diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 362c2c97..018429ea 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## 1.9.12
+
+* Limit the size of the parallel parsing streaming input buffer
+
 ## 1.9.11
 
 * Fix a line simplification crash when a segment degenerates to a single point
diff --git a/geojson.c b/geojson.c
index 80eafc27..477ea08f 100644
--- a/geojson.c
+++ b/geojson.c
@@ -1711,6 +1711,8 @@ int read_json(int argc, struct source **sourcelist, char *fname, const char *lay
 
 #define READ_BUF 2000
 #define PARSE_MIN 10000000
+#define PARSE_MAX (1LL * 1024 * 1024 * 1024)
+
 				char buf[READ_BUF];
 				int n;
 
@@ -1718,34 +1720,53 @@ int read_json(int argc, struct source **sourcelist, char *fname, const char *lay
 					fwrite_check(buf, sizeof(char), n, readfp, reading);
 					ahead += n;
 
-					if (buf[n - 1] == '\n' && ahead > PARSE_MIN && is_parsing == 0) {
-						if (initial_offset != 0) {
-							if (pthread_join(parallel_parser, NULL) != 0) {
-								perror("pthread_join");
+					if (buf[n - 1] == '\n' && ahead > PARSE_MIN) {
+						int already_waited = 0;
+
+						// Don't let the streaming reader get too far ahead of the parsers.
+						// If the buffered input gets huge, block until the parsers are done.
+						while (ahead >= PARSE_MAX && is_parsing != 0) {
+							if (initial_offset != 0) {
+								if (pthread_join(parallel_parser, NULL) != 0) {
+									perror("pthread_join");
+									exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+								}
+							}
+
+							already_waited = 1;
+						}
+
+						if (is_parsing == 0) {
+							if (!already_waited) {
+								if (initial_offset != 0) {
+									if (pthread_join(parallel_parser, NULL) != 0) {
+										perror("pthread_join");
+										exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+									}
+								}
+							}
+
+							fflush(readfp);
+							start_parsing(readfd, readfp, initial_offset, ahead, &is_parsing, &parallel_parser, reading, reader, &progress_seq, exclude, include, exclude_all, fname, basezoom, source, nlayers, droprate, initialized, initial_x, initial_y);
+
+							initial_offset += ahead;
+							overall_offset += ahead;
+							checkdisk(reader, CPUS);
+							ahead = 0;
+
+							sprintf(readname, "%s%s", tmpdir, "/read.XXXXXXXX");
+							readfd = mkstemp(readname);
+							if (readfd < 0) {
+								perror(readname);
 								exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 							}
+							readfp = fdopen(readfd, "w");
+							if (readfp == NULL) {
+								perror(readname);
+								exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+							}
+							unlink(readname);
 						}
-
-						fflush(readfp);
-						start_parsing(readfd, readfp, initial_offset, ahead, &is_parsing, &parallel_parser, reading, reader, &progress_seq, exclude, include, exclude_all, fname, basezoom, source, nlayers, droprate, initialized, initial_x, initial_y);
-
-						initial_offset += ahead;
-						overall_offset += ahead;
-						checkdisk(reader, CPUS);
-						ahead = 0;
-
-						sprintf(readname, "%s%s", tmpdir, "/read.XXXXXXXX");
-						readfd = mkstemp(readname);
-						if (readfd < 0) {
-							perror(readname);
-							exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-						}
-						readfp = fdopen(readfd, "w");
-						if (readfp == NULL) {
-							perror(readname);
-							exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-						}
-						unlink(readname);
 					}
 				}
 				if (n < 0) {
diff --git a/version.h b/version.h
index 0db3fcd1..fb760ae7 100644
--- a/version.h
+++ b/version.h
@@ -1 +1 @@
-#define VERSION "tippecanoe v1.9.11\n"
+#define VERSION "tippecanoe v1.9.12\n"