diff --git a/packages/kit/src/runtime/server/page.js b/packages/kit/src/runtime/server/page.js
index 104ee43052f5..2455d97b844b 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/runtime/server/page.js
+++ b/packages/kit/src/runtime/server/page.js
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import { parse, resolve, URLSearchParams } from 'url';
 import { normalize } from '../load.js';
 import { ssr } from './index.js';
 
+const s = JSON.stringify;
+
 /**
  * @param {{
  *   request: import('types.internal').Request;
@@ -26,7 +28,15 @@ async function get_response({ request, options, $session, route, status = 200, e
 		throw new Error(`Failed to serialize session data: ${error.message}`);
 	});
 
-	/** @type {Array<{ url: string, payload: string }>} */
+	/** @type {Array<{
+	 *   url: string;
+	 *   payload: {
+	 *     status: number;
+	 *     statusText: string;
+	 *     headers: import('types.internal').Headers;
+	 *     body: string;
+	 *   }
+	 * }>} */
 	const serialized_data = [];
 
 	const match = route && route.pattern.exec(request.path);
@@ -148,25 +158,51 @@ async function get_response({ request, options, $session, route, status = 200, e
 		}
 
 		if (response) {
-			const clone = response.clone();
-
 			/** @type {import('types.internal').Headers} */
 			const headers = {};
-			clone.headers.forEach((value, key) => {
+			response.headers.forEach((value, key) => {
 				if (key !== 'etag') headers[key] = value;
 			});
 
-			const payload = JSON.stringify({
-				status: clone.status,
-				statusText: clone.statusText,
-				headers,
-				body: await clone.text() // TODO handle binary data
-			});
+			const inline = {
+				url,
+				payload: {
+					status: response.status,
+					statusText: response.statusText,
+					headers,
 
-			// TODO i guess we need to sanitize/escape this... somehow?
-			serialized_data.push({ url, payload });
+					/** @type {string} */
+					body: null
+				}
+			};
+
+			const proxy = new Proxy(response, {
+				get(response, key, receiver) {
+					if (key === 'text') {
+						return async () => {
+							const text = await response.text();
+							inline.payload.body = text;
+							serialized_data.push(inline);
+							return text;
+						};
+					}
+
+					if (key === 'json') {
+						return async () => {
+							const json = await response.json();
+							inline.payload.body = s(json);
+							serialized_data.push(inline);
+							return json;
+						};
+					}
+
+					// TODO arrayBuffer?
+
+					return Reflect.get(response, key, receiver);
+				}
+			});
 
-			return response;
+			return proxy;
 		}
 
 		return new Response('Not found', {
@@ -327,7 +363,6 @@ async function get_response({ request, options, $session, route, status = 200, e
 	const css_deps = route ? route.css : [];
 	const style = route ? route.style : '';
 
-	const s = JSON.stringify;
 	const prefix = `${options.paths.assets}/${options.app_dir}`;
 
 	// TODO strip the AMP stuff out of the build if not relevant
@@ -380,7 +415,7 @@ async function get_response({ request, options, $session, route, status = 200, e
 		: `${rendered.html}
 
 			${serialized_data
-				.map(({ url, payload }) => `<script type="svelte-data" url="${url}">${payload}</script>`)
+				.map(({ url, payload }) => `<script type="svelte-data" url="${url}">${s(payload)}</script>`)
 				.join('\n\n\t\t\t')}
 		`.replace(/^\t{2}/gm, '');
 
diff --git a/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/__tests__.js b/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/__tests__.js
index 7705295d3709..76b103b4a0f6 100644
--- a/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/__tests__.js
+++ b/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/__tests__.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import http from 'http';
+import * as ports from 'port-authority';
 import * as assert from 'uvu/assert';
 
 /** @type {import('../../../../../types').TestMaker} */
@@ -83,4 +85,52 @@ export default function (test, is_dev) {
 		await clicknav('[href="/load/fetch-request"]');
 		assert.equal(await page.textContent('h1'), 'the answer is 42');
 	});
+
+	test('handles large responses', '/load', async ({ base, page }) => {
+		const port = await ports.find(4000);
+
+		const chunk_size = 50000;
+		const chunk_count = 100;
+		const total_size = chunk_size * chunk_count;
+
+		let chunk = '';
+		for (let i = 0; i < chunk_size; i += 1) {
+			chunk += String(i % 10);
+		}
+
+		let times_responded = 0;
+
+		const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
+			if (req.url === '/large-response.json') {
+				times_responded += 1;
+
+				res.writeHead(200, {
+					'Access-Control-Allow-Origin': '*'
+				});
+
+				for (let i = 0; i < chunk_count; i += 1) {
+					if (!res.write(chunk)) {
+						await new Promise((fulfil) => {
+							res.once('drain', () => {
+								fulfil();
+							});
+						});
+					}
+				}
+
+				res.end();
+			}
+		});
+
+		await new Promise((fulfil) => {
+			server.listen(port, () => fulfil());
+		});
+
+		await page.goto(`${base}/load/large-response?port=${port}`);
+		assert.equal(await page.textContent('h1'), `text.length is ${total_size}`);
+
+		assert.equal(times_responded, 1);
+
+		server.close();
+	});
 }
diff --git a/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/index.svelte b/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/index.svelte
index 1734d6d6eeed..8ba59dcdf1ff 100644
--- a/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/index.svelte
+++ b/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/index.svelte
@@ -19,3 +19,4 @@
 <h1>bar == {foo}?</h1>
 
 <a href="/load/fetch-request">fetch request</a>
+<a href="/load/large-response">large response</a>
diff --git a/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/large-response.svelte b/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/large-response.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..83ef0efbb2db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/kit/test/apps/basics/src/routes/load/large-response.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+<script context="module">
+	/** @type {import('../../../../../../types').Load} */
+	export async function load({ page, fetch }) {
+		const res = await fetch(`http://localhost:${page.query.get('port')}/large-response.json`)
+		const text = await res.text();
+
+		return {
+			props: {
+				text
+			}
+		};
+	}
+</script>
+
+<script>
+	/** @type {string} */
+	export let text;
+</script>
+
+<h1>text.length is {text.length}</h1>
\ No newline at end of file