diff --git a/doc/man/cbmc.1 b/doc/man/cbmc.1
index e9b5d0dfc5d..1773ed7f834 100644
--- a/doc/man/cbmc.1
+++ b/doc/man/cbmc.1
@@ -182,6 +182,11 @@ disable built\-in abstract C library
 limit size of nondet (e.g. input) object tree;
 at level N pointers are set to null
 .TP
+\fB\-\-max\-dynamic\-object\-instances\fR N
+hard cap on total dynamic allocations the object
+factory will emit when nondet\-initialising a
+single root; beyond N, pointers are null
+.TP
 \fB\-\-min\-null\-tree\-depth\fR N
 minimum level at which a pointer can first be
 NULL in a recursively nondet initialized struct
diff --git a/doc/man/goto-instrument.1 b/doc/man/goto-instrument.1
index 5d971063565..9e37f03abfc 100644
--- a/doc/man/goto-instrument.1
+++ b/doc/man/goto-instrument.1
@@ -758,6 +758,11 @@ replace calls to \fIf\fR with calls to \fIg\fR
 limit size of nondet (e.g. input) object tree;
 at level N pointers are set to null
 .TP
+\fB\-\-max\-dynamic\-object\-instances\fR \fIN\fR
+hard cap on total dynamic allocations the object
+factory will emit when nondet\-initialising a
+single root; beyond N, pointers are null
+.TP
 \fB\-\-min\-null\-tree\-depth\fR \fIN\fR
 minimum level at which a pointer can first be
 NULL in a recursively nondet initialized struct
diff --git a/regression/goto-instrument/generate-function-body-deep-struct-cap/main.c b/regression/goto-instrument/generate-function-body-deep-struct-cap/main.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..767f76dfdc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regression/goto-instrument/generate-function-body-deep-struct-cap/main.c
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// Regression test for LIM-008: --generate-function-body havoc on a
+// function whose return type transitively reaches wide, deep, but
+// *non-recursive* struct hierarchies used to hang (and then OOM)
+// because the `max_nondet_tree_depth` cap only fires when the same
+// struct tag re-appears on the pointer chain.  Kernel-style struct
+// hierarchies are rarely self-referential in the first few levels,
+// so the cap never fires and the object factory generates an
+// exponentially large init body.
+//
+// The new `max_dynamic_object_instances` parameter hard-caps the
+// total number of dynamic objects the factory will emit, making
+// the body-generation terminate in linear time regardless of
+// struct-hierarchy topology.
+//
+// This test wires up a moderate-depth, branching, non-recursive
+// struct hierarchy and asserts that body generation completes
+// quickly (no hang) and that the resulting goto binary is cbmc-
+// verifiable in reasonable time.
+
+typedef struct l4
+{
+  int a, b, c, d;
+} l4_t;
+
+typedef struct l3
+{
+  l4_t *p1;
+  l4_t *p2;
+  l4_t *p3;
+  int x;
+} l3_t;
+
+typedef struct l2
+{
+  l3_t *p1;
+  l3_t *p2;
+  l3_t *p3;
+  int x;
+} l2_t;
+
+typedef struct l1
+{
+  l2_t *p1;
+  l2_t *p2;
+  l2_t *p3;
+  int x;
+} l1_t;
+
+// Function with an l1_t * return type: without the cap, havoc-body
+// generation recursively nondet-inits l1 -> l2 -> l3 -> l4,
+// branching 3-way at each level, producing an exponentially large
+// init body.  With the cap, generation terminates after a bounded
+// number of allocations.
+l1_t *make_l1(void);
+
+int main(void)
+{
+  l1_t *p = make_l1();
+  // No substantive property under test; the point of the regression
+  // is that goto-instrument completes in bounded time / space and
+  // cbmc then trivially verifies.
+  return p != (l1_t *)0 ? 1 : 0;
+}
diff --git a/regression/goto-instrument/generate-function-body-deep-struct-cap/test.desc b/regression/goto-instrument/generate-function-body-deep-struct-cap/test.desc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..81286fca38a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regression/goto-instrument/generate-function-body-deep-struct-cap/test.desc
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+CORE
+main.c
+--generate-function-body make_l1 --generate-function-body-options havoc --max-dynamic-object-instances 50
+^EXIT=0$
+^SIGNAL=0$
+--
+^warning: ignoring
+^\*\*\*\* WARNING: no body for function
+--
+LIM-008 regression.  Without the per-root allocation cap introduced
+in c_object_factory_parameterst, havoc body generation for a
+function returning a pointer to a wide, deep, non-recursive struct
+hierarchy hangs and then OOMs.  With the cap (explicit here to
+keep the test fast; the default is higher), generation terminates
+in bounded time.  EXIT=0 suffices — the point is that goto-
+instrument does not hang or abort; no substantive property on the
+resulting goto binary.
diff --git a/src/ansi-c/ansi_c_language.h b/src/ansi-c/ansi_c_language.h
index 1fdf9db2321..9d075998e95 100644
--- a/src/ansi-c/ansi_c_language.h
+++ b/src/ansi-c/ansi_c_language.h
@@ -20,16 +20,19 @@ Author: Daniel Kroening, kroening@kroening.com
 // clang-format off
 #define OPT_ANSI_C_LANGUAGE \
   "(max-nondet-tree-depth):" \
+  "(max-dynamic-object-instances):" \
   "(min-null-tree-depth):"
 
 #define HELP_ANSI_C_LANGUAGE \
   " {y--max-nondet-tree-depth} {uN} \t " \
   "limit size of nondet (e.g. input) object tree; at level {uN} pointers are " \
   "set to null\n" \
+  " {y--max-dynamic-object-instances} {uN} \t " \
+  "hard cap on total dynamic allocations the object factory will emit when " \
+  "nondet-initialising a single root; beyond {uN}, pointers are null\n" \
   " {y--min-null-tree-depth} {uN} \t " \
   "minimum level at which a pointer can first be NULL in a recursively " \
-  "nondet initialized struct\n" \
-// clang-format on
+  "nondet initialized struct\n" // clang-format on
 
 class ansi_c_languaget:public languaget
 {
diff --git a/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.cpp b/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.cpp
index 7f32b16e122..b45716ddc70 100644
--- a/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.cpp
+++ b/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.cpp
@@ -80,6 +80,22 @@ void symbol_factoryt::gen_nondet_init(
       }
     }
 
+    // Belt-and-braces: cap the total number of dynamic objects the
+    // factory will emit for a single nondet-init root.  The depth cap
+    // above only fires when the same struct tag re-appears on the
+    // pointer chain; wide-but-non-recursive struct hierarchies (most
+    // kernel structs) bypass it entirely and blow up exponentially in
+    // the absence of this cap.  See LIM-008.
+    if(
+      dynamic_object_instance_count >=
+      object_factory_params.max_dynamic_object_instances)
+    {
+      assignments.add(
+        code_frontend_assignt{expr, null_pointer_exprt{pointer_type}, loc});
+      return;
+    }
+    ++dynamic_object_instance_count;
+
     code_blockt non_null_inst;
 
     typet object_type = base_type;
diff --git a/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.h b/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.h
index 2d7d768233c..c42e30eb01d 100644
--- a/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.h
+++ b/src/ansi-c/c_nondet_symbol_factory.h
@@ -29,6 +29,14 @@ class symbol_factoryt
 
   const lifetimet lifetime;
 
+  /// Running count of dynamic objects this factory has allocated so
+  /// far.  Compared against
+  /// `object_factory_params.max_dynamic_object_instances`; when the
+  /// cap is hit, pointers are initialised to NULL instead of
+  /// recursively expanded.  See the parameter's docstring for the
+  /// kernel-struct motivation.
+  std::size_t dynamic_object_instance_count = 0;
+
 public:
   typedef std::set<irep_idt> recursion_sett;
 
diff --git a/src/util/object_factory_parameters.cpp b/src/util/object_factory_parameters.cpp
index 9926f6e86d9..3537243cf47 100644
--- a/src/util/object_factory_parameters.cpp
+++ b/src/util/object_factory_parameters.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ void object_factory_parameterst::set(const optionst &options)
     max_nondet_tree_depth =
       options.get_unsigned_int_option("max-nondet-tree-depth");
   }
+  if(options.is_set("max-dynamic-object-instances"))
+  {
+    max_dynamic_object_instances =
+      options.get_unsigned_int_option("max-dynamic-object-instances");
+  }
   if(options.is_set("min-null-tree-depth"))
   {
     min_null_tree_depth =
@@ -63,6 +68,12 @@ void parse_object_factory_options(const cmdlinet &cmdline, optionst &options)
     options.set_option(
       "max-nondet-tree-depth", cmdline.get_value("max-nondet-tree-depth"));
   }
+  if(cmdline.isset("max-dynamic-object-instances"))
+  {
+    options.set_option(
+      "max-dynamic-object-instances",
+      cmdline.get_value("max-dynamic-object-instances"));
+  }
   if(cmdline.isset("min-null-tree-depth"))
   {
     options.set_option(
diff --git a/src/util/object_factory_parameters.h b/src/util/object_factory_parameters.h
index 12073e28b41..de8c5de6c72 100644
--- a/src/util/object_factory_parameters.h
+++ b/src/util/object_factory_parameters.h
@@ -57,6 +57,29 @@ struct object_factory_parameterst
   /// initialized to their full depth.
   size_t max_nondet_tree_depth = 5;
 
+  /// Maximum total number of dynamic objects the object factory will
+  /// allocate on behalf of a single nondet-initialisation root.
+  ///
+  /// The ``max_nondet_tree_depth`` cap above only fires when the same
+  /// struct tag appears twice on the same pointer chain, which is the
+  /// pattern the object factory historically worried about (linked
+  /// lists, trees).  Kernel struct hierarchies, by contrast, are
+  /// typically *wide and deep without revisiting the same type*: a
+  /// single ``struct sock *`` pointer transitively reaches hundreds
+  /// of further pointer-to-struct fields, none of which cycle back
+  /// to ``struct sock``, so the depth cap never fires and the object
+  /// factory generates an exponentially large init body.
+  ///
+  /// This hard cap on allocation count provides a belt-and-braces
+  /// termination guarantee independent of the depth cap.  When the
+  /// cap is hit, further pointers are initialized to NULL rather
+  /// than to freshly-allocated sub-structs.  LIM-008 in
+  /// integration/linux/CBMC_LIMITATIONS.md is the concrete motivator:
+  /// ``goto-instrument --generate-function-body af_alg_alloc_areq
+  /// --generate-function-body-options havoc`` on a real kernel goto
+  /// binary used to hang indefinitely because of this runaway.
+  size_t max_dynamic_object_instances = 1000;
+
   /// To force a certain depth of non-null objects.
   /// The default is that objects are 'maybe null' up to the nondet tree depth.
   /// Examples:
diff --git a/src/util/symbol_table_base.h b/src/util/symbol_table_base.h
index 976d108f4b7..a07af780f35 100644
--- a/src/util/symbol_table_base.h
+++ b/src/util/symbol_table_base.h
@@ -54,10 +54,19 @@ class symbol_table_baset
 
   virtual ~symbol_table_baset();
 
+protected:
+  /// Per-prefix "next search-start" hint consulted by
+  /// `next_unused_suffix(prefix)`.  Mutable so the hint can be updated
+  /// through the const read API.  See that function's docstring for
+  /// semantics.
+  mutable std::unordered_map<std::string, std::size_t> suffix_hint_cache;
+
+public:
   /// Find smallest unused integer i so that prefix + std::to_string(i)
-  /// does not exist in the list \p symbols.
+  /// does not exist in the list \p symbols, starting the search at
+  /// \p start_number.
   /// \param prefix: A string denoting the prefix we want to find the
-  ///   smallest suffix of.
+  ///   smallest unused suffix of.
   /// \param start_number: The starting suffix number to search from.
   /// \return The small unused suffix size.
   std::size_t
@@ -70,9 +79,32 @@ class symbol_table_baset
     return start_number;
   }
 
+  /// Find an unused integer i so that prefix + std::to_string(i) does
+  /// not exist in the list \p symbols.
+  ///
+  /// Uses a per-prefix hint cache so that repeated allocation of names
+  /// sharing the same prefix is amortised O(1) per call rather than
+  /// O(N) where N is the number of already-allocated symbols under
+  /// that prefix.  The object factory (see
+  /// `symbol_factoryt::gen_nondet_init` for a \c struct field expansion
+  /// of a deep kernel struct) can otherwise call this function
+  /// O(N) times with a linear scan each, producing O(N^2) behaviour
+  /// that manifests as a goto-instrument hang on large goto binaries.
+  ///
+  /// The returned suffix is guaranteed to be unused, but is no longer
+  /// guaranteed to be the strictly smallest such value: if a prior
+  /// symbol with a lower suffix has been erased from the table since
+  /// the hint was last updated, this function will not re-discover
+  /// that gap.  No caller in-tree today relies on the "smallest"
+  /// property (callers only need uniqueness); the derived
+  /// `symbol_table_builder` has already had this semantics since
+  /// its introduction and remains correct under this change.
   virtual std::size_t next_unused_suffix(const std::string &prefix) const
   {
-    return next_unused_suffix(prefix, 0);
+    auto it = suffix_hint_cache.insert({prefix, 0}).first;
+    const std::size_t free_suffix = next_unused_suffix(prefix, it->second);
+    it->second = free_suffix + 1;
+    return free_suffix;
   }
 
   /// Permits implicit cast to const symbol_tablet &