diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests/python_files.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests/python_files.rs
index d540b1bba..6fa4b499c 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests/python_files.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests/python_files.rs
@@ -317,6 +317,25 @@ fn a_python_cell_without_its_code_keeps_its_whole_cached_result_as_values() {
     }
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn a_script_is_measured_after_its_escapes_are_decoded() {
+    let max = gridcraft_model::python::MAX_FORMULA_CHARS;
+    // 2,000 tabs written as `_x0009_`: 14,000 characters in the file, 2,004 as code, which fits.
+    let escaped = format!("x = 1{}end", "_x0009_".repeat(2_000));
+    assert!(escaped.chars().count() > max);
+    // Code longer than a cell may hold once decoded is still refused.
+    let long = format!("{}{}", "_x0009_".repeat(10), "y".repeat(max));
+    let data = "<sheetData><row r=\"1\"><c r=\"A1\"><f>_xlfn._xlws.PY(0,0)</f><v>1</v></c><c r=\"B1\"><f>_xlfn._xlws.PY(1,0)</f><v>2</v></c></row></sheetData>";
+    let (wb, warnings) = crate::io::open_bytes("escapes.xlsx", &excel_shaped(data, Some(&[&escaped, &long]))).unwrap();
+    let sh = wb.sheet(0).unwrap();
+    let a1 = sh.cell(CellRef::parse("A1").unwrap()).unwrap().py.as_ref().map(|p| p.code.clone());
+    assert_eq!(a1, Some(format!("x = 1{}end", "\t".repeat(2_000))), "read in full");
+    let b1 = sh.cell(CellRef::parse("B1").unwrap()).unwrap();
+    assert!(b1.py.is_none(), "too long once decoded: only the value");
+    assert_eq!(b1.value, Value::Number(2.0));
+    assert!(warnings.iter().any(|w| w.contains("B1")), "{warnings:?}");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn many_cells_naming_one_long_script_take_from_one_budget() {
     // 20,000 cells name one script of 8,000 characters: 160 MB of code if each took a copy.
diff --git a/crates/xlsx/src/python_part.rs b/crates/xlsx/src/python_part.rs
index cfd47c5ca..20ac841b6 100644
--- a/crates/xlsx/src/python_part.rs
+++ b/crates/xlsx/src/python_part.rs
@@ -111,15 +111,28 @@ pub fn read(cx: &mut Ctx<'_>, rels: &[crate::package::Rel]) -> Result<ScriptsIn,
     Ok(out)
 }
 
+/// Encoded characters of a script that are decoded: enough for its first [`MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS`]
+/// characters of code, whatever its escapes. One character takes at most 14 encoded characters
+/// (a UTF-16 pair of `_xHHHH_` escapes) and a `\r\n` line break becomes one character, so
+/// `2 × (MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS + 1)` decoded characters cover the code kept, and two more escapes'
+/// worth keep the last of them, and the line break after it, from being cut.
+const MAX_ENCODED_CHARS: usize = 14 * (2 * (MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS + 1) + 2);
+
 /// A `pythonScript` element's code (ST_Xstring), with `\n` line breaks, cut after
-/// [`MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS`] characters.
+/// [`MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS`] characters. The limit is measured on the decoded code, so escapes in the
+/// file (`_x000D_`, `_x0009_`) don't cut a script that fits; decoding is linear and reads at most
+/// [`MAX_ENCODED_CHARS`] characters.
 fn script_code(el: &El) -> String {
     let text = el.child("code").map(|c| c.text.as_str()).unwrap_or_default();
-    let text = match text.char_indices().nth(MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS) {
+    let encoded = match text.char_indices().nth(MAX_ENCODED_CHARS) {
         Some((at, _)) => text.get(..at).unwrap_or_default(),
         None => text,
     };
-    gridcraft_model::python::normalize_code(&xml::decode_xstring(text))
+    let code = gridcraft_model::python::normalize_code(&xml::decode_xstring(encoded));
+    match code.char_indices().nth(MAX_SCRIPT_CHARS) {
+        Some((at, _)) => code.get(..at).unwrap_or_default().to_string(),
+        None => code,
+    }
 }
 
 /// `PY(index, 0|1, params…)`, as a file's formula holds it: the index, whether the return type is