diff --git a/crates/xfa/src/packets.rs b/crates/xfa/src/packets.rs
index 875cdc894..f79b071c0 100644
--- a/crates/xfa/src/packets.rs
+++ b/crates/xfa/src/packets.rs
@@ -113,7 +113,13 @@ pub fn read_packets(doc: &Document) -> Result<Option<Packets>, XfaError> {
     let needs_rendering = bool_of(catalog.as_dict().and_then(|c| c.get(b"NeedsRendering"))).or_else(|| bool_of(acro.get(b"NeedsRendering")));
     let has_fields = acro.get(b"Fields").map(|f| doc.resolve(f)).and_then(|f| f.as_array().map(|a| !a.is_empty())).unwrap_or(false);
     let mut total = 0usize;
+    // A stream listed again adds nothing but another decode, which may cost far more than the
+    // bytes it yields (a Flate stream of hex whitespace).
+    let mut seen = std::collections::HashSet::new();
     let mut read = |o: &Object| -> Result<Option<String>, XfaError> {
+        if o.as_ref().is_some_and(|r| !seen.insert(r)) {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
         let s = doc.resolve(o);
         let Object::Stream(s) = &*s else { return Ok(None) };
         let bytes = s.decoded_within(MAX_XDP)?;
diff --git a/crates/xfa/src/tests.rs b/crates/xfa/src/tests.rs
index c5de7ad88..03a7d2c5a 100644
--- a/crates/xfa/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/xfa/src/tests.rs
@@ -416,6 +416,23 @@ fn empty_repeating_subforms_spend_the_layout_budget() {
     assert!(layout_xml(&tpl).is_ok());
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn a_packet_stream_listed_many_times_is_read_once() {
+    let mut doc = Document::open(Arc::new(shell("<template><subform/></template>"))).unwrap();
+    let packet = pdfcraft_cos::ObjRef::new(5, 0);
+    let items: Vec<Object> =
+        (0..1000).flat_map(|_| [Object::String(pdfcraft_cos::PdfString::literal(b"template".to_vec())), Object::Ref(packet)]).collect();
+    let root = doc.root().unwrap();
+    doc.update_dict(root, |c| {
+        let mut acro = c.get(b"AcroForm").and_then(Object::as_dict).cloned().unwrap();
+        acro.set(b"XFA".to_vec(), Object::Array(items));
+        c.set(b"AcroForm".to_vec(), Object::Dict(acro));
+    })
+    .unwrap();
+    let p = read_packets(&doc).unwrap().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(p.xdp.matches("<template").count(), 1);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn the_packets_can_be_one_stream_or_named_parts() {
     // Named parts, with the template split from the rest.