diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c559bed..aba15f7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ restart into it, and `claudius update` does the same in a terminal
 ([Updates](https://github.com/devlato/claudius/blob/main/docs/src/guide/updates.md)). The releases before this one
 can't, so install this one the way you installed the last.
 
+Sample packs installed by 0.2 can hold damaged FLAC files: two notes of VCSL's harmonica take hundreds of MB and
+play as noise. `claudius-packs install --defaults` converts such files again and downloads nothing else.
+
 ## [0.2.0] - 2026-10-19
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/crates/claudius-packs/src/fetch.rs b/crates/claudius-packs/src/fetch.rs
index a2176c3..862d75b 100644
--- a/crates/claudius-packs/src/fetch.rs
+++ b/crates/claudius-packs/src/fetch.rs
@@ -263,10 +263,11 @@ fn pcm_fmt_trimmed(bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
     trimmed.then_some(out)
 }
 
-/// lossless WAV -> FLAC (keeps rate, channels and bit depth; float WAV becomes 24-bit)
+/// lossless WAV -> FLAC (keeps rate, channels and bit depth; float WAV becomes 24-bit). Each file is read back and
+/// compared with the samples it holds: on some 24-bit audio flacenc 0.5 misjudges what a subframe will cost and
+/// writes frames of megabytes that no decoder reads back (a harmonica note of 600 KB became 438 MB). Such a file is
+/// written again verbatim, which FLAC can always hold.
 pub fn transcode_flac(src: &Path, dst: &Path) -> Result<()> {
-    use flacenc::component::BitRepr;
-    use flacenc::error::Verify;
     let raw = std::fs::read(src).with_context(|| format!("cannot read {}", src.display()))?;
     let bytes = match hound::WavReader::new(std::io::Cursor::new(&raw[..])) {
         Ok(_) => raw,
@@ -287,12 +288,44 @@ pub fn transcode_flac(src: &Path, dst: &Path) -> Result<()> {
             24,
         ),
     };
-    let config =
-        flacenc::config::Encoder::default().into_verified().map_err(|e| anyhow!("FLAC encoder settings: {e:?}"))?;
-    let source =
-        flacenc::source::MemSource::from_samples(&samples, spec.channels as usize, bits, spec.sample_rate as usize);
+    let (channels, rate) = (spec.channels as usize, spec.sample_rate as usize);
+    let flac = flac_bytes(&samples, channels, bits, rate, false)
+        .with_context(|| format!("cannot encode {} as FLAC", src.display()))?;
+    let write = |bytes: &[u8]| std::fs::write(dst, bytes).with_context(|| format!("cannot write {}", dst.display()));
+    if flac.len() <= flac_bound(samples.len(), bits) {
+        write(&flac)?;
+        if reads_back(dst, &samples, bits) {
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+    }
+    write(&flac_bytes(&samples, channels, bits, rate, true)?)?;
+    if !reads_back(dst, &samples, bits) {
+        bail!("{} does not read back from FLAC, even stored verbatim", src.display());
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// The most a FLAC of these samples should take: the samples themselves, plus frame headers and metadata. Only a
+/// broken encoding goes past it.
+fn flac_bound(samples: usize, bits: usize) -> usize {
+    samples * bits / 8 + samples / 64 + 8192
+}
+
+fn flac_bytes(samples: &[i32], channels: usize, bits: usize, rate: usize, verbatim: bool) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    use flacenc::component::BitRepr;
+    use flacenc::error::Verify;
+    let mut config = flacenc::config::Encoder::default();
+    if verbatim {
+        config.subframe_coding.use_fixed = false;
+        config.subframe_coding.use_lpc = false;
+        config.stereo_coding.use_leftside = false;
+        config.stereo_coding.use_rightside = false;
+        config.stereo_coding.use_midside = false;
+    }
+    let config = config.into_verified().map_err(|e| anyhow!("FLAC encoder settings: {e:?}"))?;
+    let source = flacenc::source::MemSource::from_samples(samples, channels, bits, rate);
     let stream = flacenc::encode_with_fixed_block_size(&config, source, config.block_size)
-        .map_err(|e| anyhow!("cannot encode {} as FLAC: {e:?}", src.display()))?;
+        .map_err(|e| anyhow!("cannot encode FLAC: {e:?}"))?;
     let mut sink = flacenc::bitsink::ByteSink::new();
     stream.write(&mut sink).map_err(|e| anyhow!("cannot write FLAC: {e:?}"))?;
     let mut bytes = sink.as_slice().to_vec();
@@ -302,8 +335,32 @@ pub fn transcode_flac(src: &Path, dst: &Path) -> Result<()> {
         let max = [bytes[10], bytes[11]];
         bytes[8..10].copy_from_slice(&max);
     }
-    std::fs::write(dst, bytes).with_context(|| format!("cannot write {}", dst.display()))?;
-    Ok(())
+    Ok(bytes)
+}
+
+/// whether the FLAC at `path` decodes to exactly `samples` (interleaved, `bits` deep)
+fn reads_back(path: &Path, samples: &[i32], bits: usize) -> bool {
+    let Ok(d) = claudius_decode::decode_native(path) else { return false };
+    let scale = (1i64 << (bits - 1)) as f32;
+    d.samples.len() == samples.len() && d.samples.iter().zip(samples).all(|(v, s)| (v * scale).round() as i32 == *s)
+}
+
+/// A FLAC that claudius converted and that is larger than the audio it holds: written by an earlier version, before
+/// conversions were read back. Installing the pack again converts it anew.
+pub fn bloated_flac(path: &Path) -> bool {
+    let Ok(len) = std::fs::metadata(path).map(|m| m.len()) else { return false };
+    let mut head = [0u8; 42];
+    let read = std::fs::File::open(path).and_then(|mut f| f.read_exact(&mut head));
+    if read.is_err() || &head[..4] != b"fLaC" || head[4] & 0x7f != 0 {
+        return false;
+    }
+    // STREAMINFO: 20 bits of rate, 3 of channels - 1, 5 of bits - 1, 36 of samples per channel
+    let info = &head[8..];
+    let channels = ((info[12] >> 1) & 7) as usize + 1;
+    let bits = ((((info[12] & 1) << 4) | (info[13] >> 4)) + 1) as usize;
+    let frames =
+        (((info[13] & 0x0f) as u64) << 32) | u32::from_be_bytes([info[14], info[15], info[16], info[17]]) as u64;
+    len as usize > flac_bound(frames as usize * channels, bits)
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
@@ -479,6 +536,66 @@ pub fn walk(dir: &Path) -> Vec<(String, u64)> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod flac_tests {
+    fn write_wav(path: &std::path::Path, bits: u16, samples: &[i32]) {
+        let spec = hound::WavSpec {
+            channels: 1,
+            sample_rate: 44_100,
+            bits_per_sample: bits,
+            sample_format: hound::SampleFormat::Int,
+        };
+        let mut w = hound::WavWriter::create(path, spec).unwrap();
+        for s in samples {
+            w.write_sample(*s).unwrap();
+        }
+        w.finalize().unwrap();
+    }
+
+    fn decoded(path: &std::path::Path, bits: u32) -> Vec<i32> {
+        let d = claudius_decode::decode_native(path).unwrap();
+        d.samples.iter().map(|v| (v * (1u32 << (bits - 1)) as f32).round() as i32).collect()
+    }
+
+    /// loud 24-bit audio rich in harmonics, which flacenc's default settings encode into more bytes than its samples
+    fn harmonics() -> Vec<i32> {
+        (0..44_100)
+            .map(|i| {
+                let t = i as f64 / 44_100.0;
+                let sum: f64 = (1..=40).map(|h| (2.0 * std::f64::consts::PI * 784.0 * h as f64 * t).sin()).sum();
+                (sum * 7_000_000.0 / 40.0) as i32
+            })
+            .collect()
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn no_flac_is_larger_than_its_samples() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let (wav, flac) = (dir.path().join("in.wav"), dir.path().join("out.flac"));
+        let samples = harmonics();
+        write_wav(&wav, 24, &samples);
+        super::transcode_flac(&wav, &flac).unwrap();
+        let len = std::fs::metadata(&flac).unwrap().len() as usize;
+        assert!(len <= super::flac_bound(samples.len(), 24), "{len} bytes for {} bytes of samples", samples.len() * 3);
+        assert_eq!(decoded(&flac, 24), samples, "lossless");
+        assert!(!super::bloated_flac(&flac));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_damaged_conversion_is_recognised() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let (wav, flac) = (dir.path().join("in.wav"), dir.path().join("out.flac"));
+        let samples: Vec<i32> = (0..20_000).map(|i| ((i as f64 * 0.01).sin() * 3_000_000.0) as i32).collect();
+        write_wav(&wav, 24, &samples);
+        super::transcode_flac(&wav, &flac).unwrap();
+        assert!(!super::bloated_flac(&flac));
+        // what flacenc wrote for some 24-bit notes: frames far larger than the samples they hold
+        let mut bytes = std::fs::read(&flac).unwrap();
+        bytes.extend(std::iter::repeat_n(0xffu8, 200_000));
+        std::fs::write(&flac, &bytes).unwrap();
+        assert!(super::bloated_flac(&flac));
+        assert!(!super::bloated_flac(&wav), "only FLAC files are judged");
+        assert!(!super::bloated_flac(&dir.path().join("missing.flac")));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn a_wav_with_a_long_fmt_chunk_still_becomes_flac() {
         let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
diff --git a/crates/claudius-packs/src/install.rs b/crates/claudius-packs/src/install.rs
index 90f17e4..ea7f573 100644
--- a/crates/claudius-packs/src/install.rs
+++ b/crates/claudius-packs/src/install.rs
@@ -419,6 +419,16 @@ pub fn install_spec(pack: &PackSpec, opts: &InstallOptions, progress: &dyn Fn(f3
         if n > 0 {
             progress(0.0, &format!("{}: removed {n} stale files ({:.1} MB)", pack.name, bytes as f64 / 1e6));
         }
+        let damaged = index
+            .files
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|f| {
+                f.flac && fetch::bloated_flac(&dir.join(&f.path)) && std::fs::remove_file(dir.join(&f.path)).is_ok()
+            })
+            .count();
+        if damaged > 0 {
+            progress(0.0, &format!("{}: converting {damaged} damaged FLAC files again", pack.name));
+        }
         // archive members: copy (or convert) out of the extraction directory, in parallel
         if !copies.is_empty() {
             use rayon::prelude::*;