diff --git a/mlx/io/gguf.cpp b/mlx/io/gguf.cpp
index 758488e4a8..40cca573e5 100644
--- a/mlx/io/gguf.cpp
+++ b/mlx/io/gguf.cpp
@@ -211,6 +211,28 @@ std::unordered_map<std::string, GGUFMetaData> load_metadata(gguf_ctx* ctx) {
   return metadata;
 }
 
+// gguflib computes weights_data as ctx->data + ctx->data_off + the tensor's
+// offset field in unsigned arithmetic, without comparing the result against the
+// mapping, so a crafted offset can point outside the file or -- if the addition
+// wraps -- back inside it at the wrong bytes.
+void check_tensor_in_file(const gguf_ctx* ctx, const gguf_tensor& tensor) {
+  auto fail = [&tensor](const std::string& what) {
+    std::ostringstream msg;
+    msg << "[load_gguf] Tensor '" << std::string(tensor.name, tensor.namelen)
+        << "' " << what << ". Perhaps an incomplete download or corrupt file?";
+    throw std::runtime_error(msg.str());
+  };
+  if (tensor.offset < ctx->data_off) {
+    fail("has a data offset that overflows the data section");
+  }
+  if (tensor.offset > ctx->size) {
+    fail("has a data offset past the end of the file");
+  }
+  if (tensor.bsize > ctx->size - tensor.offset) {
+    fail("extends past the end of the file");
+  }
+}
+
 std::unordered_map<std::string, array> load_arrays(gguf_ctx* ctx) {
   std::unordered_map<std::string, array> array_map;
   gguf_tensor tensor;
@@ -225,6 +247,7 @@ std::unordered_map<std::string, array> load_arrays(gguf_ctx* ctx) {
   };
 
   while (gguf_get_tensor(ctx, &tensor)) {
+    check_tensor_in_file(ctx, tensor);
     if (tensor.type == GGUF_TYPE_Q4_0 || tensor.type == GGUF_TYPE_Q4_1 ||
         tensor.type == GGUF_TYPE_Q8_0) {
       gguf_load_quantized(array_map, tensor);
diff --git a/tests/load_tests.cpp b/tests/load_tests.cpp
index 33ad34bc15..8974919476 100644
--- a/tests/load_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/load_tests.cpp
@@ -168,6 +168,95 @@ TEST_CASE("test gguf") {
   }
 }
 
+// Writes a one-tensor GGUF (name "t", ndim 1, dim 4, type F32) whose tensor
+// data offset field is set verbatim to `tensor_data_offset`. Writes
+// `data_bytes` bytes of tensor data, defaulting to the full four floats.
+void write_raw_gguf(
+    const std::string& path,
+    uint64_t tensor_data_offset,
+    size_t data_bytes = 4 * sizeof(float)) {
+  std::ofstream out(path, std::ios::binary);
+  auto u32 = [&out](uint32_t v) {
+    out.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&v), 4);
+  };
+  auto u64 = [&out](uint64_t v) {
+    out.write(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&v), 8);
+  };
+  out.write("GGUF", 4);
+  u32(3); // version
+  u64(1); // tensor_count
+  u64(0); // metadata_kv_count
+  u64(1); // tensor name length
+  out.write("t", 1);
+  u32(1); // ndim
+  u64(4); // dim[0]
+  u32(0); // GGUF_TYPE_F32
+  u64(tensor_data_offset);
+  while (out.tellp() % 32 != 0) { // default GGUF alignment
+    out.put(0);
+  }
+  std::vector<char> data(data_bytes, 0);
+  out.write(data.data(), data.size());
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("test gguf tensor data offset validation") {
+  // A crafted tensor data offset must be rejected rather than turned into a
+  // pointer outside the mapping. See ml-explore/mlx#4136.
+  SUBCASE("valid offset loads") {
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_offset_ok.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, 0);
+    auto [weights, metadata] = load_gguf(file_path);
+    CHECK_EQ(weights.size(), 1);
+    CHECK(array_equal(weights.at("t"), zeros({4}, float32)).item<bool>());
+  }
+
+  SUBCASE("offset past the end of the file") {
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_offset_past_end.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, 1ull << 20);
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(load_gguf(file_path), std::runtime_error);
+  }
+
+  SUBCASE("offset far past the end of the file") {
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_offset_far_past.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, 1ull << 40);
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(load_gguf(file_path), std::runtime_error);
+  }
+
+  SUBCASE("offset that overflows the data section base") {
+    // Wraps back to an in-mapping address, so an end-pointer-only check would
+    // silently read the wrong bytes instead of reading out of bounds.
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_offset_wrap.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, ~0ull - 8);
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(load_gguf(file_path), std::runtime_error);
+  }
+
+  SUBCASE("tensor extends past the end of the file") {
+    // In-range offset, but the data is truncated: only the extent check
+    // catches this.
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_truncated.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, 0, 4 * sizeof(float) - 1);
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(load_gguf(file_path), std::runtime_error);
+  }
+
+  SUBCASE("tensor starts inside the file but ends past it") {
+    // A small offset, so the start is in range and only the extent decides.
+    // Pins the extent check to the tensor's own start rather than to the
+    // start of the data section.
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_partial_overrun.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, 8);
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(load_gguf(file_path), std::runtime_error);
+  }
+
+  SUBCASE("offset just past the end of the file") {
+    // Only a few bytes past the end rather than far outside it, so the
+    // resulting pointer is still in the mapped page and reads succeed
+    // silently. Pins the offset bound to the file size exactly.
+    std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_gguf_offset_just_past.gguf");
+    write_raw_gguf(file_path, 20);
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(load_gguf(file_path), std::runtime_error);
+  }
+}
+
 TEST_CASE("test gguf metadata") {
   std::string file_path = get_temp_file("test_arr.gguf");
   using dict = std::unordered_map<std::string, array>;