diff --git a/internal/repository/index/index.go b/internal/repository/index/index.go
index c62c1c462..5a80a3c10 100644
--- a/internal/repository/index/index.go
+++ b/internal/repository/index/index.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/crypto"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/errors"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/repository/pack"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/restic"
 
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/debug"
@@ -116,7 +117,18 @@ var IndexFull = func(idx *Index) bool {
 
 	debug.Log("index %p only has %d blobs and is too young (%v)", idx, blobs, age)
 	return false
+}
 
+var IndexOversized = func(idx *Index) bool {
+	idx.m.RLock()
+	defer idx.m.RUnlock()
+
+	var blobs uint
+	for typ := range idx.byType {
+		blobs += idx.byType[typ].len()
+	}
+
+	return blobs >= indexMaxBlobs+pack.MaxHeaderEntries
 }
 
 // StorePack remembers the ids of all blobs of a given pack
diff --git a/internal/repository/index/master_index.go b/internal/repository/index/master_index.go
index 827f8d9f9..2a2f4988b 100644
--- a/internal/repository/index/master_index.go
+++ b/internal/repository/index/master_index.go
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ func (mi *MasterIndex) Rewrite(ctx context.Context, repo restic.Unpacked[restic.
 		newIndex := NewIndex()
 		for task := range rewriteCh {
 			// always rewrite indexes that include a pack that must be removed or that are not full
-			if len(task.idx.Packs().Intersect(excludePacks)) == 0 && IndexFull(task.idx) {
+			if len(task.idx.Packs().Intersect(excludePacks)) == 0 && IndexFull(task.idx) && !IndexOversized(task.idx) {
 				// make sure that each pack is only stored exactly once in the index
 				excludePacks.Merge(task.idx.Packs())
 				// index is already up to date
diff --git a/internal/repository/pack/pack.go b/internal/repository/pack/pack.go
index 57957ce91..9dfd1004d 100644
--- a/internal/repository/pack/pack.go
+++ b/internal/repository/pack/pack.go
@@ -215,6 +215,11 @@ const (
 	eagerEntries = 15
 )
 
+var (
+	// MaxHeaderEntries is the number of entries a pack file can contain at most
+	MaxHeaderEntries = (MaxHeaderSize - headerSize) / entrySize
+)
+
 // readRecords reads up to bufsize bytes from the underlying ReaderAt, returning
 // the raw header, the total number of bytes in the header, and any error.
 // If the header contains fewer than bufsize bytes, the header is truncated to