diff --git a/include/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.h b/include/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.h
index 38ee678..5f4e992 100644
--- a/include/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.h
+++ b/include/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.h
@@ -85,6 +85,14 @@
      */
     void setDeferredDrawing(bool deferred);
 
+    /**
+     *  Specify the maximum number of bytes to be allocated for the purpose
+     *  of recording draw commands to this canvas.  The default limit, is
+     *  64MB.
+     *  @param maxStorage The maximum number of bytes to be allocated.
+     */
+    void setMaxRecordingStorage(size_t maxStorage);
+
     // Overrides of the SkCanvas interface
     virtual int save(SaveFlags flags) SK_OVERRIDE;
     virtual int saveLayer(const SkRect* bounds, const SkPaint* paint,
@@ -171,6 +179,7 @@
         void playback();
         void reset();
         bool hasRecorded() {return fAllocator.blockCount() != 0;}
+        size_t storageAllocatedForRecording() {return fAllocator.totalCapacity();}
     private:
         enum {
             kMinBlockSize = 4096
@@ -212,7 +221,7 @@
         /**
          *  Returns the recording canvas.
          */
-        SkCanvas* recordingCanvas() const {return fRecordingCanvas;}
+        SkCanvas* recordingCanvas();
 
         /**
          *  Returns the immediate (non deferred) canvas.
@@ -233,6 +242,7 @@
         void flushPending();
         void contentsCleared();
         void flushIfNeeded(const SkBitmap& bitmap);
+        void setMaxRecordingStorage(size_t);
 
         virtual uint32_t getDeviceCapabilities() SK_OVERRIDE;
         virtual int width() const SK_OVERRIDE;
@@ -330,6 +340,7 @@
         SkCanvas* fRecordingCanvas;
         DeviceContext* fDeviceContext;
         bool fFreshFrame;
+        size_t fMaxRecordingStorageBytes;
     };
 
     DeferredDevice* getDeferredDevice() const;
diff --git a/src/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.cpp b/src/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.cpp
index 568f9a7..728e3d3 100644
--- a/src/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/SkDeferredCanvas.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@
 
 SK_DEFINE_INST_COUNT(SkDeferredCanvas::DeviceContext)
 
+enum {
+    // Deferred canvas will auto-flush when recording reaches this limit
+    kDefaultMaxRecordingStorageBytes = 64*1024*1024,
+};
+
 namespace {
 
 bool isPaintOpaque(const SkPaint* paint, 
@@ -100,6 +105,11 @@
     fDeferredDrawing = true; // On by default
 }
 
+void SkDeferredCanvas::setMaxRecordingStorage(size_t maxStorage) {
+    validate();
+    this->getDeferredDevice()->setMaxRecordingStorage(maxStorage);
+}
+
 void SkDeferredCanvas::validate() const {
     SkASSERT(getDevice());
 }
@@ -482,7 +492,7 @@
     fBlockList.reset();
 
     if (fBlock) {
-        fReader.playback(fBlock,fBytesWritten);
+        fReader.playback(fBlock, fBytesWritten);
         fBlock = NULL;
     }
 
@@ -507,6 +517,7 @@
              immediateDevice->height(), immediateDevice->isOpaque())
     , fFreshFrame(true) {
 
+    fMaxRecordingStorageBytes = kDefaultMaxRecordingStorageBytes;
     fDeviceContext = deviceContext;
     SkSafeRef(fDeviceContext);
     fImmediateDevice = immediateDevice; // ref counted via fImmediateCanvas
@@ -522,6 +533,10 @@
     SkSafeUnref(fDeviceContext);
 }
 
+void SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::setMaxRecordingStorage(size_t maxStorage) {
+    fMaxRecordingStorageBytes = maxStorage;
+    recordingCanvas(); // Accessing the recording canvas applies the new limit.
+}
 
 void SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::endRecording() {
 #if SK_DEFERRED_CANVAS_USES_GPIPE
@@ -613,10 +628,19 @@
 }
 
 void SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::flush() {
-    flushPending();
+    this->flushPending();
     fImmediateCanvas->flush();
 }
 
+SkCanvas* SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::recordingCanvas() {
+#if SK_DEFERRED_CANVAS_USES_GPIPE
+    if (fPipeController.storageAllocatedForRecording() > fMaxRecordingStorageBytes) {
+        this->flushPending();
+    }
+#endif
+    return fRecordingCanvas;
+}
+
 void SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::flushIfNeeded(const SkBitmap& bitmap) {
 #if SK_DEFERRED_CANVAS_USES_GPIPE
     if (bitmap.isImmutable()) {
@@ -632,7 +656,7 @@
     // For now, drawing a writable bitmap triggers a flush
     // TODO: implement read-only semantics and auto buffer duplication on write
     // in SkBitmap/SkPixelRef, which will make deferral possible in this case.
-    flushPending();
+    this->flushPending();
 }
 
 uint32_t SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::getDeviceCapabilities() { 
@@ -648,7 +672,7 @@
 }
 
 SkGpuRenderTarget* SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::accessRenderTarget() {
-    flushPending();
+    this->flushPending();
     return fImmediateDevice->accessRenderTarget();
 }
 
@@ -664,7 +688,7 @@
         SkCanvas::kNative_Premul_Config8888 != config8888 &&
         kPMColorAlias != config8888) {
         //Special case config: no deferral
-        flushPending();
+        this->flushPending();
         fImmediateDevice->writePixels(bitmap, x, y, config8888);
     }
 
@@ -675,7 +699,7 @@
 }
 
 const SkBitmap& SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::onAccessBitmap(SkBitmap*) {
-    flushPending();
+    this->flushPending();
     return fImmediateDevice->accessBitmap(false);
 }
 
@@ -694,7 +718,7 @@
 
 bool SkDeferredCanvas::DeferredDevice::onReadPixels(
     const SkBitmap& bitmap, int x, int y, SkCanvas::Config8888 config8888) {
-    flushPending();
+    this->flushPending();
     return fImmediateCanvas->readPixels(const_cast<SkBitmap*>(&bitmap),
                                                    x, y, config8888);
 }
diff --git a/tests/DeferredCanvasTest.cpp b/tests/DeferredCanvasTest.cpp
index 17adb52..449f5e9 100644
--- a/tests/DeferredCanvasTest.cpp
+++ b/tests/DeferredCanvasTest.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 #include "SkDeferredCanvas.h"
 #include "SkShader.h"
 
-
 static const int gWidth = 2;
 static const int gHeight = 2;
 
@@ -177,10 +176,54 @@
     }
 }
 
+class MockDevice : public SkDevice {
+public:
+    MockDevice(const SkBitmap& bm) : SkDevice(bm) {
+        fDrawBitmapCallCount = 0;
+    }
+    virtual void drawBitmap(const SkDraw&, const SkBitmap&,
+                            const SkIRect*,
+                            const SkMatrix&, const SkPaint&) {
+        fDrawBitmapCallCount++;
+    }
+
+    int fDrawBitmapCallCount;
+};
+
+// Verifies that the deferred canvas triggers a flush when its memory
+// limit is exceeded
+static void TestDeferredCanvasMemoryLimit(skiatest::Reporter* reporter) {
+    SkBitmap store;
+    store.setConfig(SkBitmap::kARGB_8888_Config, 100, 100);
+    store.allocPixels();
+    MockDevice mockDevice(store);
+    SkDeferredCanvas canvas(&mockDevice);
+    canvas.setMaxRecordingStorage(160000);
+
+    SkBitmap sourceImage;
+    // 100 by 100 image, takes 40,000 bytes in memory
+    sourceImage.setConfig(SkBitmap::kARGB_8888_Config, 100, 100);
+    sourceImage.allocPixels();
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
+        sourceImage.notifyPixelsChanged(); // to force re-serialization
+        canvas.drawBitmap(sourceImage, 0, 0, NULL);
+    }
+
+    // FIXME: Test temporarily disabled because the SkPicture path is not 
+    // fixed and the SkGPipe path does not yet serialize images, but it 
+    // will soon.
+#if 0
+    REPORTER_ASSERT(reporter, mockDevice.fDrawBitmapCallCount == 4);
+#endif
+}
+
+
 static void TestDeferredCanvas(skiatest::Reporter* reporter) {
     TestDeferredCanvasBitmapAccess(reporter);
     TestDeferredCanvasFlush(reporter);
     TestDeferredCanvasFreshFrame(reporter);
+    TestDeferredCanvasMemoryLimit(reporter);
 }
 
 #include "TestClassDef.h"