diff --git a/fuzz/jpegsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc b/fuzz/jpegsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
index 491c2cd5..6b961c33 100644
--- a/fuzz/jpegsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
+++ b/fuzz/jpegsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
@@ -11,13 +11,24 @@ extern "C" int
 LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput( const guint8 *data, size_t size )
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
-	size_t len;
 	void *buf;
+	size_t len, width, height, bands;
 
 	if( !(image = vips_image_new_from_buffer( data, size, "", NULL )) ) {
 		return( 0 );
 	}
 
+	width = image->Xsize;
+	height = image->Ysize;
+	bands = image->Bands;
+
+	/* Skip big images. It is likely to timeout.
+	 */
+	if ( width * height * bands > 256 * 256 * 16 ) {
+		g_object_unref( image );
+		return( 0 );
+	}
+
 	if( vips_jpegsave_buffer( image, &buf, &len, NULL ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( image );
 		return( 0 );
diff --git a/fuzz/pngsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc b/fuzz/pngsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
index 35489d39..1763ce70 100644
--- a/fuzz/pngsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
+++ b/fuzz/pngsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
@@ -12,12 +12,23 @@ LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput( const guint8 *data, size_t size )
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 	void *buf;
-	size_t len;
+	size_t len, width, height, bands;
 
 	if( !(image = vips_image_new_from_buffer( data, size, "", NULL )) ) {
 		return( 0 );
 	}
 
+	width = image->Xsize;
+	height = image->Ysize;
+	bands = image->Bands;
+
+	/* Skip big images. It is likely to timeout.
+	 */
+	if ( width * height * bands > 256 * 256 * 16 ) {
+		g_object_unref( image );
+		return( 0 );
+	}
+
 	if( vips_pngsave_buffer( image, &buf, &len, NULL ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( image );
 		return( 0 );
diff --git a/fuzz/sharpen_fuzzer.cc b/fuzz/sharpen_fuzzer.cc
index c93d705e..84e85c5c 100644
--- a/fuzz/sharpen_fuzzer.cc
+++ b/fuzz/sharpen_fuzzer.cc
@@ -11,12 +11,24 @@ extern "C" int
 LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput( const guint8 *data, size_t size )
 {
 	VipsImage *in, *out;
+	size_t width, height, bands;
 	double d;
 
 	if( !(in = vips_image_new_from_buffer( data, size, "", NULL )) ) {
 		return( 0 );
 	}
 
+	width = in->Xsize;
+	height = in->Ysize;
+	bands = in->Bands;
+
+	/* Skip big images. It is likely to timeout.
+	 */
+	if ( width * height * bands > 256 * 256 * 16 ) {
+		g_object_unref( in );
+		return( 0 );
+	}
+
 	if( vips_sharpen( in, &out, NULL ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( in );
 		return( 0 );
diff --git a/fuzz/thumbnail_fuzzer.cc b/fuzz/thumbnail_fuzzer.cc
index a3a744bf..f2b03ce0 100644
--- a/fuzz/thumbnail_fuzzer.cc
+++ b/fuzz/thumbnail_fuzzer.cc
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ extern "C" int
 LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput( const guint8 *data, size_t size )
 {
 	VipsImage *in, *out;
-	size_t width, height;
+	size_t width, height, bands;
 	double d;
 
 	if( !(in = vips_image_new_from_buffer( data, size, "", NULL )) ) {
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@ LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput( const guint8 *data, size_t size )
 
 	width = in->Xsize;
 	height = in->Ysize;
+	bands = in->Bands;
 
 	/* Skip big images. It is likely to timeout.
 	 */
-	if ( width * height > 256 * 256 ) {
+	if ( width * height * bands > 256 * 256 * 16 ) {
 		g_object_unref( in );
 		return( 0 );
 	}
diff --git a/fuzz/webpsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc b/fuzz/webpsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
index 86157c7f..eba52183 100644
--- a/fuzz/webpsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
+++ b/fuzz/webpsave_buffer_fuzzer.cc
@@ -12,12 +12,23 @@ LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput( const guint8 *data, size_t size )
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 	void *buf;
-	size_t len;
+	size_t len, width, height, bands;
 
 	if( !(image = vips_image_new_from_buffer( data, size, "", NULL )) ) {
 		return( 0 );
 	}
 
+	width = image->Xsize;
+	height = image->Ysize;
+	bands = image->Bands;
+
+	/* Skip big images. It is likely to timeout.
+	 */
+	if ( width * height * bands > 256 * 256 * 16 ) {
+		g_object_unref( image );
+		return( 0 );
+	}
+
 	if( vips_webpsave_buffer( image, &buf, &len, NULL ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( image );
 		return( 0 );
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c b/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c
index 0f1e42ac..65be8d9c 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c
@@ -382,17 +382,6 @@ int
 vips_image_pipeline_array( VipsImage *image, 
 	VipsDemandStyle hint, VipsImage **in )
 {
-	/* Ban large images while we are fuzzing. They cause unintersting 
-	 * timeouts and OOMs.
-	 */
-#ifdef FUZZING_BUILD_MODE_UNSAFE_FOR_PRODUCTION
-	if( (size_t) image->Xsize * image->Ysize * image->Bands > 1000000 ) {
-		vips_error( "vips_image_pipeline_array", 
-			"%s", _( "no large images during fuzzing" ) );
-		return( -1 );
-	}
-#endif /*FUZZING_BUILD_MODE_UNSAFE_FOR_PRODUCTION*/
-
 	/* This function can be called more than once per output image. For
 	 * example, jpeg header load will call this once on ->out to set the
 	 * default hint, then later call it again to connect the output image