diff --git a/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-docs.factor b/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-docs.factor
index af65d5b9b6..90f7860672 100755
--- a/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-docs.factor
@@ -5,16 +5,23 @@ IN: io.streams.limited
 
 HELP: <limited-stream>
 { $values
-     { "stream" "an input stream" } { "limit" integer }
+     { "stream" "an input stream" } { "limit" integer } { "mode" "a " { $link limited-stream } " mode singleton" }
      { "stream'" "an input stream" }
 }
-{ $description "Constructs a new " { $link limited-stream } " from an existing stream. Upon exhaustion, the stream will throw an error by default." }
+{ $description "Constructs a new " { $link limited-stream } " from an existing stream. User code should use " { $link limit } " or " { $link limit-input } "." } ;
+
+HELP: limit
+{ $values
+     { "stream" "an input stream" } { "limit" integer } { "mode" "a " { $link limited-stream } " mode singleton" }
+     { "stream'" "a stream" }
+}
+{ $description "Changes a decoder's stream to be a limited stream, or wraps " { $snippet "stream" } " in a " { $link limited-stream } "." }
 { $examples "Throwing an exception:"
     { $example
         "USING: continuations io io.streams.limited io.streams.string"
         "kernel prettyprint ;"
         "["
-        "    \"123456\" <string-reader> 3 <limited-stream>"
+        "    \"123456\" <string-reader> 3 stream-throws limit"
         "    100 swap stream-read ."
         "] [ ] recover ."
         "T{ limit-exceeded }"
@@ -23,32 +30,34 @@ HELP: <limited-stream>
     { $example
         "USING: accessors continuations io io.streams.limited"
         "io.streams.string kernel prettyprint ;"
-        "\"123456\" <string-reader> 3 <limited-stream>"
-        "stream-eofs >>mode"
+        "\"123456\" <string-reader> 3 stream-eofs limit"
         "100 swap stream-read ."
         "\"123\""
     }
 } ;
 
-HELP: limit
+HELP: unlimit
 { $values
-     { "stream" "a stream" } { "limit" integer }
+     { "stream" "an input stream" }
      { "stream'" "a stream" }
 }
-{ $description "Changes a decoder's stream to be a limited stream, or wraps " { $snippet "stream" } " in a " { $link limited-stream } "." } ;
+{ $description "Returns the underlying stream of a limited stream." } ;
 
 HELP: limited-stream
 { $values
     { "value" "a limited-stream class" }
 }
-{ $description "Limited streams wrap other streams, changing their behavior to throw an exception or return " { $link f } " upon exhaustion. The default behavior is to throw an exception." } ;
+{ $description "Limited streams wrap other streams, changing their behavior to throw an exception or return " { $link f } " upon exhaustion." } ;
 
 HELP: limit-input
 { $values
-     { "limit" integer }
+     { "limit" integer } { "mode" "a " { $link limited-stream } " mode singleton" }
 }
 { $description "Wraps the current " { $link input-stream } " in a " { $link limited-stream } "." } ;
 
+HELP: unlimit-input
+{ $description "Returns the underlying stream of the limited-stream stored in " { $link input-stream } "." } ;
+
 HELP: stream-eofs
 { $values
     { "value" "a " { $link limited-stream } " mode singleton" }
@@ -64,13 +73,15 @@ HELP: stream-throws
 { stream-eofs stream-throws } related-words
 
 ARTICLE: "io.streams.limited" "Limited input streams"
-"The " { $vocab-link "io.streams.limited" } " vocabulary wraps a stream to behave as if it had only a limited number of bytes, either throwing an error or returning " { $link f } " upon reaching the end. The default behavior is to throw an error." $nl
-"Wrap an existing stream in a limited stream:"
-{ $subsection <limited-stream> }
+"The " { $vocab-link "io.streams.limited" } " vocabulary wraps a stream to behave as if it had only a limited number of bytes, either throwing an error or returning " { $link f } " upon reaching the end." $nl
 "Wrap a stream in a limited stream:"
 { $subsection limit }
 "Wrap the current " { $link input-stream } " in a limited stream:"
 { $subsection limit-input }
+"Unlimits a limited stream:"
+{ $subsection unlimit }
+"Unlimits the current " { $link input-stream } ":"
+{ $subsection limit-input }
 "Make a limited stream throw an exception on exhaustion:"
 { $subsection stream-throws }
 "Make a limited stream return " { $link f } " on exhaustion:"
diff --git a/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-tests.factor b/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-tests.factor
index 69bd6a9cd6..c88d52be81 100644
--- a/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/io/streams/limited/limited-tests.factor
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ IN: io.streams.limited.tests
     ascii encode binary <byte-reader> "data" set
 ] unit-test
 
-[ ] [ "data" get 24 <limited-stream> "limited" set ] unit-test
+[ ] [ "data" get 24 stream-throws <limited-stream> "limited" set ] unit-test
 
 [ CHAR: h ] [ "limited" get stream-read1 ] unit-test
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ IN: io.streams.limited.tests
     ascii encode binary <byte-reader> "data" set
 ] unit-test
 
-[ ] [ "data" get 7 <limited-stream> "limited" set ] unit-test
+[ ] [ "data" get 7 stream-throws <limited-stream> "limited" set ] unit-test
 
 [ "abc" CHAR: \n ] [ "\n" "limited" get stream-read-until [ >string ] dip ] unit-test
 
@@ -34,22 +34,28 @@ IN: io.streams.limited.tests
 [ "he" CHAR: l ] [
     B{ CHAR: h CHAR: e CHAR: l CHAR: l CHAR: o }
     ascii <byte-reader> [
-        5 limit-input
+        5 stream-throws limit-input
         "l" read-until
     ] with-input-stream
 ] unit-test
 
 [ CHAR: a ]
-[ "a" <string-reader> 1 <limited-stream> stream-read1 ] unit-test
+[ "a" <string-reader> 1 stream-eofs <limited-stream> stream-read1 ] unit-test
 
 [ "abc" ]
 [
-    "abc" <string-reader> 3 <limited-stream> stream-eofs >>mode
+    "abc" <string-reader> 3 stream-eofs <limited-stream>
     4 swap stream-read
 ] unit-test
 
 [ f ]
 [
-    "abc" <string-reader> 3 <limited-stream> stream-eofs >>mode
+    "abc" <string-reader> 3 stream-eofs <limited-stream>
     4 over stream-read drop 10 swap stream-read
 ] unit-test
+
+[ t ]
+[
+    "abc" <string-reader> 3 stream-eofs limit unlimit
+    "abc" <string-reader> =
+] unit-test
diff --git a/basis/io/streams/limited/limited.factor b/basis/io/streams/limited/limited.factor
index f97c46182a..71c6eb67d4 100755
--- a/basis/io/streams/limited/limited.factor
+++ b/basis/io/streams/limited/limited.factor
@@ -9,20 +9,27 @@ TUPLE: limited-stream stream count limit mode ;
 
 SINGLETONS: stream-throws stream-eofs ;
 
-: <limited-stream> ( stream limit -- stream' )
+: <limited-stream> ( stream limit mode -- stream' )
     limited-stream new
+        swap >>mode
         swap >>limit
         swap >>stream
-        0 >>count
-        stream-throws >>mode ;
+        0 >>count ;
 
-GENERIC# limit 1 ( stream limit -- stream' )
+GENERIC# limit 2 ( stream limit mode -- stream' )
 
-M: decoder limit [ clone ] dip [ limit ] curry change-stream ;
+M: decoder limit ( stream limit mode -- stream' )
+    [ clone ] 2dip '[ _ _ limit ] change-stream ;
 
-M: object limit <limited-stream> ;
+M: object limit ( stream limit mode -- stream' )
+    <limited-stream> ;
 
-: limit-input ( limit -- ) input-stream [ swap limit ] change ;
+: unlimit ( stream -- stream' )
+    [ stream>> ] change-stream ;
+
+: limit-input ( limit mode -- ) input-stream [ -rot limit ] change ;
+
+: unlimit-input ( -- ) input-stream [ unlimit ] change ;
 
 ERROR: limit-exceeded ;