diff --git a/.agents/MEMORY.md b/.agents/MEMORY.md
index b7f384f..24ad42b 100644
--- a/.agents/MEMORY.md
+++ b/.agents/MEMORY.md
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ loopback validation pending. See bottom for the run commands.
     in-band at every keyframe; a receiver now decodes from the bitstream
     alone (mid-stream join, PLI recovery-ready). `get_extradata()` is empty
     in this mode; codec round-trip test updated to match the streaming path.
+  - **Burst-control fixes after the first real run** (receiver saw
+    `non-existing PPS 0` forever): without VBV, a 2256x1504 IDR burst (~100s
+    of KB of back-to-back FU-A packets) overflowed the ~208KB default UDP
+    receive buffer; the sequence gap made drop-on-damage discard whole
+    keyframes *including their in-band SPS/PPS*, so the receiver never
+    recovered. Fixes: encoder VBV (`rc_max_rate = bitrate`,
+    `rc_buffer_size = bitrate*2/fps` — caps any keyframe to ~2 frame periods
+    of bytes), microsecond encoder time_base (kills the 25fps pts
+    quantization that duplicated timestamps), and a best-effort 4MB
+    SO_RCVBUF on the receive socket (kernel clamps to rmem_max).
 - **Automated validation**: `meson test` 4/4 — new `udp loopback` test
   encodes synthetic frames, packetizes, sends over a real localhost UDP
   socket, depacketizes, and decodes 10/10 frames with correct dimensions.
@@ -69,15 +79,12 @@ None.
 
 ## Forward-looking review notes (for later phases)
 
-- Encoder sets no VBV (`maxrate`/`buffer_size`) — ABR only; add for smoother
-  UDP streaming in Phase 7.
-- Encoder PTS caveat: time_base derives from the configured frame rate
-  (default 25fps) while portal frames arrive at monitor refresh (often 60Hz),
-  so pts values quantize and can repeat. RTP timestamps come from the capture
-  clock instead, so streaming is unaffected; revisit if decoder-side
-  presentation timing ever matters.
 - `RtpTransport::start/send` return plain bools (scaffold API); error
   messages are lost — consider an error channel when signaling lands.
+- Very high bitrates can still exceed even a raised receive buffer if
+  `net.core.rmem_max` is low on the receiver; the encoder VBV bounds
+  bursts to ~2 frame periods, so this needs `--bitrate` ≳ 100 Mbps to
+  matter. Document in RUNBOOK.
 - DMA-BUF-only portal streams are rejected with a clear message (hardware
   path is Phase 7).
 - No negative-path tests yet (bad config, bad stride, undersized buffer).
diff --git a/docs/RUNBOOK.md b/docs/RUNBOOK.md
index 1b1853f..6c6138c 100644
--- a/docs/RUNBOOK.md
+++ b/docs/RUNBOOK.md
@@ -59,8 +59,16 @@ Two terminals on the same desktop session:
 ```
 
 Expected: the receiver window shows the captured desktop in near real time.
-Stop either side with Ctrl-C. Optional flags: `--port`, `--peer HOST[:PORT]`,
-`--bitrate KBPS`, `--target window`.
+If the receiver starts after the sender, a few `non-existing PPS` decode
+errors are normal until the next keyframe arrives (the GOP is ~0.4s);
+video should appear within a second. Stop either side with Ctrl-C.
+Optional flags: `--port`, `--peer HOST[:PORT]`, `--bitrate KBPS`,
+`--target window`.
+
+Notes: the encoder runs a VBV that caps keyframe bursts to roughly two
+frame periods of bytes, and the receiver requests a 4MB UDP receive
+buffer (clamped by `net.core.rmem_max`). For very high `--bitrate`
+values, raise `net.core.rmem_max` on the receiver machine.
 
 The headless equivalent runs as part of `meson test` (`udp loopback` test):
 synthetic frames → encode → packetize → localhost UDP → depacketize →
diff --git a/src/codec/ffmpeg_encoder.cpp b/src/codec/ffmpeg_encoder.cpp
index 92f9e5d..99b3f44 100644
--- a/src/codec/ffmpeg_encoder.cpp
+++ b/src/codec/ffmpeg_encoder.cpp
@@ -389,10 +389,19 @@ CodecResult<std::unique_ptr<Encoder>> EncoderFactory::create(const EncoderConfig
     ctx->codec_type = AVMEDIA_TYPE_VIDEO;
     ctx->width = config.width;
     ctx->height = config.height;
-    ctx->time_base = AVRational{config.frame_rate_den, config.frame_rate_num};
+    // Microsecond resolution: the capture rate varies at runtime (monitor
+    // refresh) and must not be quantized to the configured frame rate, or
+    // consecutive frames get duplicate timestamps.
+    ctx->time_base = AVRational{1, 1'000'000};
     ctx->framerate = AVRational{config.frame_rate_num, config.frame_rate_den};
     ctx->pix_fmt = AV_PIX_FMT_YUV420P;
     ctx->bit_rate = static_cast<int64_t>(config.bitrate_kbps) * 1000;
+    // VBV keeps the stream CBR-ish: without it a keyframe may take many
+    // times the average frame size in one burst, overflowing the receiver's
+    // UDP socket buffer and dropping the packets that carry SPS/PPS. Two
+    // frame periods of budget keep latency low while bounding the burst.
+    ctx->rc_max_rate = ctx->bit_rate;
+    ctx->rc_buffer_size = static_cast<int>(ctx->bit_rate * 2 / config.frame_rate_num);
     ctx->gop_size = config.frame_rate_num;
     ctx->max_b_frames = 0;
     ctx->thread_count = 1;
diff --git a/src/network/udp_transport.cpp b/src/network/udp_transport.cpp
index a1903f1..3a8accb 100644
--- a/src/network/udp_transport.cpp
+++ b/src/network/udp_transport.cpp
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@ class UdpRtpTransport final : public RtpTransport {
         int reuse = 1;
         (void)::setsockopt(socket_, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &reuse, sizeof(reuse));
 
+        // Absorb packet bursts: a keyframe arrives back-to-back and UDP has
+        // no flow control. The kernel clamps this to net.core.rmem_max, so
+        // very high bitrates may need a raised sysctl on the receiver.
+        int receive_buffer_bytes = 4 * 1024 * 1024;
+        (void)::setsockopt(socket_, SOL_SOCKET, SO_RCVBUF, &receive_buffer_bytes, sizeof(receive_buffer_bytes));
+
         // A zero port skips binding: the OS picks the source port on send.
         if (local_endpoint.port != 0) {
             const std::optional<sockaddr_in> address = resolve_ipv4(local_endpoint);