diff --git a/shell/environment.mu b/shell/environment.mu
index 0816f41b..c3d78d86 100644
--- a/shell/environment.mu
+++ b/shell/environment.mu
@@ -950,11 +950,11 @@ fn word-at-cursor _self: (addr environment), out: (addr stream byte) {
 fn load-state _self: (addr environment), data-disk: (addr disk) {
   var self/esi: (addr environment) <- copy _self
   # data-disk -> stream
-  var s-storage: (stream byte 0x2000)  # space for 16/sectors
+  var s-storage: (stream byte 0x40000)  # space for 0x200/sectors
   var s/ebx: (addr stream byte) <- address s-storage
   draw-text-wrapping-right-then-down-from-cursor-over-full-screen 0/screen, "loading sectors from data disk", 3/fg, 0/bg
   move-cursor-to-left-margin-of-next-line 0/screen
-  load-sectors data-disk, 0/lba, 0x10/sectors, s
+  load-sectors data-disk, 0/lba, 0x200/sectors, s
 #?   draw-stream-wrapping-right-then-down-from-cursor-over-full-screen 0/screen, s, 7/fg, 0xc5/bg=blue-bg
   # stream -> gap-buffer (HACK: we temporarily cannibalize the sandbox's gap-buffer)
   draw-text-wrapping-right-then-down-from-cursor-over-full-screen 0/screen, "parsing", 3/fg, 0/bg
@@ -1034,11 +1034,11 @@ fn store-state data-disk: (addr disk), sandbox: (addr sandbox), globals: (addr g
     break-if-!=
     return
   }
-  var stream-storage: (stream byte 0x2000)  # space enough for 16/sectors
+  var stream-storage: (stream byte 0x40000)  # space enough for 0x200/sectors
   var stream/edi: (addr stream byte) <- address stream-storage
   write stream, "(\n"
   write-globals stream, globals
   write-sandbox stream, sandbox
   write stream, ")\n"
-  store-sectors data-disk, 0/lba, 0x10/sectors, stream
+  store-sectors data-disk, 0/lba, 0x200/sectors, stream
 }
diff --git a/shell/global.mu b/shell/global.mu
index cd5a4244..7cf06d6d 100644
--- a/shell/global.mu
+++ b/shell/global.mu
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ fn load-globals in: (addr handle cell), self: (addr global-table) {
     var value-gap-buffer-ah/edi: (addr handle gap-buffer) <- address value-gap-buffer-storage
     allocate value-gap-buffer-ah
     var value-gap-buffer/eax: (addr gap-buffer) <- lookup *value-gap-buffer-ah
-    initialize-gap-buffer value-gap-buffer, 0x1000/4KB
+    initialize-gap-buffer value-gap-buffer, 0x40000/256KB
     load-gap-buffer-from-stream value-gap-buffer, value-data
     load-lexical-scope value-gap-buffer-ah, self
     loop
diff --git a/shell/parse.mu b/shell/parse.mu
index d888f56b..3bdc72b6 100644
--- a/shell/parse.mu
+++ b/shell/parse.mu
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ fn parse-atom _curr-token: (addr token), _out: (addr handle cell), trace: (addr
       compare should-trace?, 0/false
     }
     break-if-=
-    var stream-storage: (stream byte 0x400)
+    var stream-storage: (stream byte 0x40000)
     var stream/ecx: (addr stream byte) <- address stream-storage
     write stream, "=> symbol "
     var nested-trace-storage: trace
diff --git a/shell/read.mu b/shell/read.mu
index 1066d215..4e66fd7b 100644
--- a/shell/read.mu
+++ b/shell/read.mu
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 fn read-cell in: (addr gap-buffer), out: (addr handle cell), trace: (addr trace) {
   # eagerly tokenize everything so that the phases are easier to see in the trace
-  var tokens-storage: (stream token 0x400)
+  var tokens-storage: (stream token 0x10000)
   var tokens/edx: (addr stream token) <- address tokens-storage
   tokenize in, tokens, trace
   var error?/eax: boolean <- has-errors? trace
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ fn read-cell in: (addr gap-buffer), out: (addr handle cell), trace: (addr trace)
     return
   }
   # insert more parens based on indentation
-  var parenthesized-tokens-storage: (stream token 0x400)
+  var parenthesized-tokens-storage: (stream token 0x10000)
   var parenthesized-tokens/ecx: (addr stream token) <- address parenthesized-tokens-storage
   parenthesize tokens, parenthesized-tokens, trace
   var error?/eax: boolean <- has-errors? trace
diff --git a/shell/sandbox.mu b/shell/sandbox.mu
index eb18990c..47086a1f 100644
--- a/shell/sandbox.mu
+++ b/shell/sandbox.mu
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ fn initialize-sandbox _self: (addr sandbox), fake-screen-width: int, fake-screen
   var data-ah/eax: (addr handle gap-buffer) <- get self, data
   allocate data-ah
   var data/eax: (addr gap-buffer) <- lookup *data-ah
-  initialize-gap-buffer data, 0x2000/default-gap-buffer-size=8KB
+  initialize-gap-buffer data, 0x40000/default-gap-buffer-size=256KB
   #
   var value-ah/eax: (addr handle stream byte) <- get self, value
   populate-stream value-ah, 0x1000/4KB
diff --git a/shell/tokenize.mu b/shell/tokenize.mu
index 2ba391a9..fba26b74 100644
--- a/shell/tokenize.mu
+++ b/shell/tokenize.mu
@@ -724,7 +724,7 @@ fn next-balanced-stream-token in: (addr gap-buffer), _out: (addr token), trace:
   var bracket-count: int
   # stream tokens contain whole function definitions on boot, so we always
   # give them plenty of space
-  populate-stream out-data-ah, 0x400/max-definition-size=1KB
+  populate-stream out-data-ah, 0x40000/max-definition-size=256KB
   var _out-data/eax: (addr stream byte) <- lookup *out-data-ah
   var out-data/edi: (addr stream byte) <- copy _out-data
   $next-balanced-stream-token:loop: {