diff --git a/src/main/speech/stt-offline-audio-chunker.test.ts b/src/main/speech/stt-offline-audio-chunker.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b90976b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/speech/stt-offline-audio-chunker.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { OFFLINE_DECODE_CHUNK_SECONDS, OfflineAudioChunker } from './stt-offline-audio-chunker'
+
+// Why: a small rate keeps test arrays tiny while exercising the same
+// seconds-based limits used with real 16 kHz audio.
+const SAMPLE_RATE = 1000
+const CHUNK_LIMIT = OFFLINE_DECODE_CHUNK_SECONDS * SAMPLE_RATE
+
+function loudSignal(length: number): Float32Array {
+  const samples = new Float32Array(length)
+  for (let i = 0; i < length; i += 1) {
+    samples[i] = Math.sin(i * 0.3) * 0.8
+  }
+  return samples
+}
+
+describe('OfflineAudioChunker', () => {
+  it('buffers audio below the chunk limit without emitting chunks', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+
+    expect(chunker.push(loudSignal(CHUNK_LIMIT - 1))).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('emits a bounded chunk once the limit is reached and keeps the remainder', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+    const total = CHUNK_LIMIT + 500
+
+    const ready = chunker.push(loudSignal(total))
+    const remainder = chunker.flush()
+
+    expect(ready).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(ready[0].length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(CHUNK_LIMIT)
+    expect(ready[0].length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(ready[0].length + (remainder?.length ?? 0)).toBe(total)
+  })
+
+  it('never emits a chunk larger than the limit across many small pushes', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+    const emitted: Float32Array[] = []
+    const pushSize = 160
+    const pushes = Math.ceil((CHUNK_LIMIT * 3.5) / pushSize)
+    for (let i = 0; i < pushes; i += 1) {
+      emitted.push(...chunker.push(loudSignal(pushSize)))
+    }
+    const remainder = chunker.flush()
+
+    expect(emitted.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3)
+    for (const chunk of emitted) {
+      expect(chunk.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(CHUNK_LIMIT)
+    }
+    const totalOut = emitted.reduce((sum, c) => sum + c.length, 0) + (remainder?.length ?? 0)
+    expect(totalOut).toBe(pushes * pushSize)
+  })
+
+  it('splits multiple chunks out of one oversized push', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+
+    const ready = chunker.push(loudSignal(CHUNK_LIMIT * 2 + 100))
+
+    expect(ready.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
+    for (const chunk of ready) {
+      expect(chunk.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(CHUNK_LIMIT)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('splits at a silent pause near the chunk boundary instead of mid-speech', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+    const samples = loudSignal(CHUNK_LIMIT + 200)
+    // Quiet gap 2 s before the limit, inside the 5 s split-search window.
+    const gapStart = CHUNK_LIMIT - 2 * SAMPLE_RATE
+    const gapEnd = gapStart + Math.round(0.2 * SAMPLE_RATE)
+    samples.fill(0, gapStart, gapEnd)
+
+    const [chunk] = chunker.push(samples)
+
+    expect(chunk.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(gapStart)
+    expect(chunk.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(gapEnd)
+  })
+
+  it('conserves sample values across the split', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+    const samples = loudSignal(CHUNK_LIMIT + 50)
+
+    const [chunk] = chunker.push(samples)
+    const remainder = chunker.flush()
+
+    const rejoined = new Float32Array(samples.length)
+    rejoined.set(chunk, 0)
+    rejoined.set(remainder!, chunk.length)
+    expect(rejoined).toEqual(samples)
+  })
+
+  it('flush returns null when nothing is buffered', () => {
+    const chunker = new OfflineAudioChunker(SAMPLE_RATE)
+
+    expect(chunker.flush()).toBeNull()
+    expect(chunker.push(new Float32Array(0))).toEqual([])
+    expect(chunker.flush()).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/speech/stt-offline-audio-chunker.ts b/src/main/speech/stt-offline-audio-chunker.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..291454bf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/speech/stt-offline-audio-chunker.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+// Why: offline recognizers decode a whole buffer per call, and ONNX Runtime's
+// arena allocations scale with buffer length. Chromium's allocator shim kills
+// the entire app on any single allocation >= 2 GiB (#7925), so audio must be
+// decoded in bounded chunks regardless of how long dictation runs.
+export const OFFLINE_DECODE_CHUNK_SECONDS = 30
+
+// Why: cutting audio mid-word degrades transcription at chunk boundaries.
+// Search the tail of each chunk for its quietest window and split at its
+// center, so cuts land on real inter-word pauses whenever one exists. The
+// window must be pause-sized (~100ms): shorter windows match momentary
+// quiet inside a word (e.g. plosive closures) and cut mid-word.
+const SPLIT_SEARCH_SECONDS = 5
+const SPLIT_ENERGY_WINDOW_SECONDS = 0.1
+
+export class OfflineAudioChunker {
+  private buffered: Float32Array[] = []
+  private bufferedSamples = 0
+  private readonly chunkSampleLimit: number
+  private readonly splitSearchSamples: number
+  private readonly energyWindowSamples: number
+
+  constructor(sampleRate: number) {
+    this.chunkSampleLimit = Math.max(1, Math.round(OFFLINE_DECODE_CHUNK_SECONDS * sampleRate))
+    this.splitSearchSamples = Math.round(SPLIT_SEARCH_SECONDS * sampleRate)
+    this.energyWindowSamples = Math.max(1, Math.round(SPLIT_ENERGY_WINDOW_SECONDS * sampleRate))
+  }
+
+  /** Buffers samples and returns any full chunks now ready to decode. */
+  push(samples: Float32Array): Float32Array[] {
+    if (samples.length === 0) {
+      return []
+    }
+    this.buffered.push(samples)
+    this.bufferedSamples += samples.length
+
+    const ready: Float32Array[] = []
+    while (this.bufferedSamples >= this.chunkSampleLimit) {
+      const combined = this.combineBuffered()
+      const splitIndex = this.findQuietSplitIndex(combined)
+      ready.push(combined.slice(0, splitIndex))
+      const tail = combined.slice(splitIndex)
+      this.buffered = tail.length > 0 ? [tail] : []
+      this.bufferedSamples = tail.length
+    }
+    return ready
+  }
+
+  /** Returns all remaining buffered audio (any length below the chunk limit). */
+  flush(): Float32Array | null {
+    if (this.bufferedSamples === 0) {
+      return null
+    }
+    const combined = this.combineBuffered()
+    this.buffered = []
+    this.bufferedSamples = 0
+    return combined
+  }
+
+  private combineBuffered(): Float32Array {
+    if (this.buffered.length === 1) {
+      return this.buffered[0]
+    }
+    const combined = new Float32Array(this.bufferedSamples)
+    let offset = 0
+    for (const chunk of this.buffered) {
+      combined.set(chunk, offset)
+      offset += chunk.length
+    }
+    return combined
+  }
+
+  private findQuietSplitIndex(samples: Float32Array): number {
+    const limit = Math.min(this.chunkSampleLimit, samples.length)
+    const window = this.energyWindowSamples
+    const searchStart = Math.max(0, limit - this.splitSearchSamples)
+    const hop = Math.max(1, Math.floor(window / 2))
+    let bestIndex = limit
+    let bestEnergy = Infinity
+    for (let start = searchStart; start + window <= limit; start += hop) {
+      let energy = 0
+      for (let i = start; i < start + window; i += 1) {
+        energy += samples[i] * samples[i]
+      }
+      if (energy < bestEnergy) {
+        bestEnergy = energy
+        bestIndex = start + Math.floor(window / 2)
+      }
+    }
+    // Why: the split must consume at least one sample or push() would loop forever.
+    return Math.max(1, bestIndex)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/speech/stt-worker.ts b/src/main/speech/stt-worker.ts
index 9456f95c8..2f4f9b025 100644
--- a/src/main/speech/stt-worker.ts
+++ b/src/main/speech/stt-worker.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import { parentPort, workerData } from 'node:worker_threads'
 import { readdirSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { resampleToRate } from './stt-audio-resample'
+import { OfflineAudioChunker } from './stt-offline-audio-chunker'
 
 type WorkerMessage =
   | {
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ let sherpa: any = null
 let recognizer: any = null
 let stream: any = null
 let isStreaming = false
-let offlineBuffer: Float32Array[] = []
+let offlineChunker: OfflineAudioChunker | null = null
 let offlineSampleRate = 16000
 
 function loadSherpa(): any {
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ function handleInit(msg: Extract<WorkerMessage, { type: 'init' }>): void {
 
     const { modelDir, modelType, streaming, sampleRate, files } = msg
     isStreaming = streaming
-    offlineBuffer = []
+    offlineChunker = streaming ? null : new OfflineAudioChunker(sampleRate)
     offlineSampleRate = sampleRate
 
     const tokens = resolveTokens(files, modelDir)
@@ -203,6 +204,17 @@ function handleInit(msg: Extract<WorkerMessage, { type: 'init' }>): void {
   }
 }
 
+// Why: an offline stream is single-use — decode one bounded chunk, then
+// recreate the stream so the recognizer is ready for the next chunk.
+function decodeOfflineChunk(samples: Float32Array): string {
+  sherpa.acceptWaveformOffline(stream, { sampleRate: offlineSampleRate, samples })
+  sherpa.decodeOfflineStream(recognizer, stream)
+  const resultJson = sherpa.getOfflineStreamResultAsJson(stream)
+  stream = sherpa.createOfflineStream(recognizer)
+  const result = JSON.parse(resultJson)
+  return result?.text?.trim() ?? ''
+}
+
 function handleFeed(msg: Extract<WorkerMessage, { type: 'feed' }>): void {
   if (!recognizer || !stream) {
     return
@@ -236,9 +248,17 @@ function handleFeed(msg: Extract<WorkerMessage, { type: 'feed' }>): void {
         sherpa.reset(recognizer, stream)
       }
     } else {
-      // Why: offline recognizers cannot decode incrementally — they need all
-      // audio buffered first, then decoded in one shot when dictation stops.
-      offlineBuffer.push(new Float32Array(samples))
+      // Why: decoding one unbounded capture in a single call makes ONNX tensor
+      // sizes scale with dictation length until a >=2 GiB allocation SIGTRAPs
+      // the whole app (#7925). Decode bounded chunks as they fill instead;
+      // each consumer already appends multiple 'final' segments per session.
+      const readyChunks = offlineChunker?.push(new Float32Array(samples)) ?? []
+      for (const chunk of readyChunks) {
+        const text = decodeOfflineChunk(chunk)
+        if (text) {
+          parentPort?.postMessage({ type: 'final', text })
+        }
+      }
     }
   } catch (err) {
     parentPort?.postMessage({ type: 'error', error: String(err) })
@@ -265,27 +285,15 @@ function handleStop(): void {
       }
       stream = sherpa.createOnlineStream(recognizer)
     } else {
-      // Why: offline recognizer decodes all audio at once — concatenate
-      // buffered chunks into a single Float32Array and feed it to the stream.
-      const totalLength = offlineBuffer.reduce((sum, chunk) => sum + chunk.length, 0)
-      if (totalLength > 0) {
-        const combined = new Float32Array(totalLength)
-        let offset = 0
-        for (const chunk of offlineBuffer) {
-          combined.set(chunk, offset)
-          offset += chunk.length
-        }
-        sherpa.acceptWaveformOffline(stream, { sampleRate: offlineSampleRate, samples: combined })
-        sherpa.decodeOfflineStream(recognizer, stream)
-        const resultJson = sherpa.getOfflineStreamResultAsJson(stream)
-        const result = JSON.parse(resultJson)
-        const text = result?.text?.trim()
+      // Why: the remainder is below the chunk limit by construction, so this
+      // last decode is bounded too.
+      const remaining = offlineChunker?.flush()
+      if (remaining && remaining.length > 0) {
+        const text = decodeOfflineChunk(remaining)
         if (text) {
           parentPort?.postMessage({ type: 'final', text })
         }
       }
-      offlineBuffer = []
-      stream = sherpa.createOfflineStream(recognizer)
     }
   } catch (err) {
     parentPort?.postMessage({ type: 'error', error: String(err) })
@@ -298,7 +306,7 @@ function handleTeardown(): void {
   stream = null
   recognizer = null
   sherpa = null
-  offlineBuffer = []
+  offlineChunker = null
   process.exit(0)
 }