diff --git a/codex-rs/utils/image/src/image_tests.rs b/codex-rs/utils/image/src/image_tests.rs
index e60c8c6be..eb60dceca 100644
--- a/codex-rs/utils/image/src/image_tests.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/utils/image/src/image_tests.rs
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ async fn returns_original_image_when_within_bounds() {
         assert_eq!(encoded.width, 64);
         assert_eq!(encoded.height, 32);
         assert_eq!(encoded.mime, mime);
-        assert_eq!(encoded.bytes, original_bytes);
+        assert_eq!(encoded.bytes.as_ref(), original_bytes);
     }
 }
 
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ async fn preserves_large_image_in_original_mode() {
     assert_eq!(processed.width, 4096);
     assert_eq!(processed.height, 2048);
     assert_eq!(processed.mime, "image/png");
-    assert_eq!(processed.bytes, original_bytes);
+    assert_eq!(processed.bytes.as_ref(), original_bytes);
 }
 
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ async fn data_url_processing_preserves_supported_source_bytes() {
     assert_eq!(processed.width, 64);
     assert_eq!(processed.height, 32);
     assert_eq!(processed.mime, "image/png");
-    assert_eq!(processed.bytes, original_bytes);
+    assert_eq!(processed.bytes.as_ref(), original_bytes);
 }
 
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
@@ -339,3 +339,26 @@ async fn reprocesses_updated_file_contents() {
     assert_eq!(second.height, 48);
     assert_ne!(second.bytes, first.bytes);
 }
+
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn bounds_cache_by_encoded_byte_size() {
+    let cache = ImageCache::new(NonZeroUsize::new(4).expect("non-zero cache capacity"));
+    let key = |digest_byte| ImageCacheKey {
+        digest: [digest_byte; 20],
+        mode: PromptImageMode::Original,
+    };
+    let image = |size| EncodedImage {
+        bytes: vec![0; size].into(),
+        mime: "image/png".to_string(),
+        width: 1,
+        height: 1,
+    };
+
+    cache_image(&cache, key(1), image(3), /*byte_capacity*/ 5);
+    cache_image(&cache, key(2), image(3), /*byte_capacity*/ 5);
+    cache_image(&cache, key(3), image(6), /*byte_capacity*/ 5);
+
+    assert!(cache.get(&key(1)).is_none());
+    assert!(cache.get(&key(2)).is_some());
+    assert!(cache.get(&key(3)).is_none());
+}
diff --git a/codex-rs/utils/image/src/lib.rs b/codex-rs/utils/image/src/lib.rs
index 93ae427ea..770cfc9d3 100644
--- a/codex-rs/utils/image/src/lib.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/utils/image/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use std::io::Cursor;
 use std::num::NonZeroUsize;
 use std::path::Path;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::sync::LazyLock;
 
 use base64::Engine;
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ pub const MAX_DIMENSION: u32 = 2048;
 /// This is a high sanity guard against pathological inputs, not a protocol
 /// requirement or target upload size.
 pub const MAX_PROMPT_IMAGE_INPUT_BYTES: usize = 1024 * 1024 * 1024;
+const MAX_IMAGE_CACHE_BYTES: usize = 64 * 1024 * 1024;
 
 pub mod error;
 
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ pub use crate::error::ImageProcessingError;
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct EncodedImage {
-    pub bytes: Vec<u8>,
+    pub bytes: Arc<[u8]>,
     pub mime: String,
     pub width: u32,
     pub height: u32,
@@ -77,7 +79,9 @@ struct ImageCacheKey {
     mode: PromptImageMode,
 }
 
-static IMAGE_CACHE: LazyLock<BlockingLruCache<ImageCacheKey, EncodedImage>> =
+type ImageCache = BlockingLruCache<ImageCacheKey, EncodedImage>;
+
+static IMAGE_CACHE: LazyLock<ImageCache> =
     LazyLock::new(|| BlockingLruCache::new(NonZeroUsize::new(32).unwrap_or(NonZeroUsize::MIN)));
 
 pub fn load_for_prompt_bytes(
@@ -92,7 +96,11 @@ pub fn load_for_prompt_bytes(
         mode,
     };
 
-    IMAGE_CACHE.get_or_try_insert_with(key, move || {
+    if let Some(image) = IMAGE_CACHE.get(&key) {
+        return Ok(image);
+    }
+
+    let image = (move || {
         let guessed_format = image::guess_format(&file_bytes)
             .map_err(|source| ImageProcessingError::decode_error(&path_buf, source))?;
         let format = match guessed_format {
@@ -151,7 +159,7 @@ pub fn load_for_prompt_bytes(
             let (bytes, output_format) = encode_image(&resized, target_format, metadata)?;
             let mime = format_to_mime(output_format);
             EncodedImage {
-                bytes,
+                bytes: bytes.into(),
                 mime,
                 width,
                 height,
@@ -160,7 +168,7 @@ pub fn load_for_prompt_bytes(
             if let Some(format) = format.filter(|format| can_preserve_source_bytes(*format)) {
                 let mime = format_to_mime(format);
                 EncodedImage {
-                    bytes: file_bytes,
+                    bytes: file_bytes.into(),
                     mime,
                     width,
                     height,
@@ -169,7 +177,7 @@ pub fn load_for_prompt_bytes(
                 let (bytes, output_format) = encode_image(&dynamic, ImageFormat::Png, metadata)?;
                 let mime = format_to_mime(output_format);
                 EncodedImage {
-                    bytes,
+                    bytes: bytes.into(),
                     mime,
                     width,
                     height,
@@ -178,7 +186,30 @@ pub fn load_for_prompt_bytes(
         };
 
         Ok(encoded)
-    })
+    })()?;
+
+    cache_image(&IMAGE_CACHE, key, image.clone(), MAX_IMAGE_CACHE_BYTES);
+    Ok(image)
+}
+
+fn cache_image(cache: &ImageCache, key: ImageCacheKey, image: EncodedImage, byte_capacity: usize) {
+    if image.bytes.len() > byte_capacity {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    cache.with_mut(|cache| {
+        cache.put(key, image);
+        let mut cached_bytes = cache
+            .iter()
+            .map(|(_, image)| image.bytes.len())
+            .sum::<usize>();
+        while cached_bytes > byte_capacity {
+            let Some((_, evicted)) = cache.pop_lru() else {
+                break;
+            };
+            cached_bytes -= evicted.bytes.len();
+        }
+    });
 }
 
 pub fn load_data_url_for_prompt(