diff --git a/crates/a11y/src/alt.rs b/crates/a11y/src/alt.rs
index 4d2dab646e..f22a25f733 100644
--- a/crates/a11y/src/alt.rs
+++ b/crates/a11y/src/alt.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ pub enum AltError {
     Untagged,
     #[error("object {0} is not a figure")]
     NotAFigure(u32),
+    #[error("the page has more content than can be edited")]
+    TooLarge,
     #[error("{0}")]
     Cos(#[from] pdfcraft_cos::CosError),
 }
@@ -375,7 +377,16 @@ fn artifact_marked_content(doc: &mut Document, page: &pdfcraft_model::Page, ids:
     let mut budget = DecodeBudget::page();
     for entry in &entries {
         match &*doc.resolve(entry) {
-            Object::Stream(s) => streams.push(Some((s.clone(), budget.decode(s).unwrap_or_default()))),
+            Object::Stream(s) => {
+                let data = match budget.decode(s) {
+                    Ok(data) => data,
+                    // Content past the budget may hold more of the figure: editing the rest
+                    // would leave that part marked as a figure the tree no longer has.
+                    Err(_) if budget.exhausted() => return Err(AltError::TooLarge),
+                    Err(_) => Vec::new(),
+                };
+                streams.push(Some((s.clone(), data)));
+            }
             _ => streams.push(None),
         }
     }
diff --git a/crates/a11y/src/tests.rs b/crates/a11y/src/tests.rs
index 1c79caf3e7..7db743536a 100644
--- a/crates/a11y/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/a11y/src/tests.rs
@@ -1262,3 +1262,19 @@ fn repeated_content_references_share_one_decode_budget() {
     let data = crate::alt::page_content(&doc, &page);
     assert!(data.len() <= MAX_PAGE_DECODED + 300, "{} bytes", data.len());
 }
+
+/// A figure whose marked content goes on in a stream past the page's decode budget is refused,
+/// not removed with that content still pointing at it.
+#[test]
+fn marking_decorative_refuses_content_past_the_decode_budget() {
+    use pdfcraft_cos::{Dict, Object, ObjRef, Stream};
+    let mut doc = figures_doc();
+    let filler = doc.add(Stream::flate(Dict::new(), &vec![b' '; 1 << 20]));
+    let last = doc.add(Stream::from_raw(Dict::new(), b"/Figure << /MCID 0 >> BDC 0 0 5 5 re f EMC".to_vec()));
+    let mut contents = vec![Object::Ref(ObjRef::new(4, 0))];
+    contents.extend(std::iter::repeat_n(Object::Ref(filler), 256));
+    contents.push(Object::Ref(last));
+    doc.update_dict(ObjRef::new(3, 0), |p| p.set(b"Contents".to_vec(), Object::Array(contents))).unwrap();
+    assert!(mark_decorative(&mut doc, ObjRef::new(7, 0)).is_err());
+    assert_eq!(figures(&doc).len(), 2, "the figure stays");
+}