diff --git a/src/shared/file_receive.c b/src/shared/file_receive.c
index ffb72df..f21867c 100644
--- a/src/shared/file_receive.c
+++ b/src/shared/file_receive.c
@@ -1696,9 +1696,9 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  if (has_path_traversal(check_path)) {
+  if (check_path[0] == '\0' || has_path_traversal(check_path)) {
     char* escaped_path = output_escape(check_path, log_get_8_bit_output());
-    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Path traversal detected: %s",
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid received check path: %s",
                 escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>");
     free(escaped_path);
     free(check_path);
@@ -1832,6 +1832,7 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
            existing/ignore-existing/update/backup/delay-updates policy. */
         File* materialized = file_create(check_path);
         if (materialized && basis.content) {
+          data_destroy(materialized->data);
           materialized->data = basis.content;
           basis.content = NULL;
           materialized->metadata = file_metadata_create(NULL, &basis.st, false, false);
@@ -2095,6 +2096,7 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
       file->metadata = meta;
       file->xattrs = append_xattrs;
       append_xattrs = NULL;
+      data_destroy(file->data);
       file->data = data_create(full, full_size);
       if (!file->data) { /* data_create already freed full on failure */
         file_destroy(file);
@@ -2247,6 +2249,7 @@ void dir_time_list_init(DirTimeList* list) {
   list->entries = NULL;
   list->count = 0;
   list->capacity = 0;
+  list->bytes = 0;
 }
 
 void dir_time_list_free(DirTimeList* list) {
@@ -2260,11 +2263,19 @@ void dir_time_list_free(DirTimeList* list) {
   list->entries = NULL;
   list->count = 0;
   list->capacity = 0;
+  list->bytes = 0;
 }
 
 bool dir_time_list_add(DirTimeList* list, const char* wire_path, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
   if (!list || !wire_path || !metadata)
     return true; /* nothing to remember; never a hard error */
+  /* Cumulative, not per-frame: the sender may stream a tree across unbounded
+     STATUS_DIR_TIMES frames, so bound the TOTAL retained here.  Reject before
+     touching the list, leaving it exactly as it was (the caller fails the
+     transfer, which becomes a clean protocol error). */
+  size_t path_len = strlen(wire_path);
+  if (list->count >= MAX_DIR_TIME_ENTRIES || path_len > MAX_DIR_TIME_BYTES - list->bytes)
+    return false;
   if (list->count == list->capacity) {
     size_t new_capacity = list->capacity == 0 ? 16 : list->capacity * 2;
     if (new_capacity < list->capacity)
@@ -2291,6 +2302,7 @@ bool dir_time_list_add(DirTimeList* list, const char* wire_path, const FileMetad
   list->paths[list->count] = copy;
   list->entries[list->count] = *metadata;
   list->count++;
+  list->bytes += path_len;
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/shared/file_receive.h b/src/shared/file_receive.h
index 37dc15a..ec6ccfa 100644
--- a/src/shared/file_receive.h
+++ b/src/shared/file_receive.h
@@ -7,6 +7,15 @@
 
 /* Server-side file receive/save path. */
 
+/* Cumulative caps for the deferred directory-time accumulator.  The sender may
+ * legitimately split a large tree across repeated STATUS_DIR_TIMES frames, so a
+ * per-frame bound is not enough: the receiver must bound the TOTAL it retains
+ * against a hostile sender.  Mirror the delete-manifest limits
+ * (MAX_MANIFEST_ENTRIES / MAX_MANIFEST_BYTES): the entry count bounds the
+ * metadata array and the byte budget bounds the concatenated path strings. */
+#define MAX_DIR_TIME_ENTRIES (1024 * 1024)
+#define MAX_DIR_TIME_BYTES (16ULL * 1024 * 1024)
+
 File* file_receive(const Config* config, int file_descriptor);
 File* file_receive_directory(int file_descriptor, const Config* config);
 File* file_receive_dir_time(int file_descriptor, const Config* config);
@@ -28,6 +37,7 @@ typedef struct {
   FileMetadata* entries; /* owned, parallel to paths */
   size_t count;
   size_t capacity;
+  size_t bytes; /* cumulative strlen of every retained path */
 } DirTimeList;
 
 /* Capture gate shared by the sender-side and receiver-side sinks: directory
@@ -39,7 +49,8 @@ bool dir_times_should_capture(const Config* config);
 void dir_time_list_init(DirTimeList* list);
 void dir_time_list_free(DirTimeList* list);
 /* Deep-copy one directory's path + metadata into the list.  Returns false on
- * allocation failure (the caller fails the transfer). */
+ * allocation failure OR when the cumulative entry/byte caps would be exceeded
+ * (the caller fails the transfer). */
 bool dir_time_list_add(DirTimeList* list, const char* wire_path, const FileMetadata* metadata);
 /* Apply every accumulated directory's mtime (and atime when captured) beneath
  * `root_directory`, confined fd-relative.  Best-effort per entry: an absent
diff --git a/tests/test_file.c b/tests/test_file.c
index fd715fc..0f0225d 100644
--- a/tests/test_file.c
+++ b/tests/test_file.c
@@ -1370,6 +1370,76 @@ static void test_dir_time_list() {
   rmdir(root);
 }
 
+/* A hostile sender can stream unbounded STATUS_DIR_TIMES frames; the
+ * accumulator must bound the CUMULATIVE path bytes (not just one frame) and
+ * reject the add that would cross the cap, leaving the list untouched. */
+static void test_dir_time_list_cap() {
+  DirTimeList list;
+  dir_time_list_init(&list);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)list.bytes, 0);
+  FileMetadata metadata = {.mtime_sec = 1, .mtime_nsec = 0};
+
+  size_t path_len = MAX_STRING_SIZE - 1;
+  char* path = malloc(path_len + 1);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(path);
+  memset(path, 'a', path_len);
+  path[path_len] = '\0';
+
+  bool rejected = false;
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < MAX_DIR_TIME_ENTRIES + 1 && !rejected; i++) {
+    size_t before_count = list.count;
+    size_t before_bytes = list.bytes;
+    if (!dir_time_list_add(&list, path, &metadata)) {
+      rejected = true;
+      /* The rejected add must not have partially mutated the list. */
+      EXPECT_TRUE(list.count == before_count);
+      EXPECT_TRUE(list.bytes == before_bytes);
+    } else {
+      EXPECT_TRUE(list.count == before_count + 1);
+      EXPECT_TRUE(list.bytes == before_bytes + path_len);
+    }
+  }
+  EXPECT_TRUE(rejected);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(list.count <= MAX_DIR_TIME_ENTRIES);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(list.bytes <= MAX_DIR_TIME_BYTES);
+
+  /* The retained entries are still intact and freeable after the rejection. */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(list.count > 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(strcmp(list.paths[0], path) == 0);
+  dir_time_list_free(&list);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)list.bytes, 0);
+  free(path);
+}
+
+/* receive_incremental_check must reject an empty check_path; every other
+ * receive path rejects path[0]=='\0'.  Feed the check header (empty wire path
+ * + size/mtime/nsec) and assert the check is refused without being skipped. */
+static void test_receive_incremental_check_empty_path() {
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->checksum = false;
+
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(p), 0);
+  size_t wire_len = 0;
+  unsigned long long check_size = 0;
+  long long check_mtime = 0;
+  long long check_mtime_nsec = 0;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &wire_len, sizeof(wire_len)));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &check_size, sizeof(check_size)));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &check_mtime, sizeof(check_mtime)));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &check_mtime_nsec, sizeof(check_mtime_nsec)));
+
+  bool skipped = true;
+  File* file = receive_incremental_check(p[0], cfg, &skipped);
+  EXPECT_NULL(file);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(skipped);
+
+  close(p[0]);
+  close(p[1]);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+}
+
 /* -K/--keep-dirlinks secure open: with an authorized root, a destination path
  * component that is a symlink to an IN-ROOT directory is used as that directory
  * (its referent is opened through a relative O_NOFOLLOW walk from the root fd,
@@ -1531,6 +1601,8 @@ void test_file() {
   }
   test_file_metadata_create();
   test_dir_time_list();
+  test_dir_time_list_cap();
+  test_receive_incremental_check_empty_path();
   test_keep_dirlinks_secure_open();
   test_inplace_overwrite_clears_special_mode_bits();
   test_inplace_overwrite_metadata_strips_special_bits();