diff --git a/internal/app/files/gif_admin.go b/internal/app/files/gif_admin.go
index a0056248..b9711087 100644
--- a/internal/app/files/gif_admin.go
+++ b/internal/app/files/gif_admin.go
@@ -142,22 +142,23 @@ func (s *Service) createGifCatalogEntry(ctx context.Context, title string, docum
 	return entry, nil
 }
 
-// AdminListGifCatalog returns every entry (enabled and disabled), for the
-// admin panel's list view.
+// AdminListGifCatalog returns every entry (enabled and disabled), unbounded,
+// for the admin panel's list view.
 func (s *Service) AdminListGifCatalog(ctx context.Context) ([]domain.GifCatalogEntry, error) {
 	if s.gifCatalog == nil {
 		return nil, domain.ErrGifCatalogUnavailable
 	}
-	return s.gifCatalog.ListGifCatalog(ctx, false)
+	return s.gifCatalog.ListGifCatalog(ctx, false, 0)
 }
 
 // ListGifCatalog is bots.gifCatalogSource's read: onlyEnabled=true is what
-// @gif actually serves.
+// @gif actually serves, capped at domain.MaxGifCatalogEntries -- the real
+// per-response limit the client enforces.
 func (s *Service) ListGifCatalog(ctx context.Context, onlyEnabled bool) ([]domain.GifCatalogEntry, error) {
 	if s.gifCatalog == nil {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
-	return s.gifCatalog.ListGifCatalog(ctx, onlyEnabled)
+	return s.gifCatalog.ListGifCatalog(ctx, onlyEnabled, domain.MaxGifCatalogEntries)
 }
 
 // AdminSetGifCatalogEnabled toggles whether an entry is served.
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ func (s *Service) AdminAutoCategorizeGifCatalog(ctx context.Context) (int, error
 	if s.gifCatalog == nil {
 		return 0, domain.ErrGifCatalogUnavailable
 	}
-	entries, err := s.gifCatalog.ListGifCatalog(ctx, false)
+	entries, err := s.gifCatalog.ListGifCatalog(ctx, false, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/store/gif_catalog.go b/internal/store/gif_catalog.go
index 3e13c1c2..c88504b8 100644
--- a/internal/store/gif_catalog.go
+++ b/internal/store/gif_catalog.go
@@ -19,9 +19,14 @@ type GifCatalogStore interface {
 	// Always false for an empty filename (that's the panel-upload sentinel,
 	// never a real seed match).
 	HasGifCatalogSourceFilename(ctx context.Context, filename string) (bool, error)
-	// ListGifCatalog returns every entry ordered by (sort_order, id).
-	// onlyEnabled=true is what @gif serves; the admin panel lists everything.
-	ListGifCatalog(ctx context.Context, onlyEnabled bool) ([]domain.GifCatalogEntry, error)
+	// ListGifCatalog returns entries ordered by (sort_order, id).
+	// onlyEnabled=true is what @gif serves. limit>0 caps the result (@gif's
+	// live-serving path passes domain.MaxGifCatalogEntries -- the real TL-level
+	// cap one inline response can carry); limit<=0 means unbounded, which is
+	// what the admin panel and bulk operations like auto-categorize need --
+	// capping those at the same 50 the client renders per response would
+	// silently only ever touch the first page of a real catalog.
+	ListGifCatalog(ctx context.Context, onlyEnabled bool, limit int) ([]domain.GifCatalogEntry, error)
 	// SetGifCatalogEnabled toggles whether an entry is served. changed=false
 	// if the id doesn't exist.
 	SetGifCatalogEnabled(ctx context.Context, id int64, enabled bool) (bool, error)
diff --git a/internal/store/postgres/gif_catalog.go b/internal/store/postgres/gif_catalog.go
index f05f4f39..4e41583b 100644
--- a/internal/store/postgres/gif_catalog.go
+++ b/internal/store/postgres/gif_catalog.go
@@ -48,13 +48,19 @@ func (s *GifCatalogStore) HasGifCatalogSourceFilename(ctx context.Context, filen
 	return exists, nil
 }
 
-func (s *GifCatalogStore) ListGifCatalog(ctx context.Context, onlyEnabled bool) ([]domain.GifCatalogEntry, error) {
+func (s *GifCatalogStore) ListGifCatalog(ctx context.Context, onlyEnabled bool, limit int) ([]domain.GifCatalogEntry, error) {
+	// Postgres treats LIMIT NULL as "no limit" -- a nil *int parameter gets
+	// there without a second query string for the unbounded (admin) case.
+	var limitParam *int
+	if limit > 0 {
+		limitParam = &limit
+	}
 	rows, err := s.db.Query(ctx, `
 SELECT id, title, document_id, enabled, sort_order, created_by, created_at, updated_at, source_filename, category
 FROM gif_catalog
 WHERE NOT $1 OR enabled
 ORDER BY sort_order, id
-LIMIT `+fmt.Sprint(domain.MaxGifCatalogEntries), onlyEnabled)
+LIMIT $2`, onlyEnabled, limitParam)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("list gif catalog: %w", err)
 	}