diff --git a/tests/tools/test_image_source.py b/tests/tools/test_image_source.py
index e59ec9e98f3..0f7b3fca8a0 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_image_source.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_image_source.py
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ class TestNonLocalBackendConfinement:
         assert res.origin == "container"
         assert res.data == PNG
         assert b"HOST-PRIVATE-KEY" not in res.data
-        assert "base64 --" in calls["cmd"]  # option-injection-safe form
+        assert "head -c" in calls["cmd"] and "< " in calls["cmd"]  # bounded, redirect-safe form
 
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
     async def test_non_cache_path_fails_closed_without_sandbox(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -192,8 +192,9 @@ class TestNonLocalBackendConfinement:
 
 class TestExecReadSafety:
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
-    async def test_exec_read_uses_option_terminator(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-        """Leading-dash paths must not be parsed as base64 options."""
+    async def test_exec_read_is_bounded_and_redirect_safe(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """Leading-dash paths go through an input redirect (no argv exposure)
+        and the read is size-bounded via head -c."""
         home = tmp_path / "hermes"
         isrc = _reload(monkeypatch, home)
         monkeypatch.setenv("TERMINAL_ENV", "docker")
@@ -207,7 +208,26 @@ class TestExecReadSafety:
                    return_value=SimpleNamespace(execute=fake_execute)):
             await isrc.resolve_image_source(
                 "/workspace/-i-etc-shadow.png", isrc.ResolveContext(task_id="t1"))
-        assert "base64 -- " in captured["cmd"]
+        assert f"head -c {isrc._MAX_INGEST_BYTES + 1} < " in captured["cmd"]
+        assert "'-i-etc-shadow.png'" in captured["cmd"] or "-i-etc-shadow.png" in captured["cmd"]
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_exec_read_over_cap_rejected(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """A sandbox file larger than the ingest cap is rejected, not embedded."""
+        home = tmp_path / "hermes"
+        isrc = _reload(monkeypatch, home)
+        monkeypatch.setenv("TERMINAL_ENV", "docker")
+        # head -c returns cap+1 bytes for an oversized file.
+        over = base64.b64encode(b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n" + b"\x00" * (isrc._MAX_INGEST_BYTES - 7)).decode()
+
+        def fake_execute(cmd, **kw):
+            return {"returncode": 0, "output": over}
+
+        with patch("tools.image_source._get_active_env",
+                   return_value=SimpleNamespace(execute=fake_execute)):
+            with pytest.raises(isrc.SourceTooLarge):
+                await isrc.resolve_image_source(
+                    "/workspace/huge.png", isrc.ResolveContext(task_id="t1"))
 
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
     async def test_exec_read_nonzero_returncode_raises(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
diff --git a/tools/image_source.py b/tools/image_source.py
index 17b924b52b9..e116566f74c 100644
--- a/tools/image_source.py
+++ b/tools/image_source.py
@@ -277,16 +277,26 @@ async def _resolve_container_fallback(p: Path, ctx: ResolveContext, src: str) ->
             f"session is available to read it",
             src=src, origin="container")
 
+    # Bound the read INSIDE the sandbox: head -c caps at ingest-limit+1 bytes
+    # so a huge file (or /dev/zero) can't stream unbounded base64 into host
+    # memory — the +1 byte lets us distinguish "exactly at the cap" from
+    # "over the cap" after decode. The input redirect (< path) avoids argv
+    # entirely, so leading-dash paths can't be parsed as options; base64
+    # -w0 is GNU-only, so pipe through tr -d for BusyBox.
     # env.execute is a blocking backend exec; keep it off the event loop so a
     # multi-MB base64 read doesn't stall every other coroutine.
+    qp = shlex.quote(str(p))
     res = await asyncio.to_thread(
-        env.execute, f"base64 -- {shlex.quote(str(p))} | tr -d '\\n'")
+        env.execute,
+        f"head -c {_MAX_INGEST_BYTES + 1} < {qp} | base64 | tr -d '\\n'")
     if res.get("returncode", 1) != 0:
         raise SourceNotFound(f"could not read '{p}' inside the sandbox", src=src, origin="container")
     try:
         data = base64.b64decode(res.get("output", ""), validate=True)
     except Exception as exc:
         raise NotAnImage(f"sandbox returned non-image data for '{p}': {exc}", src=src)
+    if len(data) > _MAX_INGEST_BYTES:
+        raise SourceTooLarge("image exceeds size limit", src=src, origin="container")
     return _finalize(data, "", "container", src)