diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 69c284e..6d07afb 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ OBJS=mkdio.o markdown.o dumptree.o generate.o \
      github_flavoured.o setup.o tags.o html5.o \
      pgm_options.o flags.o v2compat.o flagprocs.o \
      @AMALLOC@ @H1TITLE@
-TESTFRAMEWORK=rep echo cols branch pandoc_headers space2nl
+TESTFRAMEWORK=300 rep echo cols branch pandoc_headers space2nl
 
 # modules that markdown, makepage, mkd2html, &tc use
 COMMON=gethopt.o notspecial.o
@@ -152,6 +152,11 @@ rep.o : tools/rep.c
 rep:    rep.o
 	$(LINK) -o rep rep.o
 	
+300.o : tools/300.c
+	$(BUILD) -c -o 300.o tools/300.c
+300:    300.o
+	$(LINK) -o 300 300.o
+	
 branch.o: tools/branch.c config.h
 	$(BUILD) -c -o branch.o tools/branch.c
 branch: branch.o
diff --git a/configure.sh b/configure.sh
index 2f2c1c8..226631b 100755
--- a/configure.sh
+++ b/configure.sh
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ ac_help='--enable-amalloc	Enable memory allocation debugging
 --container		Build inside a container
 --pkg-config		Install pkg-config(1) glue files
 --cxx-binding		Install header files with c++ wrappers
+--with-recursion=NNN	how deeply things can nest before the become just text
 --github-checkbox[=input] Enable github-style checkboxes in lists
 			(if =input, use <input checkbox>, otherwise
 			use html ballot entities)'
@@ -238,6 +239,11 @@ else
     AC_SUB 'THEME' '#'
 fi
 
+if [ -z "$WITH_RECURSION" ]; then
+    WITH_RECURSION=200
+fi
+AC_DEFINE 'MAX_RECURSION' $WITH_RECURSION
+
 if [ -z "$WITH_TABSTOPS" ]; then
     TABSTOP=4
 elif [ "$WITH_TABSTOPS" -eq 1 ]; then
diff --git a/generate.c b/generate.c
index 5ec1c5b..29de73c 100644
--- a/generate.c
+++ b/generate.c
@@ -235,6 +235,7 @@ ___mkd_reparse(char *bfr, int size, mkd_flag_t* flags, MMIOT *f, char *esc)
     pushc(0, &sub);
     S(sub.in)--;
 
+    sub.recursion = f->recursion+1;
     text(&sub);
     ___mkd_emblock(&sub);
 
@@ -1476,7 +1477,8 @@ text(MMIOT *f)
 			    || (f->last == 0)
 			    || ((ispunct(f->last) || isspace(f->last))
 						    && f->last != ')')
-			    || isthisspace(f,1) )
+			    || isthisspace(f,1)
+			    || f->recursion > MAX_RECURSION )
 			Qchar(c,f);
 		    else {
 			char *sup = cursor(f);
diff --git a/markdown.c b/markdown.c
index 0e2b615..2cb0766 100644
--- a/markdown.c
+++ b/markdown.c
@@ -1434,9 +1434,14 @@ compile(Line *ptr, int toplevel, MMIOT *f)
 
     ptr = consume(ptr, &para);
 
+    ++(f->recursion);
     while ( ptr ) {
 
-	if ( iscode(ptr) ) {
+	if ( f->recursion > MAX_RECURSION ) {
+	    p = Pp(&d, ptr, MARKUP);
+	    ptr = textblock(p, toplevel, &(f->flags) );
+	}
+	else if ( iscode(ptr) ) {
 	    p = Pp(&d, ptr, CODE);
 
 	    if ( is_flag_set(&(f->flags), MKD_1_COMPAT) ) {
@@ -1530,6 +1535,7 @@ compile(Line *ptr, int toplevel, MMIOT *f)
 	    p->align = PARA;
 
     }
+    (f->recursion)--;
     return T(d);
 }
 
diff --git a/markdown.h b/markdown.h
index 04d4af6..e7845b8 100644
--- a/markdown.h
+++ b/markdown.h
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ typedef struct mmiot {
     Qblock Q;
     char last;				/* last text character added to out */
     int isp;
+    int recursion;
     struct escaped *esc;
     char *ref_prefix;
     struct footnote_list *footnotes;
diff --git a/tests/limits.t b/tests/limits.t
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c734d2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/limits.t
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+. tests/functions.sh
+
+title 'Recursion limits'
+rc=0
+
+limits() {
+    try_header "$1"
+
+    res=`./300 400 $3 $4 $5 | ./markdown | tr -dc "$2" | wc -c`
+
+    if (( $res > 0 )); then
+	# it worked
+	test $VERBOSE && ./echo " ok"
+    else
+	test "$VERBOSE" && ./echo "failed"
+	rc=1
+    fi
+    
+}
+
+
+limits "superscripts" "()" "2^(" "A" ")"
+
+limits "list items" "1" "1. " "item"
+
+limits "blockquotes" ">" "> " "item"
+
+summary $0
+exit $rc
diff --git a/tools/300.c b/tools/300.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c184a57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/300.c
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+main(argc, argv)
+int argc;
+char **argv;
+{
+    int reps;
+    int i;
+    char *pattern1, *text = NULL, *pattern2 = NULL;
+
+    if ( argc < 3 ) {
+	fprintf(stderr, "usage: 300 reps pattern1 [text [pattern2]]\n");
+	exit(1);
+    }
+
+
+    reps = atoi(argv[1]);
+    pattern1 = argv[2];
+    if ( argc > 3 )
+	text = argv[3];
+    if ( argc > 4 )
+	pattern2 = argv[4];
+
+    for ( i=0; i < reps; i++ )
+	printf("%s", pattern1);
+
+    if ( text )
+	printf(" %s ", text);
+
+    if ( pattern2 )
+	for ( i=0; i < reps; i++ )
+	    printf("%s", pattern2);
+
+    putchar('\n');
+}