diff --git a/src/builtins.c b/src/builtins.c
index 7612b342..31534074 100644
--- a/src/builtins.c
+++ b/src/builtins.c
@@ -981,9 +981,12 @@ Value* eigs_json_parse_value(const char *s, int *pos);
  * malformed input). This thread-local flag is SET by the parse functions on
  * any malformed condition (unexpected token, truncation, unterminated
  * string, over-deep nesting) and CHECKED only by builtin_json_decode, which
- * resets it on entry and raises. Other callers (json_path, ext_http) ignore
- * it and keep the historical lenient behavior. Thread-local like g_json_depth
- * because JSON parsing is per-thread and non-reentrant across threads. */
+ * raises on it. It is also checked mid-parse by the array/object propagation
+ * guards, so it must be CLEAR at the start of every fresh parse — that reset
+ * is owned by eigs_json_parse_root (#777), never by individual callers.
+ * Callers other than json_decode don't read it after parsing and keep the
+ * historical lenient behavior. Thread-local like g_json_depth because JSON
+ * parsing is per-thread and non-reentrant across threads. */
 static __thread int g_json_parse_err = 0;
 
 /* #724: recoverable-parse flag — a SECOND channel, parallel to
@@ -998,12 +1001,31 @@ static __thread int g_json_parse_err = 0;
  * trading the old CESU-8-in-one-field bug for a lost-fields bug. Recoverable
  * conditions therefore never touch g_json_parse_err: lenient callers receive
  * the complete document with U+FFFD in the one bad string, and only
- * builtin_json_decode reads this flag (reset on entry, alongside
- * g_json_parse_err) to raise under strict decode. A side benefit: a strict
- * decode that raises on a recoverable condition leaves g_json_parse_err
- * CLEAR, so it does not poison the next lenient parse in the same thread. */
+ * builtin_json_decode reads this flag to raise under strict decode. A side
+ * benefit: a strict decode that raises on a recoverable condition leaves
+ * g_json_parse_err CLEAR, so it does not poison the next lenient parse in
+ * the same thread. Like g_json_parse_err it is reset by
+ * eigs_json_parse_root (#777), never by individual callers. */
 static __thread int g_json_parse_recoverable = 0;
 
+/* #777: the one non-recursive entry point for a top-level JSON parse, and
+ * the single owner of the parse flags' lifetime. eigs_json_parse_value is
+ * recursive, so it cannot clear the flags itself — but the parser CHECKS
+ * g_json_parse_err mid-parse (the array element and object first-key
+ * propagation guards), so a flag left set by one malformed parse silently
+ * truncated arrays and emptied objects for the NEXT caller in the same
+ * thread (json_path, ext_http). Per-caller resets are how that bug happened
+ * — json_decode remembered, every other caller forgot — so both channels are
+ * cleared here instead: this wrapper is the one place that defines "fresh
+ * parse". Callers must not touch the flags directly; builtin_json_decode
+ * still reads them after the call to decide whether to raise, exactly as
+ * before. */
+Value* eigs_json_parse_root(const char *s, int *pos) {
+    g_json_parse_err = 0;
+    g_json_parse_recoverable = 0;
+    return eigs_json_parse_value(s, pos);
+}
+
 static void eigs_json_skip_ws(const char *s, int *pos) {
     while (s[*pos] && (s[*pos] == ' ' || s[*pos] == '\t' || s[*pos] == '\n' || s[*pos] == '\r'))
         (*pos)++;
@@ -1286,16 +1308,15 @@ Value* builtin_json_decode(Value *arg) {
                 arg ? val_type_name(arg->type) : "null");
         return make_null();
     }
-    /* #495: strict decode. Reset the parse-error flag, parse one value, then
-     * require that only whitespace remains. A partial container, a truncated
+    /* #495: strict decode. Parse one value via eigs_json_parse_root (#777:
+     * the wrapper resets both parse flags), then require that only
+     * whitespace remains. A partial container, a truncated
      * document, an unterminated string, over-deep nesting, or trailing
      * garbage after a complete value now raises instead of silently
      * succeeding (which also made a genuine JSON `null` indistinguishable
      * from a parse failure). */
-    g_json_parse_err = 0;
-    g_json_parse_recoverable = 0;   /* #724: also raise on repaired scalars */
     int pos = 0;
-    Value *v = eigs_json_parse_value(arg->data.str, &pos);
+    Value *v = eigs_json_parse_root(arg->data.str, &pos);
     eigs_json_skip_ws(arg->data.str, &pos);
     if (g_json_parse_err || g_json_parse_recoverable ||
         arg->data.str[pos] != '\0') {
@@ -2902,7 +2923,7 @@ Value* builtin_json_path(Value *arg) {
     }
 
     int pos = 0;
-    Value *root = eigs_json_parse_value(json_str, &pos);
+    Value *root = eigs_json_parse_root(json_str, &pos);   /* #777: fresh parse */
     if (!root) return make_str("");
     Value *current = root;   /* walks borrowed children of root */
 
diff --git a/src/eigenscript.h b/src/eigenscript.h
index a8412ec6..c14e2af8 100644
--- a/src/eigenscript.h
+++ b/src/eigenscript.h
@@ -1208,6 +1208,11 @@ int resolve_eigenscript_file(const char *path, char *resolved, size_t resolved_c
 int resolve_eigenscript_file_from(const char *base, const char *path,
                                    char *resolved, size_t resolved_cap);
 Value* eigs_json_parse_value(const char *s, int *pos);
+/* #777: the ONLY entry point for a top-level (non-recursive) JSON parse.
+ * Clears both thread-local parse flags (g_json_parse_err,
+ * g_json_parse_recoverable) before delegating to eigs_json_parse_value, so
+ * one malformed parse cannot poison the next parse in the same thread. */
+Value* eigs_json_parse_root(const char *s, int *pos);
 /* Encode any Value as JSON. Returns heap-owned string (caller frees).
  * Functions/builtins emit "null" (matches the json_encode builtin). */
 char* eigs_json_encode(Value *v);
diff --git a/src/ext_http.c b/src/ext_http.c
index b368b0ea..6cf7175d 100644
--- a/src/ext_http.c
+++ b/src/ext_http.c
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ Value* builtin_http_post(Value *arg) {
     char header_bufs[32][256]; /* up to 32 headers */
     int hdr_count = 0;
     int jpos = 0;
-    Value *hdr_obj = eigs_json_parse_value(headers_json, &jpos);
+    Value *hdr_obj = eigs_json_parse_root(headers_json, &jpos);   /* #777 */
     /* #755: a JSON OBJECT is the shape a caller reaches for first, and it used
      * to send NO headers at all — this tested only VAL_LIST, while
      * eigs_json_parse_object returns a VAL_DICT, so the loop never ran and the
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ Value* builtin_shared_incr(Value *arg) {
     double cur = 0;
     if (idx >= 0) {
         int pos = 0;
-        Value *parsed = eigs_json_parse_value(s->shared[idx].json, &pos);
+        Value *parsed = eigs_json_parse_root(s->shared[idx].json, &pos);   /* #777 */
         /* Read the number out BEFORE dropping the ref — decref may free it —
          * and drop it on the mismatch path too, which is the one an early
          * return makes easy to miss. */
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ Value* builtin_shared_get(Value *arg) {
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&s->shared_mu);
     if (!json_copy) return make_null();
     int pos = 0;
-    Value *v = eigs_json_parse_value(json_copy, &pos);
+    Value *v = eigs_json_parse_root(json_copy, &pos);   /* #777 */
     free(json_copy);
     return v ? v : make_null();
 }
@@ -1295,7 +1295,7 @@ static void handle_request(int fd) {
                         int idx = shared_find(srv, "require_auth");
                         if (idx >= 0) {
                             int jpos = 0;
-                            Value *parsed = eigs_json_parse_value(srv->shared[idx].json, &jpos);
+                            Value *parsed = eigs_json_parse_root(srv->shared[idx].json, &jpos);   /* #777 */
                             if (parsed && parsed->type == VAL_STR) {
                                 auth_src = xstrdup(parsed->data.str);
                             }
diff --git a/tests/test_json_hard.eigs b/tests/test_json_hard.eigs
index e6f02612..6cf65c72 100644
--- a/tests/test_json_hard.eigs
+++ b/tests/test_json_hard.eigs
@@ -280,6 +280,84 @@ assert of [json_path of [len_hex, "k2"] == "ok", "JH92 sibling after malformed e
 
 len_before is "{\"k0\": \"v0\", \"k\": \"x\\ude00y\"}"
 assert of [json_path of [len_before, "k0"] == "v0", "JH93 sibling before bad string survives"]
+
+# --- #777: one malformed parse must not poison the NEXT parse in the same ---
+# thread. g_json_parse_err is thread-global and the parser CHECKS it mid-parse
+# (object first-key guard, array element guard); before the fix only
+# json_decode reset it, so a stale flag EMPTIED objects and TRUNCATED arrays
+# for every lenient caller that followed. Each case below poisons the flag
+# first, then parses a fresh, well-formed document through json_path.
+
+# Shape: lenient-after-lenient (the issue's own repro).
+pois1 is json_path of ["{\"a\": \"unterminated", "a"]
+assert of [json_path of ["{\"user\": {\"name\": \"bob\"}}", "user.name"] == "bob", "JH118 lenient json_path after malformed json_path"]
+
+pois2 is json_path of ["{\"a\": \"unterminated", "a"]
+assert of [json_path of ["[10, 20, 30]", "2"] == "30", "JH119 array element after malformed json_path"]
+
+# Shape: lenient-after-strict-raise — a raising json_decode leaves the flag
+# set; the next lenient parse must still start fresh. (The left half of each
+# assert confirms the raise really happened, so the case cannot pass
+# vacuously.)
+pois3_err is 0
+try:
+    pois3 is json_decode of "\"abc"
+catch pois3_e:
+    pois3_err is 1
+assert of [(pois3_err == 1) == (json_path of ["{\"user\": {\"name\": \"alice\"}}", "user.name"] == "alice"), "JH120 lenient json_path after strict raise"]
+
+pois4_err is 0
+try:
+    pois4 is json_decode of "[1, 2"
+catch pois4_e:
+    pois4_err is 1
+assert of [(pois4_err == 1) == (json_path of ["[7, 8, 9]", "1"] == "8"), "JH121 array element after strict raise"]
+
+# Shape: object-empty — the stale flag fired the object first-key guard, so
+# a well-formed object decoded to an EMPTY dict and every lookup missed.
+pois5 is json_path of ["{\"k\": ", "k"]
+assert of [json_path of ["{\"k1\": \"v1\", \"k2\": \"v2\"}", "k1"] == "v1", "JH122 first key of object survives"]
+
+# Shape: array-truncate — the stale flag fired the array element guard after
+# the first element, so a well-formed array decoded to a ONE-ELEMENT list.
+pois6 is json_path of ["{\"k\": ", "k"]
+assert of [json_path of ["[\"x\", \"y\"]", "1"] == "y", "JH123 second element of array survives"]
+
+# The poison source can be any malformed document shape — a truncated array
+# sets the flag just like an unterminated string does.
+pois7 is json_path of ["[1, 2", "0"]
+assert of [json_path of ["{\"ok\": \"yes\"}", "ok"] == "yes", "JH124 object survives poison from truncated array"]
+
+# Two malformed parses in a row must not compound: the next good parse is
+# still a fresh one.
+pois8a is json_path of ["{\"a\": ", "a"]
+pois8b is json_path of ["[", "0"]
+assert of [json_path of ["{\"deep\": {\"leaf\": 42}}", "deep.leaf"] == "42", "JH125 nested path after double poison"]
+
+# A bare non-JSON token poisons too; a three-level path must still resolve.
+pois9 is json_path of ["not json at all", "x"]
+assert of [json_path of ["{\"m\": {\"n\": {\"o\": \"end\"}}}", "m.n.o"] == "end", "JH126 three-level path after poison"]
+
+# The RECOVERABLE channel is load-bearing in the wrapper too: a lenient
+# parse over a recoverable document (unpaired surrogate, U+FFFD substituted)
+# leaves g_json_parse_recoverable set, and a STRICT decode of a perfectly
+# clean document that follows must still start fresh and NOT raise. This
+# fails if the "g_json_parse_recoverable = 0;" line is removed from
+# eigs_json_parse_root. (On pre-#777 code json_decode cleared both flags on
+# its own entry, so this exact scenario was safe then — this test guards the
+# wrapper, not the old reset site.)
+rec_doc is "{\"k\": \"x\\ude00y\"}"
+rec_lenient is json_path of [rec_doc, "k"]
+rec_strict_err is 0
+try:
+    rec_strict is json_decode of "{\"clean\": 1}"
+catch rec_strict_e:
+    rec_strict_err is 1
+assert of [rec_strict_err == 0, "JH127 clean strict decode after recoverable lenient parse"]
+
+# Leave the flags clean for the tests that follow even on an unfixed build:
+# json_decode resets them on entry (that reset is the pre-#777 behavior).
+pois_cleanup is json_decode of "{}"
 # --- #725: json_build/json_path must keep magnitude (%.15g, like json_encode) ---
 # The old %.6f destroyed tiny values ({"v": 0.000000}) and printed huge ones
 # as 22-char fixed-point blobs. json_encode already used %.15g.