diff --git a/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.test.ts b/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.test.ts
index 64f36c0ab8c..a45e8321bf5 100644
--- a/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   ensureLocalAdapterStateDir,
   isLocalAdapterProcess,
   killLocalAdapterPid,
+  LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES,
   loadLocalAdapterPid,
   localAdapterTokenHash,
   persistLocalAdapterPid,
@@ -155,6 +156,113 @@ describe("local adapter lifecycle", () => {
       }),
     ).resolves.toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it("fails closed when a chunked health response exceeds the memory budget", async () => {
+    const expectedTokenHash = localAdapterTokenHash("secret-token");
+    const payload = Buffer.from(
+      JSON.stringify({
+        tokenHash: expectedTokenHash,
+        padding: " ".repeat(LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES),
+      }),
+    );
+    const server = http.createServer((_req, res) => {
+      res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "application/json" });
+      res.write(payload.subarray(0, LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES));
+      res.end(payload.subarray(LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES));
+    });
+    const port = await listen(server);
+
+    await expect(
+      probeLocalAdapterHealth({
+        host: "127.0.0.1",
+        port,
+        expectedTokenHash,
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("accepts a valid health response at the memory budget", async () => {
+    const expectedTokenHash = localAdapterTokenHash("secret-token");
+    const emptyPayload = JSON.stringify({ tokenHash: expectedTokenHash, padding: "" });
+    const payload = Buffer.from(
+      JSON.stringify({
+        tokenHash: expectedTokenHash,
+        padding: " ".repeat(
+          LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES - Buffer.byteLength(emptyPayload),
+        ),
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(payload).toHaveLength(LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES);
+    const server = http.createServer((_req, res) => {
+      res.writeHead(200, {
+        "Content-Length": String(payload.length),
+        "Content-Type": "application/json",
+      });
+      res.end(payload);
+    });
+    const port = await listen(server);
+
+    await expect(
+      probeLocalAdapterHealth({
+        host: "127.0.0.1",
+        port,
+        expectedTokenHash,
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("fails closed when a health response closes before completion", async () => {
+    const expectedTokenHash = localAdapterTokenHash("secret-token");
+    const server = http.createServer((_req, res) => {
+      res.writeHead(200, {
+        "Content-Length": "128",
+        "Content-Type": "application/json",
+      });
+      res.write('{"tokenHash":"');
+      res.socket?.destroy();
+    });
+    const port = await listen(server);
+
+    await expect(
+      probeLocalAdapterHealth({
+        host: "127.0.0.1",
+        port,
+        expectedTokenHash,
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("destroys a declared health response above the memory budget before buffering", async () => {
+    const expectedTokenHash = localAdapterTokenHash("secret-token");
+    const declaredBytes = LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES + 1;
+    const destroySpy = vi.spyOn(http.IncomingMessage.prototype, "destroy");
+    const server = http.createServer((_req, res) => {
+      res.writeHead(200, {
+        "Content-Length": String(declaredBytes),
+        "Content-Type": "application/json",
+      });
+      res.end();
+    });
+    const port = await listen(server);
+
+    await expect(
+      probeLocalAdapterHealth({
+        host: "127.0.0.1",
+        port,
+        expectedTokenHash,
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      destroySpy.mock.calls.some((args, index) => {
+        const response = destroySpy.mock.contexts[index] as http.IncomingMessage;
+        return (
+          response.statusCode === 200 &&
+          response.headers["content-length"] === String(declaredBytes) &&
+          args.length === 0
+        );
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("ensureLocalAdapterStateDir", () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.ts b/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.ts
index 65a8ed9891f..2565dc56fd5 100644
--- a/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.ts
+++ b/src/lib/inference/local-adapter-lifecycle.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export type RunFn = (
 export type LocalAdapterProcessMatcher = string | RegExp | ((commandLine: string) => boolean);
 
 export const DEFAULT_LOCAL_ADAPTER_STATE_DIR = nemoclawStateRoot(os.homedir(), GATEWAY_PORT);
+export const LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES = 64 * 1024;
 
 export function ensureLocalAdapterStateDir(stateDir = DEFAULT_LOCAL_ADAPTER_STATE_DIR): void {
   rejectSymlinksOnPath(stateDir);
@@ -191,6 +192,12 @@ export function probeLocalAdapterHealth(options: {
   tokenHashField?: string;
 }): Promise<boolean> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    let settled = false;
+    const settle = (healthy: boolean) => {
+      if (settled) return;
+      settled = true;
+      resolve(healthy);
+    };
     const req = http.request(
       {
         hostname: options.host,
@@ -200,31 +207,59 @@ export function probeLocalAdapterHealth(options: {
         timeout: options.timeoutMs || 1000,
       },
       (res) => {
+        const declaredBytes = Number(res.headers["content-length"]);
+        if (
+          Number.isFinite(declaredBytes) &&
+          declaredBytes > LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES
+        ) {
+          res.destroy();
+          settle(false);
+          return;
+        }
+
         const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
-        res.on("data", (chunk) => chunks.push(Buffer.from(chunk)));
+        let receivedBytes = 0;
+        res.on("data", (chunk) => {
+          if (settled) return;
+          const chunkBytes = Buffer.isBuffer(chunk) ? chunk.length : Buffer.byteLength(chunk);
+          if (receivedBytes + chunkBytes > LOCAL_ADAPTER_HEALTH_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES) {
+            chunks.length = 0;
+            res.destroy();
+            settle(false);
+            return;
+          }
+          receivedBytes += chunkBytes;
+          const buffer = Buffer.isBuffer(chunk) ? chunk : Buffer.from(chunk);
+          chunks.push(buffer);
+        });
+        res.on("close", () => {
+          if (!res.complete) settle(false);
+        });
+        res.on("error", () => settle(false));
         res.on("end", () => {
+          if (settled) return;
           if (res.statusCode !== 200) {
-            resolve(false);
+            settle(false);
             return;
           }
           if (!options.expectedTokenHash) {
-            resolve(true);
+            settle(true);
             return;
           }
           try {
             const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString("utf8")) as JsonObject;
-            resolve(body[options.tokenHashField || "tokenHash"] === options.expectedTokenHash);
+            settle(body[options.tokenHashField || "tokenHash"] === options.expectedTokenHash);
           } catch {
-            resolve(false);
+            settle(false);
           }
         });
       },
     );
     req.on("timeout", () => {
       req.destroy();
-      resolve(false);
+      settle(false);
     });
-    req.on("error", () => resolve(false));
+    req.on("error", () => settle(false));
     req.end();
   });
 }