diff --git a/src/cypher/cypher.c b/src/cypher/cypher.c
index 98ffb4c97..fdbfbc73d 100644
--- a/src/cypher/cypher.c
+++ b/src/cypher/cypher.c
@@ -4403,16 +4403,28 @@ static void execute_default_projection(cbm_pattern_t *pat0, binding_t *bindings,
 /* Cross-join node-only pattern into existing bindings */
 static void cross_join_nodes(binding_t **bindings, int *bind_count, cbm_node_t *extra_nodes,
                              int extra_count, const char *nvar, bool opt) {
-    binding_t *new_bindings = malloc(((*bind_count * extra_count) + SKIP_ONE) * sizeof(binding_t));
-    int new_count = 0;
+    /* size_t arithmetic: bind_count * extra_count can exceed INT_MAX on large
+     * graphs, wrapping the plain-int product negative and yielding a tiny/garbage
+     * malloc → heap OOB write (the same failure mode fixed for cross_join_with_rels
+     * in #627). Additionally, an OPTIONAL join with extra_count == 0 still emits one
+     * row per existing binding, so the buffer must hold *bind_count entries even
+     * though the product is 0 — the old `bind_count * 0 + 1` allocated a single slot
+     * and then wrote *bind_count of them. */
+    size_t per_binding = extra_count > 0 ? (size_t)extra_count : (opt ? (size_t)SKIP_ONE : 0U);
+    size_t alloc_n = (size_t)*bind_count * per_binding + SKIP_ONE;
+    binding_t *new_bindings = malloc(alloc_n * sizeof(binding_t));
+    if (!new_bindings) {
+        return; /* OOM: leave existing bindings untouched rather than corrupt */
+    }
+    size_t new_count = 0;
     for (int bi = 0; bi < *bind_count; bi++) {
-        for (int ni = 0; ni < extra_count; ni++) {
+        for (int ni = 0; ni < extra_count && new_count < alloc_n; ni++) {
             binding_t nb = {0};
             binding_copy(&nb, &(*bindings)[bi]);
             binding_set(&nb, nvar, &extra_nodes[ni]);
             new_bindings[new_count++] = nb;
         }
-        if (opt && extra_count == 0) {
+        if (opt && extra_count == 0 && new_count < alloc_n) {
             binding_t nb = {0};
             binding_copy(&nb, &(*bindings)[bi]);
             new_bindings[new_count++] = nb;
@@ -4423,7 +4435,7 @@ static void cross_join_nodes(binding_t **bindings, int *bind_count, cbm_node_t *
     }
     free(*bindings);
     *bindings = new_bindings;
-    *bind_count = new_count;
+    *bind_count = (int)new_count;
 }
 
 /* Cross-join pattern-with-rels into existing bindings */
diff --git a/tests/test_cypher.c b/tests/test_cypher.c
index fc3a06932..252bce033 100644
--- a/tests/test_cypher.c
+++ b/tests/test_cypher.c
@@ -489,6 +489,29 @@ TEST(cypher_exec_match_all_functions) {
     PASS();
 }
 
+/* Regression: an OPTIONAL MATCH whose label matches zero nodes drove
+ * cross_join_nodes with extra_count == 0. The old allocation
+ * (bind_count * 0 + 1) reserved a single binding slot, but the OPTIONAL
+ * fallback then wrote one binding per existing row — a heap buffer overflow
+ * once the first MATCH bound more than one node (ASan: heap-buffer-overflow).
+ * (The same function also used plain-int bind_count*extra_count, which wraps
+ * to a tiny malloc on large graphs — the #627 failure mode, unfixed here.)
+ * The query text is agent-controlled via the MCP query tool. */
+TEST(cypher_exec_optional_empty_label_no_overflow) {
+    cbm_store_t *s = setup_cypher_store(); /* 4 Function nodes */
+    cbm_cypher_result_t r = {0};
+
+    int rc = cbm_cypher_execute(
+        s, "MATCH (a:Function) OPTIONAL MATCH (b:NoSuchLabel) RETURN a.name", "test", 0, &r);
+    ASSERT_EQ(rc, 0);
+    /* One row per Function, each with b left unbound (dead-code semantics). */
+    ASSERT_EQ(r.row_count, 4);
+
+    cbm_cypher_result_free(&r);
+    cbm_store_close(s);
+    PASS();
+}
+
 TEST(cypher_exec_where_eq) {
     cbm_store_t *s = setup_cypher_store();
     cbm_cypher_result_t r = {0};
@@ -3080,6 +3103,7 @@ SUITE(cypher) {
     RUN_TEST(cypher_exec_deadline_aborts_runaway_query_issue601);
     RUN_TEST(cypher_exec_deadline_allows_normal_query_issue601);
     RUN_TEST(cypher_exec_match_all_functions);
+    RUN_TEST(cypher_exec_optional_empty_label_no_overflow);
     RUN_TEST(cypher_issue240_labels_function);
     RUN_TEST(cypher_issue237_distinct_order_limit);
     RUN_TEST(cypher_issue873_distinct_order_limit_dedupes_before_limit);