diff --git a/irc/client.go b/irc/client.go
index 67b95a10..2cce97be 100644
--- a/irc/client.go
+++ b/irc/client.go
@@ -86,7 +86,9 @@ type Client struct {
 // NewClient returns a client with all the appropriate info setup.
 func NewClient(server *Server, conn net.Conn, isTLS bool) *Client {
 	now := time.Now()
-	socket := NewSocket(conn, server.MaxSendQBytes)
+	limits := server.Limits()
+	fullLineLenLimit := limits.LineLen.Tags + limits.LineLen.Rest
+	socket := NewSocket(conn, fullLineLenLimit*2, server.MaxSendQBytes())
 	go socket.RunSocketWriter()
 	client := &Client{
 		atime:          now,
@@ -230,7 +232,11 @@ func (client *Client) run() {
 
 		line, err = client.socket.Read()
 		if err != nil {
-			client.Quit("connection closed")
+			quitMessage := "connection closed"
+			if err == errReadQ {
+				quitMessage = "readQ exceeded"
+			}
+			client.Quit(quitMessage)
 			break
 		}
 
diff --git a/irc/config.go b/irc/config.go
index cacec5a4..f5b849e2 100644
--- a/irc/config.go
+++ b/irc/config.go
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ type Config struct {
 		ProxyAllowedFrom    []string       `yaml:"proxy-allowed-from"`
 		WebIRC              []webircConfig `yaml:"webirc"`
 		MaxSendQString      string         `yaml:"max-sendq"`
-		MaxSendQBytes       uint64
+		MaxSendQBytes       int
 		ConnectionLimiter   connection_limits.LimiterConfig   `yaml:"connection-limits"`
 		ConnectionThrottler connection_limits.ThrottlerConfig `yaml:"connection-throttling"`
 	}
@@ -520,10 +520,11 @@ func LoadConfig(filename string) (config *Config, err error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	config.Server.MaxSendQBytes, err = bytefmt.ToBytes(config.Server.MaxSendQString)
+	maxSendQBytes, err := bytefmt.ToBytes(config.Server.MaxSendQString)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Could not parse maximum SendQ size (make sure it only contains whole numbers): %s", err.Error())
 	}
+	config.Server.MaxSendQBytes = int(maxSendQBytes)
 
 	// get language files
 	config.Languages.Data = make(map[string]languages.LangData)
diff --git a/irc/errors.go b/irc/errors.go
index c6a5fe87..7909099b 100644
--- a/irc/errors.go
+++ b/irc/errors.go
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ var (
 var (
 	errNoPeerCerts = errors.New("Client did not provide a certificate")
 	errNotTLS      = errors.New("Not a TLS connection")
+	errReadQ       = errors.New("ReadQ Exceeded")
 )
 
 // String Errors
diff --git a/irc/getters.go b/irc/getters.go
index 29e32361..56b97057 100644
--- a/irc/getters.go
+++ b/irc/getters.go
@@ -6,8 +6,17 @@ package irc
 import (
 	"github.com/oragono/oragono/irc/isupport"
 	"github.com/oragono/oragono/irc/modes"
+	"sync/atomic"
 )
 
+func (server *Server) MaxSendQBytes() int {
+	return int(atomic.LoadUint64(&server.maxSendQBytes))
+}
+
+func (server *Server) SetMaxSendQBytes(m int) {
+	atomic.StoreUint64(&server.maxSendQBytes, uint64(m))
+}
+
 func (server *Server) ISupport() *isupport.List {
 	server.configurableStateMutex.RLock()
 	defer server.configurableStateMutex.RUnlock()
diff --git a/irc/server.go b/irc/server.go
index 9e6e0a22..260396eb 100644
--- a/irc/server.go
+++ b/irc/server.go
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ type Server struct {
 	limits                     Limits
 	listeners                  map[string]*ListenerWrapper
 	logger                     *logger.Manager
-	MaxSendQBytes              uint64
+	maxSendQBytes              uint64
 	monitorManager             *MonitorManager
 	motdLines                  []string
 	name                       string
@@ -932,16 +932,7 @@ func (server *Server) applyConfig(config *Config, initial bool) error {
 	server.configurableStateMutex.Unlock()
 
 	// set new sendqueue size
-	if config.Server.MaxSendQBytes != server.MaxSendQBytes {
-		server.configurableStateMutex.Lock()
-		server.MaxSendQBytes = config.Server.MaxSendQBytes
-		server.configurableStateMutex.Unlock()
-
-		// update on all clients
-		for _, sClient := range server.clients.AllClients() {
-			sClient.socket.MaxSendQBytes = config.Server.MaxSendQBytes
-		}
-	}
+	server.SetMaxSendQBytes(config.Server.MaxSendQBytes)
 
 	// set RPL_ISUPPORT
 	var newISupportReplies [][]string
diff --git a/irc/socket.go b/irc/socket.go
index aa178530..0f98a6f9 100644
--- a/irc/socket.go
+++ b/irc/socket.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ type Socket struct {
 	conn   net.Conn
 	reader *bufio.Reader
 
-	MaxSendQBytes uint64
+	maxSendQBytes int
 
 	// coordination system for asynchronous writes
 	buffer           []byte
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ type Socket struct {
 }
 
 // NewSocket returns a new Socket.
-func NewSocket(conn net.Conn, maxSendQBytes uint64) Socket {
+func NewSocket(conn net.Conn, maxReadQBytes int, maxSendQBytes int) Socket {
 	return Socket{
 		conn:             conn,
-		reader:           bufio.NewReader(conn),
-		MaxSendQBytes:    maxSendQBytes,
+		reader:           bufio.NewReaderSize(conn, maxReadQBytes),
+		maxSendQBytes:    maxSendQBytes,
 		lineToSendExists: make(chan bool, 1),
 	}
 }
@@ -92,10 +92,13 @@ func (socket *Socket) Read() (string, error) {
 		return "", io.EOF
 	}
 
-	lineBytes, err := socket.reader.ReadBytes('\n')
+	lineBytes, isPrefix, err := socket.reader.ReadLine()
+	if isPrefix {
+		return "", errReadQ
+	}
 
 	// convert bytes to string
-	line := string(lineBytes[:])
+	line := string(lineBytes)
 
 	// read last message properly (such as ERROR/QUIT/etc), just fail next reads/writes
 	if err == io.EOF {
@@ -108,7 +111,7 @@ func (socket *Socket) Read() (string, error) {
 		return "", err
 	}
 
-	return strings.TrimRight(line, "\r\n"), nil
+	return line, nil
 }
 
 // Write sends the given string out of Socket.
@@ -116,7 +119,7 @@ func (socket *Socket) Write(data string) (err error) {
 	socket.Lock()
 	if socket.closed {
 		err = io.EOF
-	} else if uint64(len(data)+len(socket.buffer)) > socket.MaxSendQBytes {
+	} else if len(data)+len(socket.buffer) > socket.maxSendQBytes {
 		socket.sendQExceeded = true
 		err = errSendQExceeded
 	} else {