diff --git a/tools/performance_compare.py b/tools/performance_compare.py
index 6a6c599351b0..07f21ebe3d2b 100644
--- a/tools/performance_compare.py
+++ b/tools/performance_compare.py
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def load_summary(path, trace=None):
                 record = json.loads(line)
                 if not isinstance(record, dict):
                     raise ValueError("summary must be an object")
-            except ValueError as error:
+            except (ValueError, RecursionError) as error:
                 raise ValueError(f"{path}:{line_number}: {error}") from error
             if trace is None or record.get("trace") == trace:
                 records.append((line_number, record))
@@ -181,8 +181,14 @@ def main(argv=None):
         report = compare(load_summary(args.baseline, args.baseline_trace), load_summary(args.candidate, args.candidate_trace))
         if args.require_matching_context and report["configuration_differences"]:
             raise ValueError("recorded configuration differs: " + ", ".join(report["configuration_differences"]))
-        output = json.dumps(report, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False, allow_nan=False) + "\n" if args.json else markdown(report)
-    except (OSError, ValueError, OverflowError) as error:
+        if args.json:
+            try:
+                output = json.dumps(report, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False, allow_nan=False) + "\n"
+            except RecursionError as error:
+                raise ValueError(f"JSON report: {error}") from error
+        else:
+            output = markdown(report)
+    except (OSError, ValueError, OverflowError, RecursionError) as error:
         parser.exit(2, f"{parser.prog}: {error}\n")
     sys.stdout.write(output)
 
diff --git a/tools/tests/test_performance_compare.py b/tools/tests/test_performance_compare.py
index 4016f14439f1..b40de66ed39a 100644
--- a/tools/tests/test_performance_compare.py
+++ b/tools/tests/test_performance_compare.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import copy
+from functools import lru_cache
+import io
 import json
 import os
 import subprocess
@@ -27,6 +29,19 @@
             "title_id": "PPSA00000", "title": "Example", "content_version": "01.002.000"}
 
 
+@lru_cache(maxsize=2)
+def excessive_json_value(opening, closing):
+    depth = sys.getrecursionlimit() + 64
+    for _ in range(8):
+        value = opening * depth + "0" + closing * depth
+        try:
+            json.loads(value)
+        except RecursionError:
+            return opening * (depth + 128) + "0" + closing * (depth + 128)
+        depth *= 2
+    raise AssertionError("JSON decoder accepted every bounded nesting probe")
+
+
 class PerformanceCompareTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.directory = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
@@ -177,6 +192,58 @@ def test_percentage_overflow_is_an_error(self):
         self.assertEqual(result.stdout, "")
         self.assertIn("finite numeric range", result.stderr)
 
+    def test_excessive_json_nesting_reports_the_input_location(self):
+        for opening, closing in (("[", "]"), ('{"nested":', "}")):
+            with self.subTest(opening=opening):
+                record = json.dumps(self.baseline)[:-1] + ', "extra": ' + excessive_json_value(opening, closing) + "}"
+                self.before.write_text("\n\n" + record + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
+                with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, r"before.jsonl:3:") as error:
+                    performance_compare.load_summary(self.before)
+                self.assertIsInstance(error.exception.__cause__, RecursionError)
+
+    def test_excessive_json_nesting_produces_only_a_cli_error(self):
+        cases = ((self.before, "[", "]", ()), (self.before, '{"nested":', "}", ("--json",)),
+                 (self.after, "[", "]", ("--json",)), (self.after, '{"nested":', "}", ()))
+        for path, opening, closing, args in cases:
+            with self.subTest(path=path.name, opening=opening, args=args):
+                self.write(self.before, self.baseline)
+                self.write(self.after, self.candidate)
+                record = json.dumps(self.baseline)[:-1] + ', "extra": ' + excessive_json_value(opening, closing) + "}"
+                path.write_text("\n\n" + record + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
+                original = (self.before.read_bytes(), self.after.read_bytes())
+                result = self.run_cli(*args)
+                self.assertEqual(result.returncode, 2, result.stderr)
+                self.assertEqual(result.stdout, "")
+                self.assertIn(f"{path}:3:", result.stderr)
+                self.assertNotIn("Traceback", result.stderr)
+                self.assertEqual((self.before.read_bytes(), self.after.read_bytes()), original)
+
+    def test_json_report_recursion_produces_only_a_cli_error(self):
+        self.write(self.before, self.baseline)
+        self.write(self.after, self.candidate)
+        with patch.object(performance_compare.json, "dumps", side_effect=RecursionError("report nesting is too deep")), \
+                patch.object(sys, "stdout", new_callable=io.StringIO) as output, \
+                patch.object(sys, "stderr", new_callable=io.StringIO) as errors:
+            with self.assertRaises(SystemExit) as error:
+                performance_compare.main([str(self.before), str(self.after), "--json"])
+        self.assertEqual(error.exception.code, 2)
+        self.assertEqual(output.getvalue(), "")
+        self.assertIn("JSON report: report nesting is too deep", errors.getvalue())
+        self.assertNotIn("Traceback", errors.getvalue())
+
+    def test_supported_nested_metadata_is_preserved(self):
+        metadata = {"value": 7}
+        for depth in range(16):
+            metadata = {"nested": [metadata]}
+        self.baseline["extra"] = metadata
+        self.write(self.before, self.baseline)
+        self.write(self.after, self.candidate)
+        with patch.object(sys, "stdout", new_callable=io.StringIO) as output, \
+                patch.object(sys, "stderr", new_callable=io.StringIO) as errors:
+            performance_compare.main([str(self.before), str(self.after), "--json"])
+            self.assertEqual(errors.getvalue(), "")
+            self.assertEqual(json.loads(output.getvalue())["baseline"]["extra"], metadata)
+
     def test_markdown_reports_deltas_and_escapes_table_values(self):
         self.candidate["frame_ms"]["max"] = 60.0
         self.candidate["gpu"] = "GPU | <vendor>\nline"