diff --git a/src/core/peg.c b/src/core/peg.c
index 33fd52c8..5ed969c6 100644
--- a/src/core/peg.c
+++ b/src/core/peg.c
@@ -1756,7 +1756,12 @@ static void *peg_unmarshal(JanetMarshalContext *ctx) {
                 i += 4;
                 break;
             case RULE_ARGUMENT:
-                /* [searchtag, tag] */
+                /* [argument-index, tag] */
+                OVERFLOW_CHECK(3);
+                /* index is read as a signed int32 at match time and only
+                 * bounds-checked against extrac on the high side, so a
+                 * negative index would read before extrav */
+                if (((int32_t) rule[1]) < 0) goto bad;
                 i += 3;
                 break;
             case RULE_GETTAG:
diff --git a/test/suite-marsh.janet b/test/suite-marsh.janet
index b4fdacba..d957350b 100644
--- a/test/suite-marsh.janet
+++ b/test/suite-marsh.janet
@@ -137,6 +137,23 @@
 \xA8\xDE\xDE\xDE\xDE\xDE\xDE\0\0\0\xDE\xDE_unmarshal_testcase3.ja
 neldb\0\0\0\xD8\x05printG\x01\0\xDE\xDE\xDE'\x03\0marshal_tes/\x02
 \0\0\0\0\0*\xFE\x01\04\x02\0\0'\x03\0\r\0\r\0\r\0\r" load-image-dict))
+# Reject peg bytecode with a negative (argument n) index - the index is read as
+# a signed int32 at match time and only bounds-checked on the high side, so a
+# negative value would read before the argument array.
+(do
+  (def b (buffer (marshal (peg/compile ~(argument 0)))))
+  (var idx nil)
+  (for i 0 (- (length b) 2)
+    (when (and (= (b i) 0x0f) (= (b (+ i 1)) 0x00) (= (b (+ i 2)) 0x00))
+      (set idx i)))
+  (assert idx "peg argument opcode not found")
+  (def tampered
+    (buffer/push (buffer (buffer/slice b 0 (+ idx 1)))
+                 "\xCD\xFA\x0A\x1F\x00"
+                 (buffer/slice b (+ idx 2))))
+  (assert-error "unmarshal peg negative argument index"
+                (peg/match (unmarshal tampered) "x" 0 :arg)))
+
 # XXX: still needed? see 72beeeea
 (gccollect)