diff --git a/crates/edit/src/flatten.rs b/crates/edit/src/flatten.rs
index 1be77abef..ac90dda11 100644
--- a/crates/edit/src/flatten.rs
+++ b/crates/edit/src/flatten.rs
@@ -309,42 +309,59 @@ fn prune_fields(doc: &mut Document, widgets: &HashSet<ObjRef>, on_page: Option<&
     let af_ref = af.as_ref();
     let mut af_dict = doc.resolve(&af).as_dict().cloned().unwrap_or_default();
     let fields = af_dict.get(b"Fields").map(|f| doc.resolve(f)).and_then(|f| f.as_array().cloned()).unwrap_or_default();
-    // Returns whether the node survives. `known` holds each node's answer once it is visited, so
-    // a node listed twice is pruned once, and one still being visited (a cycle) survives.
+    // Returns whether the node survives, and whether that answer depends on the depth cutoff.
+    // `known` holds each node's answer once it is visited, so a node listed twice is pruned once,
+    // and one still being visited (a cycle) survives. An answer the cutoff decided records the depth
+    // it was reached at, and a shallower path visits the node again: at most once per depth.
     fn keep(
         doc: &mut Document,
         r: ObjRef,
         widgets: &HashSet<ObjRef>,
         on_page: Option<&HashSet<ObjRef>>,
-        known: &mut HashMap<ObjRef, bool>,
+        known: &mut HashMap<ObjRef, (bool, Option<usize>)>,
         depth: usize,
-    ) -> bool {
+    ) -> (bool, bool) {
         #[cfg(test)]
         KEEP_CALLS.with(|c| c.set(c.get().saturating_add(1)));
-        if widgets.contains(&r) || depth > 64 {
-            return depth > 64;
+        if widgets.contains(&r) {
+            return (false, false);
         }
-        if let Some(&survives) = known.get(&r) {
-            return survives;
+        if depth > 64 {
+            return (true, true);
         }
-        known.insert(r, true);
-        let Some(d) = doc.get(r).as_dict().cloned() else { return true };
+        match known.get(&r) {
+            Some(&(survives, None)) => return (survives, false),
+            Some(&(survives, Some(at))) if depth >= at => return (survives, true),
+            _ => {}
+        }
+        known.insert(r, (true, None));
+        let Some(d) = doc.get(r).as_dict().cloned() else { return (true, false) };
         let Some(kids) = d.get(b"Kids").map(|k| doc.resolve(k)).and_then(|k| k.as_array().cloned()) else {
             let survives = on_page.is_none_or(|p| p.contains(&r));
-            known.insert(r, survives);
-            return survives;
+            known.insert(r, (survives, None));
+            return (survives, false);
         };
-        let survivors: Vec<Object> =
-            kids.iter().filter(|k| k.as_ref().is_none_or(|kr| keep(doc, kr, widgets, on_page, known, depth + 1))).cloned().collect();
+        let mut cut = false;
+        let survivors: Vec<Object> = kids
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|k| {
+                k.as_ref().is_none_or(|kr| {
+                    let (survives, kid_cut) = keep(doc, kr, widgets, on_page, known, depth + 1);
+                    cut |= kid_cut;
+                    survives
+                })
+            })
+            .cloned()
+            .collect();
         if survivors.len() != kids.len() {
             let _ = doc.update_dict(r, |d| d.set(b"Kids".to_vec(), Object::Array(survivors.clone())));
         }
-        known.insert(r, !survivors.is_empty());
-        !survivors.is_empty()
+        known.insert(r, (!survivors.is_empty(), cut.then_some(depth)));
+        (!survivors.is_empty(), cut)
     }
     let mut known = HashMap::new();
     let survivors: Vec<Object> =
-        fields.iter().filter(|f| f.as_ref().is_none_or(|r| keep(doc, r, widgets, on_page, &mut known, 0))).cloned().collect();
+        fields.iter().filter(|f| f.as_ref().is_none_or(|r| keep(doc, r, widgets, on_page, &mut known, 0).0)).cloned().collect();
     if survivors.len() == fields.len() && widgets.is_empty() {
         return Ok(()); // only looked for fields on no page, and there were none
     }
diff --git a/crates/edit/src/tests.rs b/crates/edit/src/tests.rs
index 69ee2687e..2b3d474bb 100644
--- a/crates/edit/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/edit/src/tests.rs
@@ -6403,6 +6403,38 @@ fn flattening_prunes_a_field_tree_with_repeated_kids_once_per_node() {
     assert_eq!(left, 2, "the chain to the hidden widget and the self-listing node stay");
 }
 
+/// A field reached first at the end of a long chain has its kids cut off by the depth limit, so
+/// they survive there. A shorter path to the same field still looks at its kids: an off-page widget
+/// under it is taken out when every field is flattened.
+#[test]
+fn a_field_reached_again_by_a_shorter_path_is_pruned_there() {
+    let chain = 64;
+    let page = stream("", " ");
+    // 7…: the chain; then the shared field, its off-page widget, and the short path to it.
+    let shared = 7 + chain;
+    let fields = format!("<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R /AcroForm << /Fields [5 0 R 7 0 R {} 0 R] >> >>", shared + 2);
+    let mut objs: Vec<String> = vec![
+        fields,
+        "<< /Type /Pages /Kids [3 0 R] /Count 1 >>".into(),
+        "<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 200 200] /Resources << >> /Contents 4 0 R /Annots [5 0 R] >>".into(),
+        page,
+        "<< /Type /Annot /Subtype /Widget /FT /Tx /T (shown) /Rect [10 10 150 40] /F 4 /AP << /N 6 0 R >> >>".into(),
+        "<< /Type /XObject /Subtype /Form /BBox [0 0 140 30] /Length 0 >>\nstream\n\nendstream".into(),
+    ];
+    for i in 0..chain {
+        objs.push(format!("<< /T (c{i}) /Kids [{} 0 R] >>", 8 + i));
+    }
+    objs.push(format!("<< /T (shared) /Kids [{} 0 R] >>", shared + 1));
+    objs.push("<< /Type /Annot /Subtype /Widget /FT /Tx /T (orphan) /Rect [10 50 150 80] /F 4 >>".into());
+    objs.push(format!("<< /T (short) /Kids [{shared} 0 R] >>"));
+    let objs: Vec<&str> = objs.iter().map(String::as_str).collect();
+    let mut doc = build(&objs);
+    assert_eq!(flatten(&mut doc, &[0], false, true).unwrap(), 1);
+    let shared_ref = pdfcraft_cos::ObjRef::new(u32::try_from(shared).unwrap(), 0);
+    let kids = doc.resolve(doc.get(shared_ref).as_dict().unwrap().get(b"Kids").unwrap()).as_array().unwrap().len();
+    assert_eq!(kids, 0, "the off-page widget is pruned along the short path");
+}
+
 /// A ToUnicode destination is repeated for every glyph that shows its code: a page whose text
 /// would run past the extraction budget is refused, not built in memory.
 #[test]