diff --git a/internal/llm/client.go b/internal/llm/client.go
index bc93b36..7b6bba0 100644
--- a/internal/llm/client.go
+++ b/internal/llm/client.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"log"
 	"net/http"
 	"sync"
@@ -187,6 +188,12 @@ type resp struct {
 	} `json:"choices"`
 }
 
+// MaxResponseBytes bounds one llama-server completion response. Even a full
+// 32k-token answer is far smaller than 1 MiB; anything larger is a malformed
+// or hostile peer, not useful model output. The same client reaches the LAN
+// workstation, so loopback trust is not a sufficient bound.
+const MaxResponseBytes int64 = 1 << 20
+
 func (c *Client) Complete(ctx context.Context, r Req) (string, error) {
 	// Priority first: a background request can sit here for a while, and it
 	// must not be counted against the swap drain while it waits.
@@ -230,8 +237,15 @@ func (c *Client) Complete(ctx context.Context, r Req) (string, error) {
 	if httpResp.StatusCode != 200 {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("llm: status %d", httpResp.StatusCode)
 	}
+	raw, err := io.ReadAll(io.LimitReader(httpResp.Body, MaxResponseBytes+1))
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("llm: read response: %w", err)
+	}
+	if int64(len(raw)) > MaxResponseBytes {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("llm: response exceeds %d bytes", MaxResponseBytes)
+	}
 	var out resp
-	if err := json.NewDecoder(httpResp.Body).Decode(&out); err != nil {
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &out); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
 	if len(out.Choices) == 0 {
diff --git a/internal/llm/client_test.go b/internal/llm/client_test.go
index 9526c72..237dfad 100644
--- a/internal/llm/client_test.go
+++ b/internal/llm/client_test.go
@@ -91,3 +91,19 @@ func TestSetBaseURL(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("request after the swap went to %q; want B", hit)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestCompleteRejectsOversizeResponse(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"`))
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(strings.Repeat("x", int(MaxResponseBytes))))
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`"}}]}`))
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	c := New(srv.URL, 5*time.Second)
+	_, err := c.Complete(context.Background(), Req{User: "x"})
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "response exceeds") {
+		t.Fatalf("Complete oversize error = %v, want bounded-response error", err)
+	}
+}