diff --git a/design/mvp/Binary.md b/design/mvp/Binary.md
index f8aa2772..6e5a602a 100644
--- a/design/mvp/Binary.md
+++ b/design/mvp/Binary.md
@@ -287,6 +287,10 @@ Notes:
   `none` case of an optional immediate.)
 * 🔧 for fixed-sized lists the length of the list must be larger than 0 to pass
   validation.
+* Validation of each `defvaltype` requires every resolved AST node (after
+  despecialization) to satisfy the `elem_size` bound in
+  [Element Size](CanonicalABI.md#element-size). This is a static validation
+  error, not a runtime trap.
 
 
 ## Canonical Definitions
diff --git a/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md b/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md
index 621296b5..3201f5a4 100644
--- a/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md
+++ b/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md
@@ -2361,6 +2361,17 @@ def elem_size_flags(labels):
   return 4
 ```
 
+Validation of each `defvaltype` requires that every node `u` in the resolved
+structural AST — after `despecialize`, including implicit nodes such as `map`'s
+key/value record — satisfies `elem_size(u, ptr_type) ≤ 2^28−1` for both
+`ptr_type ∈ {i32, i64}`. This is a static validation error, not a runtime trap.
+The bound is the same number as `MAX_LIST_BYTE_LENGTH` / `MAX_STRING_BYTE_LENGTH`.
+`elem_size` is unbounded-integer math; fixed-width implementations must reject
+overflow rather than wrap. Checking only the root type is not enough:
+`map<u8, list<u8, 2^28−1>>` has a small list header but an oversized pair record.
+Incremental or memoized checking is allowed only if every resolved node of that
+definition is still covered.
+
 ## Loading
 
 The `load` function defines how to read a value of a given value type `t`
@@ -3594,6 +3605,9 @@ performed for a component. These are defined as:
 * `lift(T)`
   * requires `realloc` if `T` contains a `list` or `string`
 
+Value types used by `lift`/`lower` are already rejected at `defvaltype`
+definition if they exceed the [Element Size](#element-size) bound, so lift and
+lower may assume static layouts fit.
 
 ### `canon lift`
 
diff --git a/design/mvp/Explainer.md b/design/mvp/Explainer.md
index 28d51969..49149368 100644
--- a/design/mvp/Explainer.md
+++ b/design/mvp/Explainer.md
@@ -1040,6 +1040,15 @@ is a central part of validation and, e.g., occurs when validating that the
 `with` arguments of an [`instantiate`](#instance-definitions) expression are
 type-compatible with the `import`s of the component being instantiated.
 
+##### Maximum static value type size
+
+Each `defvaltype` is rejected unless every node of its resolved structural AST
+(after despecialization) has `elem_size` at most `2^28 − 1` for both `i32` and
+`i64` pointer types. Checking only the root is not enough: wrappers such as
+`map`, `option`, `stream`, and `future` can have a small header while a nested
+node exceeds the bound. This is a static validation error. See
+[Element Size](CanonicalABI.md#element-size).
+
 To incrementally describe how type-checking works, we'll start by asking how
 *type equality* works for non-resource, non-handle, local type definitions and
 build up from there.
diff --git a/test/nyi.txt b/test/nyi.txt
index ffb2d182..8f3e4250 100644
--- a/test/nyi.txt
+++ b/test/nyi.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 # See README.md
+./validation/max-value-size.wast
 ./async/during-sync-call-may-block-if-other-ready-threads.wast
 ./async/during-sync-call-no-exclusive-resume.wast
 ./async/during-sync-call-no-sibling-resume.wast
diff --git a/test/validation/max-value-size.wast b/test/validation/max-value-size.wast
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4b307d6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/validation/max-value-size.wast
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+;; Validation rejects defvaltypes whose resolved structural AST exceeds
+;; 2^28 - 1 bytes. See CanonicalABI.md#element-size.
+
+;; valid boundaries
+
+(component
+  (type (list u8 268435455))
+)
+
+(component
+  (type (list u64 33554431))
+)
+
+(component
+  (type (list string 16777215))
+)
+
+;; valid map despecialization (pair record is well under the bound)
+
+(component
+  (type (map u8 (list u8 4)))
+)
+
+;; single fixed list just over the limit
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (list u8 268435456)))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; fixed list whose product exceeds MAX
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (list u64 33554432)))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; u32 wrap class: real byte size is 2^32 but naive u32 multiply wraps to 0
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (list u64 536870912)))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; compound sum exceeds MAX
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component
+    (type (tuple (list u8 268435455) (list u8 1))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component
+    (type (record
+      (field "a" (list u8 134217728))
+      (field "b" (list u8 134217728)))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; map despecialization: inner list valid alone, pair record is MAX + 1
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (map u8 (list u8 268435455))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; nested fixed list
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (list (list u8 268435455) 2)))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; pointer-width-sensitive rejection (passes i32, fails i64)
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (list string 16777216)))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; nested map despecialization inside option and record
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (option (map u8 (list u8 268435455)))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (record (field "m" (map u8 (list u8 268435455))))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+;; stream/future handle size is 4; payload must still be checked
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (stream (list u8 268435455))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")
+
+(assert_invalid
+  (component (type (future (list u8 268435455))))
+  "exceeds maximum byte size")