diff --git a/src/agents/provider-http-errors.test.ts b/src/agents/provider-http-errors.test.ts
index 4c3ab7b8454d..6a843fd827f3 100644
--- a/src/agents/provider-http-errors.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/provider-http-errors.test.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,32 @@ function createStreamingBinaryResponse(params: {
   };
 }
 
+function createStreamingJsonResponse(params: { chunkCount: number; chunkSize: number }): {
+  response: Response;
+  getReadCount: () => number;
+} {
+  // Streaming fixture proves oversized JSON reads stop before buffering everything.
+  let reads = 0;
+  const encoder = new TextEncoder();
+  const stream = new ReadableStream<Uint8Array>({
+    pull(controller) {
+      if (reads >= params.chunkCount) {
+        controller.close();
+        return;
+      }
+      reads += 1;
+      controller.enqueue(encoder.encode("a".repeat(params.chunkSize)));
+    },
+  });
+  return {
+    response: new Response(stream, {
+      status: 200,
+      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+    }),
+    getReadCount: () => reads,
+  };
+}
+
 describe("provider error utils", () => {
   it("formats nested provider error details with request ids", async () => {
     const response = new Response(
@@ -211,6 +237,32 @@ describe("provider error utils", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("parses well-formed JSON responses under the byte cap", async () => {
+    const response = new Response(JSON.stringify({ models: ["a", "b"] }), {
+      status: 200,
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+    });
+
+    await expect(
+      readProviderJsonResponse<{ models: string[] }>(response, "Provider catalog failed"),
+    ).resolves.toEqual({ models: ["a", "b"] });
+  });
+
+  it("caps successful JSON responses instead of buffering oversized bodies", async () => {
+    const streamed = createStreamingJsonResponse({
+      chunkCount: 20,
+      chunkSize: 1024,
+    });
+
+    await expect(
+      readProviderJsonResponse(streamed.response, "Provider catalog failed", {
+        maxBytes: 2048,
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("Provider catalog failed: JSON response exceeds 2048 bytes");
+
+    expect(streamed.getReadCount()).toBeLessThan(20);
+  });
+
   it("caps successful binary responses instead of buffering oversized bodies", async () => {
     const streamed = createStreamingBinaryResponse({
       chunkCount: 20,
diff --git a/src/agents/provider-http-errors.ts b/src/agents/provider-http-errors.ts
index 7099b3fd49e1..dbfe7c06ed3d 100644
--- a/src/agents/provider-http-errors.ts
+++ b/src/agents/provider-http-errors.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export { normalizeOptionalString as trimToUndefined } from "../../packages/norma
 
 const ERROR_BODY_METADATA_LIMIT = 500;
 const PROVIDER_BINARY_RESPONSE_MAX_BYTES = 16 * 1024 * 1024;
+const PROVIDER_JSON_RESPONSE_MAX_BYTES = 16 * 1024 * 1024;
 
 /** Returns a plain object view for provider JSON payloads when one exists. */
 export function asObject(value: unknown): Record<string, unknown> | undefined {
@@ -287,10 +288,24 @@ export async function assertOkOrThrowHttpError(response: Response, label: string
   throw await createProviderHttpError(response, label, { statusPrefix: "HTTP " });
 }
 
-/** Parses a provider JSON response and wraps malformed JSON with the caller's label. */
-export async function readProviderJsonResponse<T>(response: Response, label: string): Promise<T> {
+/**
+ * Parses a provider JSON response under a byte cap and wraps malformed JSON with the caller's label.
+ *
+ * The body is read through the same bounded reader as binary responses so a provider that streams an
+ * unbounded JSON body cannot force the runtime to buffer the whole payload before parsing.
+ */
+export async function readProviderJsonResponse<T>(
+  response: Response,
+  label: string,
+  opts?: { maxBytes?: number },
+): Promise<T> {
+  const maxBytes = opts?.maxBytes ?? PROVIDER_JSON_RESPONSE_MAX_BYTES;
+  const bytes = await readResponseWithLimit(response, maxBytes, {
+    onOverflow: ({ maxBytes: maxBytesLocal }) =>
+      new Error(`${label}: JSON response exceeds ${maxBytesLocal} bytes`),
+  });
   try {
-    return (await response.json()) as T;
+    return JSON.parse(new TextDecoder().decode(bytes)) as T;
   } catch (cause) {
     throw new Error(`${label}: malformed JSON response`, { cause });
   }