diff --git a/internal/boxfile/boxfile.go b/internal/boxfile/boxfile.go
index dceae9a..b467ae5 100644
--- a/internal/boxfile/boxfile.go
+++ b/internal/boxfile/boxfile.go
@@ -160,8 +160,7 @@ func Parse(path string) (Spec, error) {
 	// Decoding empty input clears the destination, wiping the defaults, so
 	// skip it entirely: a Boxfile with no content means "all defaults".
 	if len(bytes.TrimSpace(b)) > 0 {
-		dec := yaml.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(b), yaml.DisallowUnknownField())
-		if err := dec.Decode(&s); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		if err := decode(b, &s); err != nil {
 			return Spec{}, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", path, err)
 		}
 	}
@@ -171,6 +170,22 @@ func Parse(path string) (Spec, error) {
 	return s, nil
 }
 
+// decode reads YAML into s. The YAML library panics on some malformed input
+// (a bare "!" tag on a list, for one), so a panic is reported as a parse
+// error rather than taking down box, or a server, with it.
+func decode(b []byte, s *Spec) (err error) {
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("cannot parse: %v", r)
+		}
+	}()
+	dec := yaml.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(b), yaml.DisallowUnknownField())
+	if err := dec.Decode(s); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Grammar rules for spec fields that are data, not instructions. A value
 // violating its rule could otherwise change the structure of the generated
 // Containerfile (a newline in an env value becomes a new instruction, a mode
diff --git a/internal/boxfile/boxfile_test.go b/internal/boxfile/boxfile_test.go
index cd76f12..32166b0 100644
--- a/internal/boxfile/boxfile_test.go
+++ b/internal/boxfile/boxfile_test.go
@@ -362,3 +362,13 @@ func TestIsolation(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// The YAML library panics on a bare tag where a list is expected; Parse must
+// turn that into an error. Found by FuzzParse.
+func TestParseSurvivesYAMLPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, body := range []string{"base: alpine\npackages: !\n", "base: alpine\npackages:\n  ! 0\n"} {
+		if _, err := Parse(write(t, body)); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("Parse(%q) should fail", body)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/boxfile/testdata/fuzz/FuzzParse/57d31b51e80d8201 b/internal/boxfile/testdata/fuzz/FuzzParse/57d31b51e80d8201
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..874176d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/boxfile/testdata/fuzz/FuzzParse/57d31b51e80d8201
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+go test fuzz v1
+[]byte(" \n\nbase: .\n\n\nram_mib: 1\nnetwork: A\n\nA: false #\nisolation: A #\nbackend: A #\ntimeout_seconds: A    #\nwarm: 0 #\n\n#\npackages:\n  ! 0000000000000")