diff --git a/src/codecs/video.ts b/src/codecs/video.ts
index 6183208..58374d0 100644
--- a/src/codecs/video.ts
+++ b/src/codecs/video.ts
@@ -290,11 +290,23 @@ export function buildScaleFilter(resize?: ResizeOptions): string | null {
   const h = resize?.maxHeight;
   if (w === undefined && h === undefined) return null;
 
+  // Matches the image path's default; an explicit false opts into upscaling.
+  const noEnlarge = resize?.withoutEnlargement ?? true;
+
   if (w !== undefined && h !== undefined) {
-    return `scale=w=${w}:h=${h}:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease:force_divisible_by=2`;
+    // Bound the box by the source itself. `force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease`
+    // fits the frame *inside* the box but will scale up to reach it, so a
+    // 320x240 clip asked to fit 4000x4000 came out at 4000x3000 — a 12x
+    // enlargement from options documented as "never enlarge". The
+    // single-dimension branches below already clamped; this one did not.
+    const boundW = noEnlarge ? `min(iw\\,${w})` : `${w}`;
+    const boundH = noEnlarge ? `min(ih\\,${h})` : `${h}`;
+    return `scale=w=${boundW}:h=${boundH}:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease:force_divisible_by=2`;
+  }
+  if (w !== undefined) {
+    return noEnlarge ? `scale=w=min(iw\\,${w}):h=-2` : `scale=w=${w}:h=-2`;
   }
-  if (w !== undefined) return `scale=w=min(iw\\,${w}):h=-2`;
-  return `scale=w=-2:h=min(ih\\,${h})`;
+  return noEnlarge ? `scale=w=-2:h=min(ih\\,${h})` : `scale=w=-2:h=${h}`;
 }
 
 /** Curated path: validates the speed knob and maps quality onto the codec's CRF. */
diff --git a/test/video.test.ts b/test/video.test.ts
index 85a6ecc..c7e2908 100644
--- a/test/video.test.ts
+++ b/test/video.test.ts
@@ -10,17 +10,21 @@ import { toQuality, toPixels } from "../src/types/brand.js";
 import { resolveFfmpeg, resetFfmpegCache } from "../src/codecs/ffmpeg.js";
 import { CompressorError } from "../src/core/errors.js";
 
-/** Read a stream's codec name back out of the encoded file. */
-function probeCodec(file: string, stream: "v" | "a"): Promise<string> {
+/** Read arbitrary stream fields back out of the encoded file. */
+function probeStream(
+  file: string,
+  entries: string,
+  stream: "v" | "a" = "v",
+): Promise<string> {
   const args = [
     "-v",
     "error",
     "-select_streams",
     `${stream}:0`,
     "-show_entries",
-    "stream=codec_name",
+    `stream=${entries}`,
     "-of",
-    "default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1",
+    "csv=p=0",
     file,
   ];
 
@@ -33,6 +37,11 @@ function probeCodec(file: string, stream: "v" | "a"): Promise<string> {
   });
 }
 
+/** Read a stream's codec name back out of the encoded file. */
+function probeCodec(file: string, stream: "v" | "a"): Promise<string> {
+  return probeStream(file, "codec_name", stream);
+}
+
 describe("video argument construction", () => {
   it("escapes the comma inside a scale expression", () => {
     // An unescaped comma is read by ffmpeg as an option separator.
@@ -51,6 +60,31 @@ describe("video argument construction", () => {
     expect(buildScaleFilter({})).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it("clamps both dimensions to the source, so a small input is never enlarged", () => {
+    // `force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease` fits the frame inside the box but
+    // scales *up* to reach it, so the box has to be bounded by the source.
+    // Without the clamp a 320x240 clip given a 4000x4000 box encoded at
+    // 4000x3000 — from options documented as "never enlarge".
+    const filter = buildScaleFilter({
+      maxWidth: toPixels(4000),
+      maxHeight: toPixels(4000),
+    });
+
+    expect(filter).toContain("min(iw\\,4000)");
+    expect(filter).toContain("min(ih\\,4000)");
+  });
+
+  it("allows upscaling only when withoutEnlargement is explicitly false", () => {
+    const filter = buildScaleFilter({
+      maxWidth: toPixels(4000),
+      maxHeight: toPixels(4000),
+      withoutEnlargement: false,
+    });
+
+    expect(filter).not.toContain("min(");
+    expect(filter).toContain("w=4000");
+  });
+
   it("adds faststart for MP4 so playback can begin before download finishes", () => {
     const args = buildVideoArgs({
       inputPath: "in.mov",
@@ -134,6 +168,31 @@ describe.skipIf(!(await hasFfmpeg()))("video encoding (requires ffmpeg)", () =>
     expect(await probeCodec(join(dir, "mp4-out", "clip.mp4"), "v")).toBe("h264");
   }, 120_000);
 
+  it("does not enlarge a small source given a large resize box", async () => {
+    // The fixture is 320x240; the box is far larger in both dimensions. This
+    // encoded at 4000x3000 before the clamp, so assert against the real file
+    // rather than the filter string.
+    const src = join(dir, "no-enlarge");
+    await makeVideo(join(src, "clip.mp4"));
+
+    const report = await compressVideos([src], {
+      outDir: join(dir, "no-enlarge-out"),
+      resize: {
+        maxWidth: toPixels(4000),
+        maxHeight: toPixels(4000),
+        withoutEnlargement: true,
+      },
+      skipLarger: false,
+    });
+
+    expect(report.summary.failed).toBe(0);
+    const size = await probeStream(
+      join(dir, "no-enlarge-out", "clip.mp4"),
+      "width,height",
+    );
+    expect(size).toBe("320,240");
+  }, 120_000);
+
   it("produces a playable WebM, which v1 could not", async () => {
     // v1 muxed H.264 into WebM; ffmpeg refuses, so the run always failed.
     const src = join(dir, "webm");