diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 64ff58d..97a4624 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ number says nothing about any other port. See the Releases section of
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- **`DatasetReader` reads a row under the caller's `max_bytes_literal_length`** (#160), as protowire-go does. A row's cells were parsed under the default `kMaxBytesLiteralLength` whatever the options said. A caller who lowered the limit still got a row whose `b"…"` cell was past it, and a caller who raised it had that cell refused. `0` still means the default. Only the nesting depth used to reach the row parser. The header (a `@header` block and the `@dataset` line) was parsed under the defaults for both limits. It is now parsed under the caller's `max_nesting_depth` and `max_bytes_literal_length`, so `Create` refuses such a header as protowire-go's `NewDatasetReader` does, with the same text and position.
+
 ## [2.0.0] — 2026-11-05
 
 A major release, because `pb::Marshal` now returns `StatusOr<std::vector<uint8_t>>` and every caller must change (#93). `pb::Marshal` and `pxf::Marshal` refuse what a decoder at the default limits refuses, instead of writing it. A PXF `BigFloat` literal is refused in protowire-go's words and order of checks, and a big-number message no longer counts as a nesting level. Several changes narrow what decodes, encodes or binds; each says so. This release also carries the change prepared as 1.2.1, which was never tagged.
diff --git a/src/pxf/dataset_reader.cc b/src/pxf/dataset_reader.cc
index 0fe7f7c..62f536d 100644
--- a/src/pxf/dataset_reader.cc
+++ b/src/pxf/dataset_reader.cc
@@ -474,7 +474,9 @@ Status DatasetReader::Next(DatasetRow* out) {
       auto parsed =
           ParseDatasetRow(row_bytes,
                           static_cast<int>(columns_.size()),
-                          opts_.max_nesting_depth > 0 ? opts_.max_nesting_depth : kMaxNestingDepth);
+                          opts_.max_nesting_depth > 0 ? opts_.max_nesting_depth : kMaxNestingDepth,
+                          opts_.max_bytes_literal_length > 0 ? opts_.max_bytes_literal_length
+                                                             : kMaxBytesLiteralLength);
       // Advance past the consumed bytes whether parse succeeded or not
       // — on failure we don't want to retry the same bad row forever.
       pending_.erase(0, static_cast<size_t>(end) + 1);
@@ -560,7 +562,12 @@ Status DatasetReader::ReadHeader() {
     if (!scan_err.ok()) return scan_err;
     if (found) {
       std::string_view header(pending_.data(), static_cast<size_t>(header_end) + 1);
-      auto doc = Parse(header);
+      // The header is parsed under the caller's limits, as the rows are and
+      // as protowire-go parses both (#160).
+      ParseOptions popts;
+      popts.max_nesting_depth = opts_.max_nesting_depth;
+      popts.max_bytes_literal_length = opts_.max_bytes_literal_length;
+      auto doc = Parse(header, popts);
       if (!doc.ok()) return doc.status();
       if (doc->datasets.empty()) {
         return Status::Error("pxf: no @dataset directive in stream");
diff --git a/src/pxf/parser.cc b/src/pxf/parser.cc
index bb471cc..d506a6a 100644
--- a/src/pxf/parser.cc
+++ b/src/pxf/parser.cc
@@ -1153,8 +1153,11 @@ StatusOr<DatasetDirective> ParseDatasetAt(Lexer* lex, Token* current, int max_de
   return tbl;
 }
 
-StatusOr<DatasetRow> ParseDatasetRow(std::string_view row, int expected, int max_depth) {
-  Parser p(row, max_depth, kMaxBytesLiteralLength);
+StatusOr<DatasetRow> ParseDatasetRow(std::string_view row,
+                                     int expected,
+                                     int max_depth,
+                                     int max_bytes_literal) {
+  Parser p(row, max_depth, max_bytes_literal);
   int end = 0;
   return p.ParseTableRow(expected, &end);
 }
diff --git a/src/pxf/parser_internal.h b/src/pxf/parser_internal.h
index a5724b3..82afcf9 100644
--- a/src/pxf/parser_internal.h
+++ b/src/pxf/parser_internal.h
@@ -20,8 +20,12 @@ namespace protowire::pxf {
 // token *lex produces, and leaves both on the token after it.
 StatusOr<DatasetDirective> ParseDatasetAt(Lexer* lex, Token* current, int max_depth);
 
-// ParseDatasetRow parses one `( cell, ... )` of expected cells.
-StatusOr<DatasetRow> ParseDatasetRow(std::string_view row, int expected, int max_depth);
+// ParseDatasetRow parses one `( cell, ... )` of expected cells, under the
+// caller's nesting and bytes-literal limits.
+StatusOr<DatasetRow> ParseDatasetRow(std::string_view row,
+                                     int expected,
+                                     int max_depth,
+                                     int max_bytes_literal);
 
 // CheckDescriptorSchema runs ValidateDescriptor and joins any violations
 // into one error, the bind-time check Unmarshal and DatasetReader share.
diff --git a/test/pxf_hardening_test.cc b/test/pxf_hardening_test.cc
index 7a15e5e..6719eea 100644
--- a/test/pxf_hardening_test.cc
+++ b/test/pxf_hardening_test.cc
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 #include "protowire/limits.h"
 #include "protowire/pxf.h"
+#include "protowire/pxf/dataset_reader.h"
 #include "protowire/pxf/lexer.h"
 #include "protowire/pxf/parser.h"
 
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@
 #include "protoc_compat.h"
 
 #include <memory>
+#include <sstream>
 #include <string>
 
 #include <google/protobuf/compiler/importer.h>
@@ -192,6 +194,57 @@ TEST_F(Hardening, BytesLiteralLengthBound) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(protowire::pxf::Parse(doc).ok());
 }
 
+// A dataset row is read under the caller's limit too, as protowire-go reads
+// it (#160). It used to be read under the default whatever the options said.
+TEST(HardeningDataset, RowBytesLiteralUnderTheCallersLimit) {
+  // 256 characters of base64 decode to 192 bytes.
+  const std::string doc = "@dataset x.Row ( raw )\n( b\"" + std::string(256, 'A') + "\" )\n";
+  auto first_row = [&](int limit) {
+    std::istringstream in(doc);
+    UnmarshalOptions opts;
+    opts.max_bytes_literal_length = limit;
+    auto tr = protowire::pxf::DatasetReader::Create(&in, opts);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(tr.ok()) << tr.status().ToString();
+    protowire::pxf::DatasetRow row;
+    return (*tr)->Next(&row);
+  };
+  protowire::Status st = first_row(191);
+  ASSERT_FALSE(st.ok());
+  EXPECT_NE(st.message().find("bytes literal decodes to more than MaxBytesLiteralLength=191 bytes"),
+            std::string::npos)
+      << st.ToString();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(first_row(192).ok()) << first_row(192).ToString();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(first_row(0).ok()) << first_row(0).ToString();  // 0 is the default
+}
+
+// The header too: a @header block before @dataset is parsed under the
+// caller's limits, so Create refuses it as protowire-go's NewDatasetReader does.
+TEST(HardeningDataset, HeaderUnderTheCallersLimits) {
+  const std::string bytes_doc =
+      "@header x.H { raw = b\"" + std::string(256, 'A') + "\" }\n@dataset x.Row ( raw )\n( 1 )\n";
+  const std::string deep_doc =
+      "@header x.H { a { b { c { d = 1 } } } }\n@dataset x.Row ( d )\n( 1 )\n";
+  auto create = [](const std::string& doc, UnmarshalOptions opts) {
+    std::istringstream in(doc);
+    return protowire::pxf::DatasetReader::Create(&in, opts).status();
+  };
+  UnmarshalOptions opts;
+  opts.max_bytes_literal_length = 191;
+  protowire::Status st = create(bytes_doc, opts);
+  ASSERT_FALSE(st.ok());
+  EXPECT_NE(st.message().find("bytes literal decodes to more than MaxBytesLiteralLength=191 bytes"),
+            std::string::npos)
+      << st.ToString();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(create(bytes_doc, {}).ok());
+  opts = {};
+  opts.max_nesting_depth = 3;
+  st = create(deep_doc, opts);
+  ASSERT_FALSE(st.ok());
+  EXPECT_NE(st.message().find("MaxNestingDepth=3"), std::string::npos) << st.ToString();
+  opts.max_nesting_depth = 4;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(create(deep_doc, opts).ok()) << create(deep_doc, opts).ToString();
+}
+
 TEST_F(Hardening, RepeatedCountBound) {
   std::string list = "values = [";
   for (int i = 0; i < 16; ++i) list += (i ? ", " : "") + std::to_string(i);