diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index 7fa12288..217c8cff 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ type contextFieldSet struct {
 type parseContext struct {
 	lexer.PeekingLexer
 	depth             int
+	parseDepth        int
 	trace             io.Writer
 	deepestError      error
 	deepestErrorDepth int
@@ -124,6 +125,18 @@ func (p *parseContext) Stop(err error, branch *parseContext) bool {
 
 func (p *parseContext) hasInfiniteLookahead() bool { return p.lookahead < 0 }
 
+func (p *parseContext) enterStruct() error {
+	p.parseDepth++
+	if MaxParseDepth > 0 && p.parseDepth > MaxParseDepth {
+		p.parseDepth--
+		t := p.Peek()
+		return Errorf(t.Pos, "maximum parse depth of %d exceeded", MaxParseDepth)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (p *parseContext) leaveStruct() { p.parseDepth-- }
+
 func (p *parseContext) printTrace(n node) func() {
 	if p.trace != nil {
 		tok := p.PeekingLexer.Peek()
diff --git a/nodes.go b/nodes.go
index 2c6f393e..5437343d 100644
--- a/nodes.go
+++ b/nodes.go
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ var (
 	// MaxIterations limits the number of elements capturable by {}.
 	MaxIterations = 1000000
 
+	// MaxParseDepth limits recursive production nesting. Deeply nested input
+	// otherwise overflows the goroutine stack with a fatal error that recover
+	// cannot catch. Zero disables the limit.
+	MaxParseDepth = 1024
+
 	positionType        = reflect.TypeFor[lexer.Position]()
 	tokenType           = reflect.TypeFor[lexer.Token]()
 	tokensType          = reflect.TypeFor[[]lexer.Token]()
@@ -150,6 +155,10 @@ func (s *strct) GoString() string { return s.typ.Name() }
 
 func (s *strct) Parse(ctx *parseContext, _ reflect.Value) (out []reflect.Value, err error) {
 	defer ctx.printTrace(s)()
+	if err := ctx.enterStruct(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer ctx.leaveStruct()
 	sv := reflect.New(s.typ).Elem()
 	start := ctx.RawCursor()
 	applyStart := len(ctx.apply)
diff --git a/parser_test.go b/parser_test.go
index 4a48237f..6ba888f1 100644
--- a/parser_test.go
+++ b/parser_test.go
@@ -1938,3 +1938,26 @@ func TestIssue216(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, &grammar{B: 4}, out)
 }
+
+func TestMaxParseDepth(t *testing.T) {
+	type expr struct {
+		Ident string `@Ident`
+		Inner *expr  `| "(" @@ ")"`
+	}
+	parser := mustTestParser[expr](t)
+
+	got, err := parser.ParseString("", "(((x)))")
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "x", got.Inner.Inner.Inner.Ident)
+
+	old := participle.MaxParseDepth
+	participle.MaxParseDepth = 8
+	t.Cleanup(func() { participle.MaxParseDepth = old })
+
+	input := strings.Repeat("(", 40) + "x" + strings.Repeat(")", 40)
+	_, err = parser.ParseString("", input)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "maximum parse depth of 8 exceeded") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected depth error, got %v", err)
+	}
+}