diff --git a/docs/binary-diagnostics.md b/docs/binary-diagnostics.md
index 9820f3bcb..fc110b685 100644
--- a/docs/binary-diagnostics.md
+++ b/docs/binary-diagnostics.md
@@ -181,7 +181,8 @@ payload ranges are supported. The supported tree has three levels: type, name,
 and language. Other resource payload formats remain opaque.
 
 `max_file_bytes` defaults to 64 MiB (maximum 512 MiB); `max_entries` defaults to
-4096 (maximum 65536). CLI options are `--max-file-bytes` and `--max-entries`.
+16384, the largest stock Windows resource image measured with headroom
+(maximum 65536). CLI options are `--max-file-bytes` and `--max-entries`.
 Metadata is bounded to 8 MiB; exceeding any budget fails without truncation.
 Large Evidence envelopes may require a caller-configured MCP transport receive
 buffer because envelope copies add overhead. Requests honor cancellation during
diff --git a/src/domain/native/peResources.ts b/src/domain/native/peResources.ts
index 977ac36ad..80fcc80bb 100644
--- a/src/domain/native/peResources.ts
+++ b/src/domain/native/peResources.ts
@@ -22,12 +22,17 @@ export const inspectPeResourcesInputSchema = z.strictObject({
     .max(536870912)
     .default(67108864)
     .describe("Maximum stable artifact bytes to read (default 64 MiB)"),
+  // Windows resource images carry thousands of entries: Windows 11 25H2
+  // SystemResources measures imageres.dll.mun at 6476 examined entries,
+  // shell32.dll.mun at 5903 and wmploc.DLL.mun at 5440. The default admits
+  // those stock images with headroom; the independent 8 MiB metadata budget
+  // still bounds allocation.
   max_entries: z
     .number()
     .int()
     .min(1)
     .max(65536)
-    .default(4096)
+    .default(16384)
     .describe(
       "Maximum resource directory entries to examine; exceeding the budget fails without partial success",
     ),
diff --git a/src/native/pe/PeResources.fixture.ts b/src/native/pe/PeResources.fixture.ts
index 803ae3377..d50136e29 100644
--- a/src/native/pe/PeResources.fixture.ts
+++ b/src/native/pe/PeResources.fixture.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export const peResourceFixture = (
     { type: 10, name: 7, language: 1041, payload: Buffer.from("World") },
     { type: 14, name: 42, language: 1033, payload: iconGroup() },
   ],
+  sectionBytes = 65536,
 ) => {
   const tree: Tree = { children: new Map() };
   for (const resource of resources) {
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ export const peResourceFixture = (
       if ("children" in child.value) parent = child.value;
     }
   }
-  const section = Buffer.alloc(65536);
+  const section = Buffer.alloc(sectionBytes);
   let cursor = 0;
   const allocate = (size: number, alignment = 4): number => {
     cursor = Math.ceil(cursor / alignment) * alignment;
diff --git a/tests/boundary/filesystem/peResources.test.ts b/tests/boundary/filesystem/peResources.test.ts
index 5196f3949..70ae2b4f2 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/filesystem/peResources.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/filesystem/peResources.test.ts
@@ -58,4 +58,40 @@ describe("PE resource stable filesystem boundary", () => {
     if (result.ok) throw new Error("Expected cancellation");
     expect(result.error._tag).toBe("AnalysisCancelledError");
   });
+
+  it("admits the largest measured stock Windows resource table by default", async () => {
+    // Windows 11 25H2 SystemResources measures imageres.dll.mun at 6476
+    // examined entries; the default budget must admit real system images, not
+    // only small fixtures. Two types with 1620 and 1617 one-language names
+    // examine 2 + 2 * 3237 entries.
+    const resources = [
+      ...Array.from({ length: 1620 }, (_unused, index) => ({
+        type: 10,
+        name: index + 1,
+        language: 1033,
+        payload: Buffer.from([index % 256]),
+      })),
+      ...Array.from({ length: 1617 }, (_unused, index) => ({
+        type: 3,
+        name: index + 1,
+        language: 1033,
+        payload: Buffer.from([index % 256]),
+      })),
+    ];
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-pe-resource-stock-scale-");
+    const path = join(root, "image.exe");
+    await writeFile(path, peResourceFixture(false, resources, 262144).bytes);
+    const result = await createPeResourcesService().inspect({ path });
+    if (!result.ok)
+      throw new Error(
+        `Expected the default budgets to admit the image: ${result.error.message}`,
+      );
+    expect(result.value.normalized_result).toMatchObject({
+      coverage: {
+        status: "complete",
+        examined_entries: 6476,
+        resources: 3237,
+      },
+    });
+  });
 });