diff --git a/collects/tests/racket/long-cmdline.rkt b/collects/tests/racket/long-cmdline.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ced5a24d47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/collects/tests/racket/long-cmdline.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#lang racket/base
+(require racket/system)
+
+(let ([p (find-executable-path (find-system-path 'exec-file))])
+  (let ([s (open-output-bytes)])
+    (parameterize ([current-output-port s])
+      (apply system* p "-e" "'done" (for/list ([i 8192]) "x")))
+    (unless (equal? (get-output-bytes s) #"'done\n")
+      (error "test failed"))))
diff --git a/src/racket/gc2/mem_account.c b/src/racket/gc2/mem_account.c
index 8e21d0e31a..9516c46fbc 100644
--- a/src/racket/gc2/mem_account.c
+++ b/src/racket/gc2/mem_account.c
@@ -622,7 +622,11 @@ int BTC_single_allocation_limit(NewGC *gc, size_t sizeb) {
    * is much smaller than the actual available memory, and as long as
    * GC_out_of_memory protects any user-requested allocation whose size
    * is independent of any existing object, then we can enforce the limit. */
-  return (custodian_single_time_limit(gc, thread_get_owner(scheme_current_thread)) < sizeb);
+  Scheme_Thread *p = scheme_current_thread;
+  if (p)
+    return (custodian_single_time_limit(gc, thread_get_owner(p)) < sizeb);
+  else
+    return 0;
 }
 
 static inline void BTC_clean_up(NewGC *gc) {