolder.”).

2. Expose a Method to Identify Overpopulated Folders

Provide a reporting mechanism or API endpoint that identifies folders exceeding the configured child limit.

This could be implemented in one or more of the following ways:

• A built-in report under Tools → Assets → Reports
• An accessible QueryBuilder or GraphQL endpoint for integration with monitoring tools

The output should include:

• Folder path
• Number of children
• Configured limit (for context)
• Optional recommendation for remediation (e.g., “Consider splitting into subfolders”)

Rationale
Managing folder size manually is error-prone and often discovered only after performance issues surface. Providing built-in enforcement and visibility would:

• Prevent system degradation before it occurs.
• Reduce administrative overhead of custom scripting or monitoring.
• Improve user experience by giving immediate feedback and guidance.
• Encourage scalable and maintainable DAM structures across all AEM environments.