diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/file.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/file.rs
index e40000095..767c62280 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/file.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/file.rs
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ fn file_new(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     nd.height = f64_or(p, "height", nd.height);
     nd.pages = p.get("pages").and_then(Value::as_u64).map(|v| v as usize).unwrap_or(nd.pages).clamp(1, 9999);
     nd.facing_pages = p.get("facingPages").and_then(Value::as_bool).unwrap_or(nd.facing_pages);
-    nd.columns = p.get("columns").and_then(Value::as_u64).map(|v| v as u32).unwrap_or(nd.columns);
+    nd.columns = p.get("columns").and_then(Value::as_u64).map(|v| v.clamp(1, 216) as u32).unwrap_or(nd.columns);
     nd.gutter = f64_or(p, "gutter", nd.gutter);
     nd.primary_text_frame = p.get("primaryTextFrame").and_then(Value::as_bool).unwrap_or(false);
     match p.get("margins") {
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/guides.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/guides.rs
index df578e30b..8a0fee5e3 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/guides.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/guides.rs
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ pub fn specs() -> Vec<CommandSpec> {
             "Create Guides…",
             ["Layout"],
             None,
-            "{rows?: 0, columns?: 0, rowGutter?: 12, columnGutter?: 12, fitTo?: margins|page, removeExisting?: false, spread?, page? (index in the spread; default all pages)}",
+            "{rows?: 0, columns?: 0 (at most 100 each), rowGutter?: 12, columnGutter?: 12, fitTo?: margins|page, removeExisting?: false, spread?, page? (index in the spread; default all pages)}",
             has_doc,
             create_guides
         ),
@@ -157,9 +157,13 @@ pub(crate) fn grid_positions(a: f64, b: f64, n: u32, gutter: f64) -> Vec<f64> {
     v
 }
 
+/// The most rows or columns Create Guides lays out. The count comes from the caller, and every
+/// guide is stored in the document.
+const MAX_GUIDE_GRID: u32 = 100;
+
 fn create_guides(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
-    let rows = p.get("rows").and_then(Value::as_u64).unwrap_or(0) as u32;
-    let cols = p.get("columns").and_then(Value::as_u64).unwrap_or(0) as u32;
+    let count = |key: &str| p.get(key).and_then(Value::as_u64).unwrap_or(0).min(u64::from(MAX_GUIDE_GRID)) as u32;
+    let (rows, cols) = (count("rows"), count("columns"));
     let rg = p.get("rowGutter").and_then(Value::as_f64).unwrap_or(12.0);
     let cg = p.get("columnGutter").and_then(Value::as_f64).unwrap_or(12.0);
     let to_page = str_param(p, "fitTo") == Some("page");
@@ -238,6 +242,18 @@ mod tests {
         s.execute("edit.undo", &json!({})).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(s.doc().unwrap().doc.spreads[0].pages[0].guides.len(), 5);
     }
+
+    /// A huge row or column count once made that many guides (2³² − 1 of them exhaust memory, which
+    /// no guard catches), and a count past 2³² wrapped to a small one.
+    #[test]
+    fn create_guides_caps_the_row_and_column_counts() {
+        let mut s = Session::new();
+        s.execute("file.new", &json!({})).unwrap();
+        let args = json!({"spread": 0, "rows": 4_294_967_298_u64, "columns": 3_000_000, "rowGutter": 0.0, "columnGutter": 0.0});
+        let r = s.execute("layout.createGuides", &args).unwrap();
+        let per_page = 2 * (u64::from(MAX_GUIDE_GRID) - 1);
+        assert_eq!(r["guides"], per_page * s.doc().unwrap().doc.spreads[0].pages.len() as u64);
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/object.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/object.rs
index 40802d548..5252d1669 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/object.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/object.rs
@@ -1918,7 +1918,7 @@ fn step_and_repeat(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     let cols = p.get("columns").and_then(Value::as_u64).map(|v| v as usize);
     let count = p.get("count").and_then(Value::as_u64).unwrap_or(1).clamp(1, 1000) as usize;
     let offsets: Vec<Vec2> = match (rows, cols) {
-        (Some(r), Some(c)) if r * c <= 1000 => (0..r)
+        (Some(r), Some(c)) if r.checked_mul(c).is_some_and(|n| n <= 1000) => (0..r)
             .flat_map(|i| (0..c).map(move |j| (i, j)))
             .filter(|&(i, j)| i + j > 0)
             .map(|(i, j)| Vec2::new(j as f64 * dx, i as f64 * dy))
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests.rs
index 8f2f39b0f..1f5f7189e 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests.rs
@@ -372,6 +372,28 @@ fn step_and_repeat_grid() {
     assert_eq!(last.y0, 36.0 + 2.0 * 40.0);
 }
 
+/// rows × columns once overflowed: a panic in debug builds, and in release builds a product that
+/// wrapped to 0 passed the 1000-copy limit and started a grid of 2⁶⁴ copies.
+#[test]
+fn step_and_repeat_with_a_huge_grid_makes_no_grid() {
+    let mut s = session();
+    s.execute("frame.create", &json!({"rect": [36, 36, 66, 66], "content": "unassigned"})).unwrap();
+    let r = s.execute("edit.stepAndRepeat", &json!({"rows": 4_294_967_296_u64, "columns": 4_294_967_296_u64})).unwrap();
+    // As for any grid of more than 1000 copies: `count` (default 1) copies instead.
+    assert_eq!(r["created"], 1);
+}
+
+/// The column count is the caller's and sizes a list every time the page's columns are laid out.
+#[test]
+fn new_document_caps_the_column_count() {
+    let mut s = Session::new();
+    s.execute("file.new", &json!({"columns": 4_000_000_000_u64})).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(s.doc().unwrap().doc.spreads[0].pages[0].columns.count, 216);
+    // Past u32 the count wrapped (2³² + 3 became 3).
+    s.execute("file.new", &json!({"columns": 4_294_967_299_u64})).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(s.doc().unwrap().doc.spreads[0].pages[0].columns.count, 216);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn snippets_roundtrip_between_documents() {
     let mut s = Session::new();