diff --git a/uiterm/tree.go b/uiterm/tree.go
index 0990c72..2ec28c0 100644
--- a/uiterm/tree.go
+++ b/uiterm/tree.go
@@ -89,10 +89,10 @@ func (t *Tree) rebuild(preserveActive bool, sameItem func(previous, current Tree
 	previousLine := t.activeLine
 	lines := []renderedTreeItem{}
 	for _, item := range t.Generator(nil) {
-		children := t.rebuild_rec(item, 0)
-		if children != nil {
-			lines = append(lines, children...)
+		if len(lines) >= maxTreeLines {
+			break
 		}
+		lines = t.rebuild_rec(lines, item, 0)
 	}
 	t.lines = lines
 	if preserveActive {
@@ -113,21 +113,31 @@ func (t *Tree) rebuild(preserveActive bool, sameItem func(previous, current Tree
 	}
 }
 
-func (t *Tree) rebuild_rec(parent TreeItem, level int) []renderedTreeItem {
-	if parent == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	lines := []renderedTreeItem{
-		renderedTreeItem{
-			Level: level,
-			Item:  parent,
-		},
+// A server is free to describe a channel graph in which a channel is its own
+// ancestor. The generator follows parent/child links literally, so without
+// these limits such a graph recurses until the process is out of memory.
+// Real trees are orders of magnitude smaller than either bound.
+const (
+	maxTreeDepth = 64
+	maxTreeLines = 100000
+)
+
+// rebuild_rec appends parent and its descendants to lines. Accumulating into
+// one slice keeps maxTreeLines a budget for the whole tree rather than for
+// each level, and avoids building a slice per node.
+func (t *Tree) rebuild_rec(lines []renderedTreeItem, parent TreeItem, level int) []renderedTreeItem {
+	if parent == nil || level >= maxTreeDepth || len(lines) >= maxTreeLines {
+		return lines
 	}
+	lines = append(lines, renderedTreeItem{
+		Level: level,
+		Item:  parent,
+	})
 	for _, item := range t.Generator(parent) {
-		children := t.rebuild_rec(item, level+1)
-		if children != nil {
-			lines = append(lines, children...)
+		if len(lines) >= maxTreeLines {
+			break
 		}
+		lines = t.rebuild_rec(lines, item, level+1)
 	}
 	return lines
 }
diff --git a/uiterm/tree_regression_test.go b/uiterm/tree_regression_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15bacea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/uiterm/tree_regression_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package uiterm
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// cyclicItem reports itself as its own child, standing in for a channel graph
+// in which a channel is its own ancestor.
+type cyclicItem struct{ name string }
+
+func (i *cyclicItem) String() string { return i.name }
+
+func (i *cyclicItem) TreeItemStyle(fg, bg Attribute, active bool) (Attribute, Attribute) {
+	return fg, bg
+}
+
+// Regression: rebuild_rec followed parent/child links with no depth limit, so
+// a cyclic channel graph recursed until the process ran out of memory. A
+// rebuild must now terminate and stay bounded.
+func TestTreeRebuildTerminatesOnCyclicGraph(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	self := &cyclicItem{name: "loop"}
+	tree := Tree{
+		Generator: func(item TreeItem) []TreeItem {
+			return []TreeItem{self}
+		},
+	}
+
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		tree.rebuild(false, nil)
+		close(done)
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-done:
+	case <-timeoutAfterSeconds(10):
+		t.Fatal("rebuild did not terminate on a cyclic tree")
+	}
+
+	if len(tree.lines) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected the bounded rebuild to still produce lines")
+	}
+	if len(tree.lines) > maxTreeLines {
+		t.Fatalf("rebuild produced %d lines, above the %d cap",
+			len(tree.lines), maxTreeLines)
+	}
+	for _, line := range tree.lines {
+		if line.Level >= maxTreeDepth {
+			t.Fatalf("rebuild recursed to level %d, at or past the %d cap",
+				line.Level, maxTreeDepth)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func timeoutAfterSeconds(n int) <-chan struct{} {
+	ch := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		time.Sleep(time.Duration(n) * time.Second)
+		close(ch)
+	}()
+	return ch
+}