diff --git a/crates/redact/src/tags.rs b/crates/redact/src/tags.rs
index 648c0c29e5..cece365293 100644
--- a/crates/redact/src/tags.rs
+++ b/crates/redact/src/tags.rs
@@ -193,7 +193,11 @@ pub(crate) fn clean_within(
     let touches = |doc: &Document, x: &Object, pg: Option<ObjRef>| {
         mcid_of(doc, x, pg, page, stream).is_some_and(|m| stream.is_some() || changed.contains(&m) || empty.contains(&m))
     };
+    let mut steps = 0usize;
     while let Some((k, pg, above)) = todo.pop() {
+        if over_budget(&mut steps, todo.len(), limit) {
+            return Err(RedactError::Tags);
+        }
         match k {
             Object::Array(a) => todo.extend(a.into_iter().map(|x| (x, pg, above))),
             // A number or name tree node written in place.
@@ -304,7 +308,7 @@ pub(crate) fn clean_within(
 /// Where the walk reached an object from: the nearest element above it that is an object of its
 /// own, and whether an element written in place between them carries a description (which only
 /// rewriting the object holding it could remove).
-#[derive(Clone, Copy, Default)]
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Default, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
 struct Above {
     element: Option<ObjRef>,
     described_in_place: bool,
@@ -326,8 +330,22 @@ impl Above {
 /// The title (`/T`) is included, as producers often fill it with the element's text.
 const DESCRIPTIONS: [&[u8]; 4] = [b"Alt", b"ActualText", b"T", b"E"];
 
+/// Charges one step of a structure-tree walk visiting at most `limit` references. Kids are queued
+/// for every element that lists them, and an indirect `/K` array shared by many elements is
+/// listed again for each, so the steps and the queue are bounded too, not only the distinct
+/// references: past either the cleanup can't be shown complete, and is refused.
+fn over_budget(steps: &mut usize, pending: usize, limit: usize) -> bool {
+    *steps += 1;
+    *steps > limit.saturating_mul(STEPS_PER_REFERENCE) || pending > limit.saturating_mul(STEPS_PER_REFERENCE)
+}
+
+/// Work items a walk may spend per reference it may visit: elements, their marked-content kids and
+/// the tree nodes between them, with room to spare for real trees.
+const STEPS_PER_REFERENCE: usize = 8;
+
 /// Each element's parents as the walk found them: through `/K`, which `/P` may not agree with.
-struct Parents(HashMap<ObjRef, Vec<Above>>);
+/// A parent listing the element many times (a shared `/K` array of repeats) is held once.
+struct Parents(HashMap<ObjRef, HashSet<Above>>);
 
 impl Parents {
     fn new() -> Self {
@@ -336,7 +354,7 @@ impl Parents {
 
     fn record(&mut self, r: ObjRef, above: Above) {
         if above.element.is_some() || above.described_in_place {
-            self.0.entry(r).or_default().push(above);
+            self.0.entry(r).or_default().insert(above);
         }
     }
 }
@@ -474,7 +492,11 @@ pub(crate) fn drop_object_refs_within(doc: &mut Document, gone: &HashSet<ObjRef>
     let mut seen = HashSet::new();
     let mut parents = Parents::new();
     let mut hits: Vec<ObjRef> = Vec::new();
+    let mut steps = 0usize;
     while let Some((k, above)) = todo.pop() {
+        if over_budget(&mut steps, todo.len(), limit) {
+            return Err(RedactError::Tags);
+        }
         match k {
             Object::Array(a) => todo.extend(a.into_iter().map(|x| (x, above))),
             // A structure element written in place: its kids are followed; one that tags a
diff --git a/crates/redact/src/tests.rs b/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
index 3c170aba20..58fefa7e05 100644
--- a/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
@@ -3897,3 +3897,27 @@ fn a_redacted_form_xobject_drops_the_source_text_of_added_content() {
     let bytes = write_full(&doc, &SaveOptions { object_streams: false, ..SaveOptions::default() }).unwrap();
     assert!(!bytes.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"1234"), "redacted text left in the saved file");
 }
+
+/// 2 000 elements share one indirect `/K` array that lists one leaf element 2 000 times: the walk
+/// queued and recorded every listing, four million, for a few thousand objects. Its work is now
+/// bounded by the references it may visit, and past that the cleanup is refused.
+#[test]
+fn a_shared_kids_array_of_repeats_is_refused_not_expanded() {
+    const N: usize = 2_000;
+    let mut doc = one_page(b"BT /F1 10 Tf 10 100 Td (SECRET) Tj ET", "", vec![]);
+    let leaf = doc.add(Object::Dict(Dict::from_iter([(b"S".to_vec(), Object::name("Span"))])));
+    let shared = doc.add(Object::Array(vec![Object::Ref(leaf); N]));
+    let elements: Vec<Object> = (0..N)
+        .map(|_| Object::Ref(doc.add(Object::Dict(Dict::from_iter([(b"S".to_vec(), Object::name("P")), (b"K".to_vec(), Object::Ref(shared))])))))
+        .collect();
+    let root = doc.add(Object::Dict(Dict::from_iter([(b"Type".to_vec(), Object::name("StructTreeRoot")), (b"K".to_vec(), Object::Array(elements))])));
+    let catalog = doc.root().unwrap();
+    doc.update_dict(catalog, |d| d.set(b"StructTreeRoot".to_vec(), Object::Ref(root))).unwrap();
+    let gone: HashSet<ObjRef> = [ObjRef::new(999_999, 0)].into_iter().collect();
+    let started = std::time::Instant::now();
+    assert!(matches!(crate::tags::drop_object_refs_within(&mut doc, &gone, 10_000), Err(RedactError::Tags)));
+    let page = pdfcraft_model::pages(&doc)[0].obj;
+    let changed: HashSet<i64> = [0].into_iter().collect();
+    assert!(matches!(crate::tags::clean_within(&mut doc, page, None, &changed, &Default::default(), 10_000), Err(RedactError::Tags)));
+    assert!(started.elapsed() < std::time::Duration::from_secs(10), "{:?}", started.elapsed());
+}