diff --git a/scripts/dependency_bloat_detector.py b/scripts/dependency_bloat_detector.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9dcbfca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/dependency_bloat_detector.py
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Dependency Bloat Detector — find declared packages never imported
+
+Usage:
+  python3 scripts/dependency_bloat_detector.py
+  python3 scripts/dependency_bloat_detector.py --output json
+"""
+
+import ast
+import json
+import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Set, List, Tuple
+
+
+def extract_imports_from_py_files(repo_path: Path) -> Set[str]:
+    """Walk the repo and return the set of top-level imported module names."""
+    imports = set()
+    exclude_dirs = {".git", "venv", ".venv", "__pycache__", "node_modules",
+                    "dist", "build", ".tox", "vendor"}
+    py_files = [
+        f for f in repo_path.rglob("*.py")
+        if not any(part in exclude_dirs for part in f.parts)
+    ]
+    for fpath in py_files:
+        try:
+            content = fpath.read_text(errors="ignore")
+            tree = ast.parse(content)
+        except Exception:
+            continue
+        for node in ast.walk(tree):
+            if isinstance(node, ast.Import):
+                for alias in node.names:
+                    top = alias.name.split('.')[0]
+                    imports.add(top)
+            elif isinstance(node, ast.ImportFrom):
+                if node.module:
+                    top = node.module.split('.')[0]
+                    imports.add(top)
+    return imports
+
+
+def parse_requirements_txt(req_path: Path) -> List[Tuple[str, str]]:
+    """
+    Parse requirements.txt and return list of (package_name, raw_line).
+    Strips version specifiers and ignores comments.
+    """
+    if not req_path.exists():
+        return []
+    declared = []
+    for line in req_path.read_text().splitlines():
+        line = line.strip()
+        if not line or line.startswith('#'):
+            continue
+        # Strip inline comments
+        line = line.split('#')[0].strip()
+        # Extract package name (before any version specifier)
+        pkg_match = re.match(r'^([a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)', line)
+        if pkg_match:
+            pkg = pkg_match.group(1).strip()
+            declared.append((pkg, line))
+    return declared
+
+
+def main():
+    repo_path = Path('.').resolve()
+    req_path = repo_path / 'requirements.txt'
+
+    # 1. Scan imports
+    used = extract_imports_from_py_files(repo_path)
+
+    # 2. Parse declared deps
+    declared = parse_requirements_txt(req_path)
+    declared_names = [pkg for pkg, _ in declared]
+
+    # 3. Compare
+    unused = [(raw, pkg) for pkg, raw in declared if pkg not in used]
+    missing_from_req = [imp for imp in used if imp not in declared_names]
+
+    # 4. Output
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print("  DEPENDENCY BLOAT DETECTOR")
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print(f"  Repository:     {repo_path.name}")
+    print(f"  Requirements:   {req_path}")
+    print(f"  Python files:   {len(list(repo_path.rglob('*.py')))}")
+    print()
+    print(f"  Declared packages  ({len(declared_names)}): {declared_names}")
+    print(f"  Imported packages  ({len(used)}): {sorted(used)}")
+    print()
+    if unused:
+        print("  UNUSED DEPENDENCIES (bloat):")
+        for raw, pkg in unused:
+            print(f"    ✗ {raw}")
+    else:
+        print("  No unused dependencies detected.")
+    print()
+    if missing_from_req:
+        print("  UNDECLARED IMPORTS (used but not in requirements.txt):")
+        for imp in missing_from_req:
+            print(f"    ! {imp}")
+    print()
+    print("=" * 60)
+
+    # Exit code: 0 if no bloat, 1 if unused deps found
+    sys.exit(1 if unused else 0)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()