diff --git a/archivist/apps/files/tasks.py b/archivist/apps/files/tasks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c13cc8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/archivist/apps/files/tasks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import os
+import zipfile
+import json
+from celery import shared_task
+
+@shared_task
+def list_zip_contents(zip_path):
+    """List the contents of a ZIP file.
+
+    Args:
+        zip_path (str): The path to the ZIP file.
+
+    Returns:
+        str: A JSON string containing the list of files in the ZIP archive
+        or an error/warning message if applicable.
+    """
+    try:
+        # Check if the ZIP file size exceeds 2 GiB
+        if os.path.getsize(zip_path) >= 2 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024:
+            return json.dumps({"warning": "archive file is too big (>2GiB), ignoring"})
+        else:
+            # Open the ZIP file
+            with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path, 'r') as zip_ref:
+                file_list = []
+                # Iterate over each file in the ZIP archive
+                for info in zip_ref.infolist():
+                    # Append file details to the list
+                    file_list.append({
+                        "name": info.filename,
+                        "size": info.file_size,
+                        "date": info.date_time,
+                        "crc": info.CRC,
+                        "compressed_size": info.compress_size,
+                    })
+                # Return the list of files as a JSON string
+                return json.dumps({"files": file_list})
+    except Exception as e:
+        # Return an error message if an exception occurs
+        return json.dumps({"error": str(e)})