diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ec44a0859..dc0f72a69 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- The query translator no longer panics on a label filter after `| json` or `| logfmt` whose label name contains the byte `\x01` (found by fuzzing). The proxy already rejects such a query with Loki's parse error before it reaches the translator, so clients were not affected; translator callers that skip that check now get a plain filter instead of a crash (#761).
+
 ## [2.15.0] - 2026-10-12
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants.go b/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants.go
index 96a517d7e..420938cc9 100644
--- a/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants.go
+++ b/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants.go
@@ -193,8 +193,10 @@ func withParsedKeyVariants(labelFn LabelTranslateFunc, exclude func(string) bool
 		}
 		// A label the translation maps (a known or learned VictoriaLogs field)
 		// names that field; only an unmapped label can be a sanitized key.
+		// A name holding the bytes that separate and mark the candidate keys
+		// cannot be encoded as a key list (and is no key a parser produces).
 		if translated != label || strings.HasPrefix(label, "_") || !strings.Contains(label, "_") ||
-			strings.ContainsAny(label, ".-") || exclude(label) {
+			strings.ContainsAny(label, ".-"+parsedKeySep+extractedMarker) || exclude(label) {
 			return translated
 		}
 		keys := parsedKeyVariants(label)
diff --git a/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants_test.go b/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants_test.go
index d4de80514..9dfe6f557 100644
--- a/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants_test.go
+++ b/internal/translator/parsed_key_variants_test.go
@@ -272,3 +272,19 @@ func TestParsedKeyVariantsAreBounded(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("plain: %v", got)
 	}
 }
+
+// A label name holding the bytes that separate and mark the candidate keys is
+// translated as a plain name; it used to be split as a key list and panic.
+func TestParsedKeyFilterNameWithSeparatorBytes(t *testing.T) {
+	streamFields := map[string]bool{"app": true}
+	for _, name := range []string{"\x01a_b", "\x01a_extracted", "\x01\x01a_b", "a_\x00b"} {
+		query := `{app="x"} | json | ` + name + `="v"`
+		got, err := TranslateLogQLWithStreamFields(query, nil, streamFields)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if !strings.Contains(got, "filter "+name+`:="v"`) {
+			t.Errorf("%q translated to %q", query, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/translator/translator.go b/internal/translator/translator.go
index 1bbf5ae8a..b69ac9f2c 100644
--- a/internal/translator/translator.go
+++ b/internal/translator/translator.go
@@ -1394,7 +1394,7 @@ func translateSingleLabelFilter(stage string, labelFn LabelTranslateFunc, caps l
 			}
 			if labelFn != nil {
 				translated := labelFn(label)
-				if strings.Contains(translated, parsedKeySep) {
+				if strings.Contains(translated, parsedKeySep) && !strings.Contains(label, parsedKeySep) {
 					return translateParsedKeyFilter(stage, strings.Split(translated, parsedKeySep), value, entry.entry, caps)
 				}
 				label = sanitizeFieldIdentifier(translated)