diff --git a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c
index 63147865257..1eaffc66920 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c
@@ -854,24 +854,37 @@ static void perform_stream_op_locked(
     stream_global->send_initial_metadata_finished =
         add_closure_barrier(on_complete);
     stream_global->send_initial_metadata = op->send_initial_metadata;
-    if (contains_non_ok_status(transport_global, op->send_initial_metadata)) {
-      stream_global->seen_error = true;
-      grpc_chttp2_list_add_check_read_ops(transport_global, stream_global);
-    }
-    if (!stream_global->write_closed) {
-      if (transport_global->is_client) {
-        GPR_ASSERT(stream_global->id == 0);
-        grpc_chttp2_list_add_waiting_for_concurrency(transport_global,
-                                                     stream_global);
-        maybe_start_some_streams(exec_ctx, transport_global);
+    const size_t metadata_size = grpc_metadata_batch_size(
+        op->send_initial_metadata);
+    const size_t metadata_peer_limit =
+        transport_global->settings[GRPC_PEER_SETTINGS]
+                                  [GRPC_CHTTP2_SETTINGS_MAX_HEADER_LIST_SIZE];
+    if (metadata_size > metadata_peer_limit) {
+      gpr_log(GPR_DEBUG,
+              "initial metadata size exceeds peer limit (%lu vs. %lu)",
+              metadata_size, metadata_peer_limit);
+      cancel_from_api(exec_ctx, transport_global, stream_global,
+                      GRPC_STATUS_RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED);
+    } else {
+      if (contains_non_ok_status(transport_global, op->send_initial_metadata)) {
+        stream_global->seen_error = true;
+        grpc_chttp2_list_add_check_read_ops(transport_global, stream_global);
+      }
+      if (!stream_global->write_closed) {
+        if (transport_global->is_client) {
+          GPR_ASSERT(stream_global->id == 0);
+          grpc_chttp2_list_add_waiting_for_concurrency(transport_global,
+                                                       stream_global);
+          maybe_start_some_streams(exec_ctx, transport_global);
+        } else {
+          GPR_ASSERT(stream_global->id != 0);
+          grpc_chttp2_become_writable(transport_global, stream_global);
+        }
       } else {
-        GPR_ASSERT(stream_global->id != 0);
-        grpc_chttp2_become_writable(transport_global, stream_global);
+        grpc_chttp2_complete_closure_step(
+            exec_ctx, stream_global,
+            &stream_global->send_initial_metadata_finished, 0);
       }
-    } else {
-      grpc_chttp2_complete_closure_step(
-          exec_ctx, stream_global,
-          &stream_global->send_initial_metadata_finished, 0);
     }
   }
 
@@ -895,19 +908,33 @@ static void perform_stream_op_locked(
     stream_global->send_trailing_metadata_finished =
         add_closure_barrier(on_complete);
     stream_global->send_trailing_metadata = op->send_trailing_metadata;
-    if (contains_non_ok_status(transport_global, op->send_trailing_metadata)) {
-      stream_global->seen_error = true;
-      grpc_chttp2_list_add_check_read_ops(transport_global, stream_global);
-    }
-    if (stream_global->write_closed) {
-      grpc_chttp2_complete_closure_step(
-          exec_ctx, stream_global,
-          &stream_global->send_trailing_metadata_finished,
-          grpc_metadata_batch_is_empty(op->send_trailing_metadata));
-    } else if (stream_global->id != 0) {
-      /* TODO(ctiller): check if there's flow control for any outstanding
-         bytes before going writable */
-      grpc_chttp2_become_writable(transport_global, stream_global);
+    const size_t metadata_size = grpc_metadata_batch_size(
+        op->send_trailing_metadata);
+    const size_t metadata_peer_limit =
+        transport_global->settings[GRPC_PEER_SETTINGS]
+                                  [GRPC_CHTTP2_SETTINGS_MAX_HEADER_LIST_SIZE];
+    if (metadata_size > metadata_peer_limit) {
+      gpr_log(GPR_DEBUG,
+              "trailing metadata size exceeds peer limit (%lu vs. %lu)",
+              metadata_size, metadata_peer_limit);
+      cancel_from_api(exec_ctx, transport_global, stream_global,
+                      GRPC_STATUS_RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED);
+    } else {
+      if (contains_non_ok_status(transport_global,
+                                 op->send_trailing_metadata)) {
+        stream_global->seen_error = true;
+        grpc_chttp2_list_add_check_read_ops(transport_global, stream_global);
+      }
+      if (stream_global->write_closed) {
+        grpc_chttp2_complete_closure_step(
+            exec_ctx, stream_global,
+            &stream_global->send_trailing_metadata_finished,
+            grpc_metadata_batch_is_empty(op->send_trailing_metadata));
+      } else if (stream_global->id != 0) {
+        /* TODO(ctiller): check if there's flow control for any outstanding
+           bytes before going writable */
+        grpc_chttp2_become_writable(transport_global, stream_global);
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/test/core/end2end/tests/large_metadata.c b/test/core/end2end/tests/large_metadata.c
index 2aa6381e9e2..b78d5b8292c 100644
--- a/test/core/end2end/tests/large_metadata.c
+++ b/test/core/end2end/tests/large_metadata.c
@@ -97,9 +97,8 @@ static void end_test(grpc_end2end_test_fixture *f) {
   grpc_completion_queue_destroy(f->cq);
 }
 
-/* Request with a large amount of metadata.*/
-static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
-                                             int allow_large_metadata) {
+/* Request with a large amount of metadata. */
+static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config) {
   grpc_call *c;
   grpc_call *s;
   gpr_slice request_payload_slice = gpr_slice_from_copied_string("hello world");
@@ -107,16 +106,12 @@ static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
       grpc_raw_byte_buffer_create(&request_payload_slice, 1);
   gpr_timespec deadline = five_seconds_time();
   grpc_metadata meta;
-  const char *test_name = allow_large_metadata
-                          ? "test_request_with_large_metadata_allowed"
-                          : "test_request_with_large_metadata_not_allowed";
   const size_t large_size = 64 * 1024;
   grpc_arg arg = { GRPC_ARG_INTEGER, GRPC_ARG_MAX_METADATA_SIZE,
                    { .integer=(int)large_size + 1024 } };
   grpc_channel_args args = { 1, &arg };
-  grpc_channel_args* use_args = allow_large_metadata ? &args : NULL;
   grpc_end2end_test_fixture f = begin_test(
-      config, test_name, use_args, use_args);
+      config, "test_request_with_large_metadata", &args, &args);
   cq_verifier *cqv = cq_verifier_create(f.cq);
   grpc_op ops[6];
   grpc_op *op;
@@ -146,6 +141,7 @@ static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
   grpc_metadata_array_init(&request_metadata_recv);
   grpc_call_details_init(&call_details);
 
+  /* Client: send request. */
   op = ops;
   op->op = GRPC_OP_SEND_INITIAL_METADATA;
   op->data.send_initial_metadata.count = 1;
@@ -182,9 +178,11 @@ static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
       grpc_server_request_call(f.server, &s, &call_details,
                                &request_metadata_recv, f.cq, f.cq, tag(101));
   GPR_ASSERT(GRPC_CALL_OK == error);
+
   cq_expect_completion(cqv, tag(101), 1);
   cq_verify(cqv);
 
+  /* Server: send initial metadata and receive request. */
   op = ops;
   op->op = GRPC_OP_SEND_INITIAL_METADATA;
   op->data.send_initial_metadata.count = 0;
@@ -199,9 +197,11 @@ static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
   error = grpc_call_start_batch(s, ops, (size_t)(op - ops), tag(102), NULL);
   GPR_ASSERT(GRPC_CALL_OK == error);
 
-  cq_expect_completion(cqv, tag(102), allow_large_metadata);
+  cq_expect_completion(cqv, tag(102), 1);
   cq_verify(cqv);
 
+  /* Server: receive close and send status.  This should trigger
+     completion of request on client. */
   op = ops;
   op->op = GRPC_OP_RECV_CLOSE_ON_SERVER;
   op->data.recv_close_on_server.cancelled = &was_cancelled;
@@ -222,19 +222,13 @@ static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
   cq_expect_completion(cqv, tag(1), 1);
   cq_verify(cqv);
 
-  GPR_ASSERT(status == (allow_large_metadata ? GRPC_STATUS_OK
-                        : GRPC_STATUS_RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED));
+  GPR_ASSERT(status == GRPC_STATUS_OK);
+  GPR_ASSERT(0 == strcmp(details, "xyz"));
   GPR_ASSERT(0 == strcmp(call_details.method, "/foo"));
   GPR_ASSERT(0 == strcmp(call_details.host, "foo.test.google.fr"));
   GPR_ASSERT(was_cancelled == 0);
-  if (allow_large_metadata) {
-    GPR_ASSERT(0 == strcmp(details, "xyz"));
-    GPR_ASSERT(byte_buffer_eq_string(request_payload_recv, "hello world"));
-    GPR_ASSERT(contains_metadata(&request_metadata_recv, "key", meta.value));
-  } else {
-    GPR_ASSERT(request_payload_recv == NULL);
-    GPR_ASSERT(!contains_metadata_key(&request_metadata_recv, "key"));
-  }
+  GPR_ASSERT(byte_buffer_eq_string(request_payload_recv, "hello world"));
+  GPR_ASSERT(contains_metadata(&request_metadata_recv, "key", meta.value));
 
   gpr_free(details);
   grpc_metadata_array_destroy(&initial_metadata_recv);
@@ -257,8 +251,7 @@ static void test_request_with_large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config,
 }
 
 void large_metadata(grpc_end2end_test_config config) {
-  test_request_with_large_metadata(config, 1);
-  test_request_with_large_metadata(config, 0);
+  test_request_with_large_metadata(config);
 }
 
 void large_metadata_pre_init(void) {}