diff --git a/lib/plugins/helper/toc.ts b/lib/plugins/helper/toc.ts
index 02a4b1ad7d..f933e177e8 100644
--- a/lib/plugins/helper/toc.ts
+++ b/lib/plugins/helper/toc.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { tocObj, escapeHTML, encodeURL } from 'hexo-util';
 interface Options {
   min_depth?: number;
   max_depth?: number;
+  max_items?: number;
   class?: string;
   class_item?: string;
   class_link?: string;
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ function tocHelper(str: string, options: Options = {}) {
   options = Object.assign({
     min_depth: 1,
     max_depth: 6,
+    max_items: Infinity,
     class: 'toc',
     class_item: '',
     class_link: '',
@@ -27,7 +29,7 @@ function tocHelper(str: string, options: Options = {}) {
     list_number: true
   }, options);
 
-  const data = tocObj(str, { min_depth: options.min_depth, max_depth: options.max_depth });
+  const data = getAndTruncateTocObj(str, { min_depth: options.min_depth, max_depth: options.max_depth }, options.max_items);
 
   if (!data.length) return '';
 
@@ -102,4 +104,27 @@ function tocHelper(str: string, options: Options = {}) {
   return result;
 }
 
+function getAndTruncateTocObj(str: string, options: {min_depth: number, max_depth: number}, max_items: number) {
+  let data = tocObj(str, { min_depth: options.min_depth, max_depth: options.max_depth });
+
+  if (data.length === 0) {
+    return data;
+  }
+  if (max_items < 1 || max_items === Infinity) {
+    return data;
+  }
+
+  const levels = data.map(item => item.level);
+  const min = Math.min(...levels);
+  const max = Math.max(...levels);
+
+  for (let currentLevel = max; data.length > max_items && currentLevel > min; currentLevel--) {
+    data = data.filter(item => item.level < currentLevel);
+  }
+
+  data = data.slice(0, max_items);
+
+  return data;
+}
+
 export = tocHelper;
diff --git a/test/scripts/helpers/toc.ts b/test/scripts/helpers/toc.ts
index 75b479b2ec..2070f1b6c9 100644
--- a/test/scripts/helpers/toc.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/helpers/toc.ts
@@ -552,4 +552,140 @@ describe('toc', () => {
 
     toc(html, { class: 'foo', class_child: 'bar' }).should.eql(expected);
   });
+
+  it('max_items - result contains only h1 items', () => {
+    const className = 'toc';
+    const expected = [
+      '<ol class="' + className + '">',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_1">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">1.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 1</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      // '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      // <!-- h2 is truncated -->
+      // '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_2">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">2.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 2</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      // '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      // <!-- h2 is truncated -->
+      // '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_3">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">3.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title should escape &amp;, &lt;, &#39;, and &quot;</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_4">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">4.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Chapter 1 should be printed to toc</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      '</ol>'
+    ].join('');
+
+    toc(html, { max_items: 4}).should.eql(expected); // The number of `h1` is 4
+    toc(html, { max_items: 7}).should.eql(expected); // Maximum number 7 cannot display up to `h2`
+  });
+
+  it('max_items - result contains h1 and h2 items', () => {
+    const className = 'toc';
+    const expected = [
+      '<ol class="' + className + '">',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_1">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">1.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 1</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-2">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_1_1">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">1.1.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 1.1</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      // '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      // <!-- h3 is truncated -->
+      // '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-2">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_1_2">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">1.2.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 1.2</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-2">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_1_3">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">1.3.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 1.3</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      // '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      // <!-- h3 is truncated -->
+      // '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_2">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">2.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 2</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-2">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_2_1">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">2.1.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 2.1</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_3">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">3.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title should escape &amp;, &lt;, &#39;, and &quot;</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_4">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">4.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Chapter 1 should be printed to toc</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      '</ol>'
+    ].join('');
+
+    toc(html, { max_items: 8}).should.eql(expected); // Maximum number 8 can display up to `h2`
+    toc(html, { max_items: 9}).should.eql(expected); // Maximum number 10 is required to display up to `h3`
+  });
+
+  it('max_items - result of h1 was truncated', () => {
+    const className = 'toc';
+    const expected = [
+      '<ol class="' + className + '">',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_1">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">1.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 1</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      // '<ol class="' + className + '-child">',
+      // <!-- h2 is truncated -->
+      // '</ol>',
+      '</li>',
+      '<li class="' + className + '-item ' + className + '-level-1">',
+      '<a class="' + className + '-link" href="#title_2">',
+      '<span class="' + className + '-number">2.</span> ', // list_number enabled
+      '<span class="' + className + '-text">Title 2</span>',
+      '</a>',
+      '</li>',
+      // <!-- `h1` is truncated from the end -->
+      '</ol>'
+    ].join('');
+
+    toc(html, { max_items: 2}).should.eql(expected); // `h1` is truncated from the end
+  });
 });