Optimist CLI

One command. Every asset. Smaller.

Optimist is a zero-config CLI tool that converts your project's media files into web-native formats — automatically. Drop it into any project, run one command, and ship leaner.

Install

npm install -g optimist-cli

Usage

npx optimist-cli

HELP

npx optimist-cli --help

Arguments: dir Directory to scan (default: ".")

Options:
-V, --version output the version number
--dry-run Run without writing any files
--quality <number> WebP compression quality (default: "80")
--delete-originals Delete original files after conversion
--skip-patch Skip patching code references
-h, --help display help for command

Optimist scans the current directory, finds all convertible media files, and prompts you through the process.

$ npx optimist-cli .
$ Would you like to run in Dry Run mode first to preview changes? No
$ Would you like to Delete Original Files? yes

✦ Found 6 files · 3 video · 3 image

hero-reel.mp4      ──▶  hero-reel.webm
product-demo.mov   ──▶  product-demo.webm
bg-loop.mp4        ──▶  bg-loop.webm
og-banner.png      ──▶  og-banner.webp
avatar.jpg         ──▶  avatar.webp
thumb.gif          ──▶  thumb.webp

Files Conversion completed

What it converts

| Input | Output | Avg saving | | ------ | ------------- | ---------- | | .mp4 | .webm (VP9) | ~71% | | .mov | .webm (VP9) | ~68% | | .jpg | .webp | ~79% | | .png | .webp | ~82% | | .gif | .webp | ~91% |

Options

Dry Run — preview all changes before committing. No files are written.

npx optimist . --dry-run

Delete originals — remove source files after conversion.

npx optimist . --delete

Why

Modern browsers support WebM and WebP natively. Most projects still ship mp4, mov, jpg, and png — often without realizing the cost. Optimist closes that gap in seconds with no config files, no plugins, and no build system changes required.

• Video: VP9 two-pass encode. Up to 75% smaller with no perceptible quality loss.
• Images: Quality 85 lossless WebP. Browser-native, universally supported.
• Zero config: No setup files. Reads your assets and acts.

License

MIT © 2026 Optimist CLI

let me know how you like it 👋🏽