diff --git a/docs/USAGE.md b/docs/USAGE.md
index bee41ee5..d36ea83e 100644
--- a/docs/USAGE.md
+++ b/docs/USAGE.md
@@ -452,6 +452,8 @@ Every command exits with a stable code, so scripts can branch without parsing ou
 
 A fail-fast `batch` exits with the failed step's code (for example `11` for a wait timeout); `--keep-going` exits `1` if any step failed.
 
+A live session host answers at most 67,108,864 characters per command, counted as JavaScript string length (UTF-16 code units, not bytes: non-ASCII text takes more bytes on the wire). A larger response, such as `snapshot --include-cells` of a screen with more than about 1.2 million fully styled cells, fails with `PROTOCOL_ERROR` (exit `9`, `retryable: false`) and `details.maxResponseChars`.
+
 `agent-tty help` and `agent-tty help <command>` exit `0`. Without a command, the CLI prints the help on stderr and exits `2`.
 
 An unreadable Home `config.json` gives `STORAGE_READ_ERROR` (exit `8`). Invalid JSON or an invalid field in it gives `INVALID_INPUT` (exit `2`). Both errors carry `details.configPath`.
diff --git a/src/host/README.md b/src/host/README.md
index ad4895bc..695fec5f 100644
--- a/src/host/README.md
+++ b/src/host/README.md
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
 - `allocateSession` throws `INVALID_DIMENSIONS` for non-positive `cols` or `rows`, `STORAGE_READ_ERROR` when `cwd` is not a directory and `INVALID_INPUT` when the shell path is not a file. An empty `command` defaults to the shell path. It creates the session directory and calls `launch` only after these checks pass. [lifecycle.ts:allocateSession]
 - `buildReplayInput` validates the manifest with `SessionRecordSchema` and requires its `sessionId` to match. It validates the events with `validateEventRecords` unless `trustValidated` is set. `targetSeq` is -1 for no events, else from 0 to the last `seq`. [replay.ts:buildReplayInput]
 - `RpcServer.listen` removes a stale socket file (no answer within 1,000 ms, `ECONNREFUSED` or `ENOENT`) and throws when another server is listening. It asserts a socket path of at most 104 characters. [rpcServer.ts:RpcServer]
-- `RpcServer` caps a request at 1,048,576 characters. `sendRpc` caps a response at `MAX_RPC_RESPONSE_CHARS` (67,108,864 characters, from `src/protocol/messages.ts`), so a structured snapshot with cells of a 500x200 screen (about 5.6 million characters when every cell is styled) fits. The server answers a success response above that cap with `PROTOCOL_ERROR` "RPC response takes N characters, over the 67108864-character limit.", with `responseChars` and `maxResponseChars` in `details`. The server validates the request with `RpcRequestSchema`, the params and result with `RpcMethodSchemas`, and the response with `RpcResponseSchema` (all from `src/protocol/messages.ts`). A handler that throws a `CliError` gets an error response with its code, message and, when it has any, its `details`. It leaves `details` out when they do not serialize to a JSON object (a `BigInt`, a circular object, a `toJSON` that returns something else) or take more than 65,536 characters. It cuts an error message to 65,536 characters, without splitting a surrogate pair, and ends it with `[message truncated]`. A request id over 128 characters fails `RpcRequestSchema`, and the error response uses the id `unknown`. So an error response stays under 1,048,576 characters, which a CLI from before the larger response cap also reads, and keeps the error's code. `sendRpc` rebuilds that `CliError` with the same details. Any other thrown error becomes `RPC_ERROR` without details. If building or sending the response throws, the server logs the error and answers `RPC_ERROR` "RPC request handling failed unexpectedly.", so the host keeps running. Unknown methods get an error response. [rpcServer.ts:RpcServer] [rpcClient.ts:sendRpc]
+- `RpcServer` caps a request at 1,048,576 characters. `sendRpc` caps a response at `MAX_RPC_RESPONSE_CHARS` (67,108,864 characters, from `src/protocol/messages.ts`), so a structured snapshot with cells of a 500x200 screen (about 5.6 million characters when every cell is styled) fits. The server answers a success response above that cap with `PROTOCOL_ERROR` "RPC response takes N characters, over the 67108864-character limit.", with `responseChars` and `maxResponseChars` in `details`. `sendRpc` stops reading a response from an older host, which has no such check, at the cap and reports `PROTOCOL_ERROR` "RPC response is over the 67108864-character limit." with `maxResponseChars` in `details`. The server validates the request with `RpcRequestSchema`, the params and result with `RpcMethodSchemas`, and the response with `RpcResponseSchema` (all from `src/protocol/messages.ts`). A handler that throws a `CliError` gets an error response with its code, message and, when it has any, its `details`. It leaves `details` out when they do not serialize to a JSON object (a `BigInt`, a circular object, a `toJSON` that returns something else) or take more than 65,536 characters. It cuts an error message to 65,536 characters, without splitting a surrogate pair, and ends it with `[message truncated]`. A request id over 128 characters fails `RpcRequestSchema`, and the error response uses the id `unknown`. So an error response stays under 1,048,576 characters, which a CLI from before the larger response cap also reads, and keeps the error's code. `sendRpc` rebuilds that `CliError` with the same details. Any other thrown error becomes `RPC_ERROR` without details. If building or sending the response throws, the server logs the error and answers `RPC_ERROR` "RPC request handling failed unexpectedly.", so the host keeps running. Unknown methods get an error response. [rpcServer.ts:RpcServer] [rpcClient.ts:sendRpc]
 - `sendRpc` waits 5,000 ms by default, as a socket inactivity timeout. The `snapshot` command passes 60,000 ms when it asks for cells, because the host sends nothing until it has built every cell. `sendRpc` scans each response chunk once for the newline. It requires the response `id` to match the request. It maps `ECONNREFUSED`, `ENOENT` and `ECONNRESET` to `HOST_UNREACHABLE`, a socket timeout to `HOST_TIMEOUT` and other transport errors to `RPC_ERROR`. [rpcClient.ts:sendRpc]
 - `HostRendererManager` runs backend operations one at a time. `withBackend` requires the replay input `sessionId` to match, and recreates the backend when the initial size changes. [renderer.ts:HostRendererManager]
 - A waited `run` calls `EventLog.startAppend`, `registerWaitedRun` and `pty.write` with no `await` in between, then awaits `written`. When `registerWaitedRun` or `pty.write` throws, it waits for `written` to settle and rethrows that error, so a failed write never becomes an unhandled rejection. So no other input reaches the PTY or the log between the command's `seq` and its write, and the marker is registered before the command can print. [hostMain.ts:runHost]
diff --git a/src/host/rpcClient.ts b/src/host/rpcClient.ts
index 4322cb90..29d16a00 100644
--- a/src/host/rpcClient.ts
+++ b/src/host/rpcClient.ts
@@ -234,10 +234,16 @@ async function sendRpcAt(
       }
 
       if (buffer.length + chunk.length > MAX_RPC_RESPONSE_CHARS) {
+        // Only an older host, without the server's response cap, gets here.
+        // A retry gets the same size, so this is not RPC_ERROR (retryable).
         settlers.reject(
-          makeCliError(ERROR_CODES.RPC_ERROR, {
-            message: 'RPC response exceeds maximum buffer size.',
-            details: { method, socketPath },
+          makeCliError(ERROR_CODES.PROTOCOL_ERROR, {
+            message: `RPC response is over the ${String(MAX_RPC_RESPONSE_CHARS)}-character limit.`,
+            details: {
+              method,
+              socketPath,
+              maxResponseChars: MAX_RPC_RESPONSE_CHARS,
+            },
           }),
         );
         return;
diff --git a/src/protocol/messages.ts b/src/protocol/messages.ts
index fed77655..38accc9e 100644
--- a/src/protocol/messages.ts
+++ b/src/protocol/messages.ts
@@ -75,8 +75,10 @@ export const MAX_RPC_REQUEST_ID_CHARS = 128;
 
 // A fully styled cell takes about 56 characters in a structured snapshot with
 // cells, so a 500x200 snapshot takes about 5.6 million. This cap fits about
-// 1.2 million styled cells (a 1,000x1,000 screen) and still bounds the memory
-// that one response can take.
+// 1.2 million styled cells and still bounds the memory that one response can
+// take. A 1,000x1,000 styled snapshot (56,051,020 characters) raised the CLI's
+// peak RSS from 227 MiB (an 80x24 snapshot) to 819 to 963 MiB: about 14 bytes
+// per response character. So a response at the cap takes about 1.1 GiB.
 export const MAX_RPC_RESPONSE_CHARS = 67_108_864;
 
 export const RpcRequestSchema = z
diff --git a/test/unit/host/rpcClient.test.ts b/test/unit/host/rpcClient.test.ts
index fd15b2f8..1a7d79a7 100644
--- a/test/unit/host/rpcClient.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/host/rpcClient.test.ts
@@ -127,6 +127,65 @@ describe('sendRpc abort handling', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('sendRpc response cap', () => {
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    tempDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'agent-tty-rpc-client-'));
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    tempDir = '';
+  });
+
+  it(
+    'refuses a response over 64 MiB from an older host with PROTOCOL_ERROR',
+    { timeout: 30_000 },
+    async () => {
+      const socketFile = join(tempDir, 'rpc.sock');
+      // An older host sends a success response of any size.
+      const server = net.createServer((socket) => {
+        socket.on('error', () => undefined);
+        socket.once('data', () => {
+          const piece = 'x'.repeat(1_048_576);
+          for (let index = 0; index <= 64; index += 1) {
+            socket.write(piece);
+          }
+        });
+      });
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+        server.once('error', reject);
+        server.listen(socketFile, () => {
+          server.off('error', reject);
+          resolve();
+        });
+      });
+
+      try {
+        const error = await sendRpc(socketFile, 'inspect', {}, 20_000).catch(
+          (rejection: unknown) => rejection,
+        );
+
+        expect(error).toMatchObject({
+          code: 'PROTOCOL_ERROR',
+          retryable: false,
+          message: 'RPC response is over the 67108864-character limit.',
+          details: { method: 'inspect', maxResponseChars: 67_108_864 },
+        });
+      } finally {
+        await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+          server.close((error) => {
+            if (error !== undefined) {
+              reject(error);
+              return;
+            }
+            resolve();
+          });
+        });
+      }
+    },
+  );
+});
+
 describe.skipIf(process.platform === 'win32')(
   'sendRpc to a host that an older version started',
   () => {