diff --git a/src/native/exports/NativeExportParser.ts b/src/native/exports/NativeExportParser.ts
index c1313d0f75..5302adc06a 100644
--- a/src/native/exports/NativeExportParser.ts
+++ b/src/native/exports/NativeExportParser.ts
@@ -36,18 +36,29 @@ const MAXIMUM_NAME_BYTES = 4096;
 /** Text retained across all rows; names can repeat one long string table entry. */
 const MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES = 16 * 1024 * 1024;
 
+const retainedTextBytes = (...strings: readonly (string | null)[]): number =>
+  strings.reduce(
+    (bytes, value) =>
+      bytes + (value === null ? 0 : Buffer.byteLength(value, "utf8")),
+    0,
+  );
+
+const checkRetainedText = (bytes: number): void => {
+  if (bytes > MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES)
+    throw new BinaryResourceFailure(
+      "structure",
+      MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES,
+      `Export names exceed the ${String(MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES)}-byte retained-text allowance`,
+    );
+};
+
 /** Charge retained text and rows at their owning storage boundary. */
 const createRetention = () => {
   let rows = 0;
   let text = 0;
   const retainText = (...strings: readonly (string | null)[]): void => {
-    for (const value of strings) text += value?.length ?? 0;
-    if (text > MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES)
-      throw new BinaryResourceFailure(
-        "structure",
-        MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES,
-        `Export names exceed the ${String(MAXIMUM_RETAINED_TEXT_BYTES)}-byte retained-text allowance`,
-      );
+    text += retainedTextBytes(...strings);
+    checkRetainedText(text);
   };
   return {
     text: retainText,
@@ -316,8 +327,25 @@ const readVersionNames = (
   issues: NativeExportIssue[],
 ): Map<number, DecodedElfString | null> => {
   const namesByIndex = new Map<number, DecodedElfString | null>();
+  // This intermediate map owns its storage independently of repeated text in
+  // output rows. Replacing an index releases its previous decoded name.
+  let textBytes = 0;
   const addName = (index: number, name: Buffer): void => {
-    namesByIndex.set(index, name.length === 0 ? null : decodeElfString(name));
+    const decoded = name.length === 0 ? null : decodeElfString(name);
+    const previous = namesByIndex.get(index);
+    const nextTextBytes =
+      textBytes -
+      retainedTextBytes(
+        previous?.name ?? null,
+        previous?.name_bytes_base64 ?? null,
+      ) +
+      retainedTextBytes(
+        decoded?.name ?? null,
+        decoded?.name_bytes_base64 ?? null,
+      );
+    checkRetainedText(nextTextBytes);
+    namesByIndex.set(index, decoded);
+    textBytes = nextTextBytes;
   };
   const verneed = sections.find(({ type }) => type === SHT_GNU_VERNEED);
   if (verneed !== undefined) {
diff --git a/tests/boundary/filesystem/nativeExports.test.ts b/tests/boundary/filesystem/nativeExports.test.ts
index 7afeba3a24..a4e98b597f 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/filesystem/nativeExports.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/filesystem/nativeExports.test.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,104 @@ describe("native export stable filesystem boundary", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("native export text capacity", () => {
+  it.each(["symbol", "version"] as const)(
+    "bounds UTF-8 bytes of retained ELF %s text and its exact-byte spelling",
+    async (kind) => {
+      const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-native-export-text-");
+      const service = createNativeExportsService();
+      const text = "€".repeat(20_000);
+      const rawName = Buffer.from(text, "utf8").toString("latin1");
+      try {
+        for (const count of [119, 160]) {
+          const path = join(root, `${kind}-${String(count)}.so`);
+          const bytes = elfExportImage({
+            symbols: Array.from({ length: count }, () =>
+              kind === "symbol" ? { name: rawName } : { name: "a", version: 2 },
+            ),
+            ...(kind === "version"
+              ? { versionDefinitions: ["lib.so", rawName] }
+              : {}),
+          });
+          expect(bytes.length).toBeLessThan(70_000);
+          await writeFile(path, bytes);
+          const result = await service.inspect({ path });
+          if (count === 160) {
+            expect(result).toMatchObject({
+              ok: false,
+              error: { _tag: "AnalysisResourceConstraintError" },
+            });
+            continue;
+          }
+          if (!result.ok) throw new Error(JSON.stringify(result.error));
+          const report = nativeExportsSchema.parse(
+            result.value.normalized_result,
+          );
+          if (report.format !== "elf") throw new Error("Expected ELF report");
+          expect(report.coverage).toMatchObject({
+            status: "complete",
+            exports: count,
+          });
+          const row = report.exports[0]!;
+          const name = kind === "symbol" ? row : row.version;
+          expect(name).toMatchObject({
+            name: text,
+            name_bytes_base64: Buffer.from(text, "utf8").toString("base64"),
+            name_utf8_decodable: true,
+          });
+        }
+      } finally {
+        await service.close();
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("bounds intermediate ELF version names even when no symbols use them", async () => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-native-export-versions-");
+    const service = createNativeExportsService();
+    try {
+      for (const count of [279, 280]) {
+        const path = join(root, `versions-${String(count)}.so`);
+        const bytes = elfExportImage({
+          symbols: [],
+          versionDefinitions: Array<string>(count).fill("v".repeat(60_000)),
+          // Definitions replace requirements at the same indices; released
+          // names must not remain charged against the live map's allowance.
+          ...(count === 279
+            ? {
+                versionRequirements: Array.from(
+                  { length: count },
+                  (_, index) => ({
+                    index: index + 1,
+                    name: "w".repeat(60_000),
+                  }),
+                ),
+              }
+            : {}),
+        });
+        expect(bytes.length).toBeLessThan(140_000);
+        await writeFile(path, bytes);
+        const result = await service.inspect({ path });
+        if (count === 280)
+          expect(result).toMatchObject({
+            ok: false,
+            error: { _tag: "AnalysisResourceConstraintError" },
+          });
+        else {
+          if (!result.ok) throw new Error(JSON.stringify(result.error));
+          expect(result.value.normalized_result).toMatchObject({
+            exports: [],
+            issues: [],
+            coverage: { status: "complete", exports: 0 },
+          });
+        }
+      }
+    } finally {
+      await service.close();
+    }
+  });
+});
+
 describe("native export encoding and failures", () => {
   it("keeps ELF symbol bytes while exposing valid UTF-8 text", async () => {
     const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-native-export-unicode-");