diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index af6ba93..691cffc 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -184,10 +184,13 @@ repos:
         language: system
         types: [shell]
       - id: max-file-length
-        name: Max file length (400 lines)
+        name: Max file length (250 lines)
         entry: python3 scripts/check_file_length.py
         language: system
-        types_or: [python, shell]
+        # Dart was missing here until 2026-08-15, so the cap had never looked at
+        # a single file in workout_app/ — the whole Flutter app was exempt from
+        # the gate it was being refactored to satisfy.
+        types_or: [python, shell, dart]
       - id: no-silent-failures
         name: Block silent failures (swallowed exceptions must log why)
         entry: python3 scripts/check_silent_failures.py
diff --git a/scripts/check_file_length.py b/scripts/check_file_length.py
index cccbdcb..f709738 100755
--- a/scripts/check_file_length.py
+++ b/scripts/check_file_length.py
@@ -4,13 +4,17 @@
 import logging
 import sys
 
-MAX_LINES = 400
+MAX_LINES = 250
 
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 def main() -> int:
     """Return 1 if any file exceeds the line limit, else 0."""
+    # Without this the module relies on logging's last-resort handler, which
+    # drops anything below WARNING and prints no context — a hook that fails
+    # without saying which file is a silent failure.
+    logging.basicConfig(format="%(levelname)s: %(message)s", stream=sys.stderr)
     failed = False
     for filepath in sys.argv[1:]:
         try:
@@ -27,6 +31,15 @@ def main() -> int:
             failed = True
             continue
         if count > MAX_LINES:
+            # A bare non-zero exit tells nobody which file blew the cap, so the
+            # violation has to name itself and the size of the split it needs.
+            _logger.error(
+                "%s is %d lines — %d over the %d-line cap. Split it before committing.",
+                filepath,
+                count,
+                count - MAX_LINES,
+                MAX_LINES,
+            )
             failed = True
     return 1 if failed else 0