diff --git a/vm/src/vm.rs b/vm/src/vm.rs
index 5d96e883b..cc13bc92e 100644
--- a/vm/src/vm.rs
+++ b/vm/src/vm.rs
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ impl VirtualMachine {
             use_tracing: RefCell::new(false),
             signal_handlers,
             settings,
-            recursion_limit: Cell::new(512),
+            recursion_limit: Cell::new(if cfg!(debug_assertions) { 256 } else { 512 }),
             codec_registry: RefCell::default(),
             initialized: false,
         };