diff --git a/crates/doc/src/range.rs b/crates/doc/src/range.rs
index 87db16f20..7162709bc 100644
--- a/crates/doc/src/range.rs
+++ b/crates/doc/src/range.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ pub fn parse_range(s: &str, count: usize) -> Result<Vec<usize>, String> {
             .ok_or_else(|| format!("range `{s}`: `{t}` is not a number from 1 to {count}"))
     };
     let mut out = vec![];
-    let mut seen = std::collections::HashSet::new();
+    // Past each run of indices picked so far, the index after it: an interval skips the runs it
+    // overlaps instead of walking them again, so repeating `1-` costs no more than writing it once.
+    let mut next = std::collections::HashMap::new();
     for part in s.split(',').map(str::trim).filter(|p| !p.is_empty()) {
         let (a, b) = match part.replace('\u{2013}', "-").split_once('-') {
             Some((a, b)) if a.trim().is_empty() && b.trim().is_empty() => return Err(format!("range `{s}`: `{part}` names no number")),
@@ -30,10 +32,11 @@ pub fn parse_range(s: &str, count: usize) -> Result<Vec<usize>, String> {
         if a > b {
             return Err(format!("range `{s}`: `{part}` runs backwards"));
         }
-        for i in a - 1..b {
-            if seen.insert(i) {
-                out.push(i);
-            }
+        let mut i = unpicked(&mut next, a - 1);
+        while i < b {
+            out.push(i);
+            next.insert(i, i + 1);
+            i = unpicked(&mut next, i + 1);
         }
     }
     if out.is_empty() {
@@ -42,6 +45,23 @@ pub fn parse_range(s: &str, count: usize) -> Result<Vec<usize>, String> {
     Ok(out)
 }
 
+/// The first index from `i` on not picked yet, `next` linking each picked index onward (the links
+/// followed are then pointed straight at it).
+fn unpicked(next: &mut std::collections::HashMap<usize, usize>, i: usize) -> usize {
+    let mut end = i;
+    while let Some(&j) = next.get(&end) {
+        end = j;
+    }
+    let mut at = i;
+    while at != end {
+        match next.insert(at, end) {
+            Some(j) => at = j,
+            None => break,
+        }
+    }
+    end
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::parse_range;
@@ -53,4 +73,20 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(parse_range("-+2", 5).is_err());
         assert_eq!(parse_range("1-3, 5", 5), Ok(vec![0, 1, 2, 4]));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn repeats_and_overlaps_are_dropped_in_order() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_range("3-5, 1-4, 2, 6-, -1", 7), Ok(vec![2, 3, 4, 0, 1, 5, 6]));
+        assert_eq!(parse_range("2,2,1-2", 4), Ok(vec![1, 0]));
+        assert_eq!(parse_range("4, 2, 1-", 5), Ok(vec![3, 1, 0, 2, 4]));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_range_repeated_many_times_is_read_once() {
+        // 100 000 pages named 50 000 times: walking the pages for each would take billions of steps.
+        let s = "1-,".repeat(50_000);
+        let pages = parse_range(&s, 100_000).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(pages.len(), 100_000);
+        assert!(pages.iter().enumerate().all(|(i, p)| i == *p));
+    }
 }