diff --git a/crates/keyframe/src/tests.rs b/crates/keyframe/src/tests.rs
index 312703239..9b9d13e88 100644
--- a/crates/keyframe/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/keyframe/src/tests.rs
@@ -130,6 +130,24 @@ fn gradient_tracks_sample_separately() {
     assert_eq!((empty.color_at(0.3), empty.opacity_at(0.3)), ([1.0; 4], 1.0));
 }
 
+/// A gradient's stop count multiplies every painted pixel's sampling: plain JSON with more than
+/// `MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS` is refused, and a longer stored list is sampled through its first ones.
+#[test]
+fn gradient_stop_count_is_bounded() {
+    use crate::value::MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS;
+    let g = Value::Gradient(Gradient::default());
+    let many: Vec<serde_json::Value> = (0..=MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS).map(|_| serde_json::json!("#ff0000")).collect();
+    assert_eq!(g.coerce_json(&serde_json::Value::Array(many.clone())), None);
+    assert!(g.coerce_json(&serde_json::Value::Array(many[..MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS].to_vec())).is_some());
+    let ops: Vec<serde_json::Value> = (0..=MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS).map(|i| serde_json::json!([i as f64 / MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS as f64, 1.0])).collect();
+    assert_eq!(g.coerce_json(&serde_json::json!({"colors": ["#000000", "#ffffff"], "opacities": ops})), None);
+    // A stored gradient with a huge tail: stops past the limit don't take part in sampling.
+    let mut colors: Vec<(f64, [f32; 4])> = (0..MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS).map(|i| (i as f64 / MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS as f64 * 0.5, [0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0])).collect();
+    colors.extend((0..100_000).map(|_| (1.0, [1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0])));
+    let big = Gradient { colors, opacities: vec![(0.0, 1.0)] };
+    assert_eq!(big.sample(1.0), [0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0]);
+}
+
 /// #612: the editor saves the typed form, so one colour stop (which the plain JSON parser
 /// rejects) and each stop's RGBA come back exactly.
 #[test]
diff --git a/crates/keyframe/src/value.rs b/crates/keyframe/src/value.rs
index 6609aed68..73540de4b 100644
--- a/crates/keyframe/src/value.rs
+++ b/crates/keyframe/src/value.rs
@@ -210,7 +210,13 @@ impl Gradient {
     }
 }
 
+/// Most stops (colour or opacity) a gradient is sampled through. Gradients are sampled per
+/// pixel, so the stop count multiplies every painted pixel's work: stops past this are ignored
+/// when sampling, and a gradient written as JSON with more is refused.
+pub const MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS: usize = 256;
+
 fn sample_stops<T: Copy>(stops: &[(f64, T)], t: f64, lerp: impl Fn(T, T, f64) -> T) -> Option<T> {
+    let stops = &stops[..stops.len().min(MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS)];
     let first = stops.first()?;
     if t <= first.0 {
         return Some(first.1);
@@ -243,7 +249,7 @@ fn gradient_json(j: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<Gradient> {
     }
     fn stops(a: &[J]) -> Option<Vec<(f64, [f32; 4])>> {
         let n = a.len();
-        if n < 2 {
+        if !(2..=MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS).contains(&n) {
             return None;
         }
         a.iter()
@@ -259,6 +265,7 @@ fn gradient_json(j: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<Gradient> {
         J::Object(o) => {
             let colors = stops(o.get("colors")?.as_array()?)?;
             let op = match o.get("opacities") {
+                Some(J::Array(a)) if a.len() > MAX_GRADIENT_STOPS => return None,
                 Some(J::Array(a)) => Some(
                     a.iter()
                         .map(|s| {