diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0402849..33c6142 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+## Unreleased
+
+### Line clamp
+- **ADDED**: `clampMarkdownToLines` / `MarkdownLineClamp` — measures a document
+  at a width and reports where its first N visual text lines end, so a host can
+  size a clipped box. The renderer still has no line budget of its own; this is
+  a measurement pass a caller runs itself.
+- **ADDED**: `MarkdownPainter.textLineBottoms()` (`@meta.internal`) — the
+  vertical positions where each visual text line ends. Runs that share a bottom
+  edge (a table row's cells, a bullet and its first line) count as one line;
+  blocks without text (spacer, divider) add height without spending the budget,
+  so a clamp never ends on trailing blank space.
+
 ## 0.2.0
 
 > **Upgrading from 0.0.x?** See the
diff --git a/docs/rendering.md b/docs/rendering.md
index 9a3869b..5a68437 100644
--- a/docs/rendering.md
+++ b/docs/rendering.md
@@ -198,6 +198,21 @@ strikethrough/monospace + highlight/monospace backgrounds + link color),
 `alertColors` (+ built-in GitHub palette fallback via `alertColorFor`),
 `textDirection`, `textScaler`, and `onLinkTap`.
 
+## Measuring a line budget
+
+The renderer has no `maxLines`. `clampMarkdownToLines(markdown:, theme:,
+maxWidth:, maxLines:)` lays the document out on a throwaway `MarkdownPainter`
+and returns a `MarkdownLineClamp(height, clampedHeight)`: `clampedHeight` ends
+on a line boundary, so a host can clip to it without showing half a line.
+
+It is a **full layout per call** — cache the result, do not call it from
+`build` on every frame.
+
+Line counting comes from `MarkdownPainter.textLineBottoms()`: runs sharing a
+bottom edge (a table row's cells, a list bullet and its first line) count once,
+and blocks with no text (`MD$Spacer`, `MD$Divider`) add height without spending
+a line.
+
 ## Public vs internal
 
 Public (in `flutter_md.dart`'s `show` list): the framework
diff --git a/lib/flutter_md.dart b/lib/flutter_md.dart
index a301310..00c0e43 100644
--- a/lib/flutter_md.dart
+++ b/lib/flutter_md.dart
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 library;
 
+export 'src/line_clamp.dart';
 export 'src/markdown.dart';
 export 'src/nodes.dart';
 export 'src/parser.dart';
diff --git a/lib/src/line_clamp.dart b/lib/src/line_clamp.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea6ba99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/src/line_clamp.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import 'markdown.dart';
+import 'render/markdown_painter.dart';
+import 'theme.dart';
+
+/// Where a markdown document has to be cut to show a limited number of lines.
+final class MarkdownLineClamp {
+  /// Creates a clamp result.
+  const MarkdownLineClamp({
+    required this.height,
+    required this.clampedHeight,
+  });
+
+  /// Full content height at the measured width.
+  final double height;
+
+  /// Height holding at most the requested lines, ending on a line boundary.
+  /// Equals [height] when the whole document fits.
+  final double clampedHeight;
+
+  /// Whether the line budget leaves content out.
+  bool get overflows => clampedHeight < height;
+
+  @override
+  String toString() =>
+      'MarkdownLineClamp(height: $height, clampedHeight: $clampedHeight)';
+}
+
+/// Measures [markdown] at [maxWidth] and reports where its first [maxLines]
+/// text lines end.
+///
+/// Lays the document out on its own so a caller can size a clipped box before
+/// the renderer runs — the renderer has no line budget of its own. Cutting on
+/// a line boundary is what keeps a clipped view from showing half a line.
+///
+/// Line counting follows the rules of [MarkdownPainter.textLineBottoms]: blank
+/// lines and dividers add height without spending the budget, so a clamp never
+/// ends on trailing blank space.
+MarkdownLineClamp clampMarkdownToLines({
+  required Markdown markdown,
+  required MarkdownThemeData theme,
+  required double maxWidth,
+  required int maxLines,
+}) {
+  final painter = MarkdownPainter(markdown: markdown, theme: theme);
+  try {
+    final height = painter.layout(maxWidth: maxWidth).height;
+    if (maxLines <= 0) {
+      return MarkdownLineClamp(height: height, clampedHeight: 0);
+    }
+    final lines = painter.textLineBottoms();
+    if (lines.length <= maxLines) {
+      return MarkdownLineClamp(height: height, clampedHeight: height);
+    }
+    return MarkdownLineClamp(
+      height: height,
+      clampedHeight: lines[maxLines - 1],
+    );
+  } finally {
+    painter.dispose();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/src/render/markdown_painter.dart b/lib/src/render/markdown_painter.dart
index 266aa15..1e90f7e 100644
--- a/lib/src/render/markdown_painter.dart
+++ b/lib/src/render/markdown_painter.dart
@@ -289,6 +289,59 @@ class MarkdownPainter {
     return _size = Size(width, height);
   }
 
+  /// Vertical positions where each visual text line ends, top-down.
+  ///
+  /// Positions are absolute in the laid-out content. Runs sharing a bottom
+  /// edge — cells of a table row, a list bullet and its first line — count as
+  /// one line. Blocks without text (spacer, divider) contribute no line of
+  /// their own; their height still shows in the positions after them.
+  ///
+  /// Only valid after [layout].
+  List<double> textLineBottoms() {
+    if (_isEmpty) return const <double>[];
+    final blocks = _blockPainters;
+    if (_blockOffsets.length != blocks.length) return const <double>[];
+    final bottoms = <double>[];
+    for (var i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++) {
+      final top = _blockOffsets[i];
+      for (final (painter, offset) in _textFragments(blocks[i])) {
+        var bottom = top + offset.dy;
+        for (final line in painter.computeLineMetrics()) {
+          bottom += line.height;
+          bottoms.add(bottom);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    bottoms.sort();
+    final lines = <double>[];
+    for (final bottom in bottoms) {
+      // Runs of one line round to slightly different bottoms; a cut may only
+      // land where every run on that line has ended.
+      if (lines.isNotEmpty && bottom - lines.last < 1) {
+        lines[lines.length - 1] = bottom;
+        continue;
+      }
+      lines.add(bottom);
+    }
+    return lines;
+  }
+
+  /// Selectable text runs of [block], as `(painter, block-local origin)`.
+  static Iterable<(TextPainter, Offset)> _textFragments(BlockPainter block) {
+    if (block is SelectableTextBlock) {
+      return <(TextPainter, Offset)>[
+        (
+          block.selectionPainter,
+          block.selectionOrigin,
+        )
+      ];
+    }
+    if (block is MultiPainterSelectable) {
+      return block.fragments.map((f) => (f.painter, f.origin));
+    }
+    return const <(TextPainter, Offset)>[];
+  }
+
   /// Routes a tap-down / tap-up to the block under the pointer, re-basing the
   /// event's position into that block's local space (only taps are handled; the
   /// block painters use it to fire link recognizers).
diff --git a/test/line_clamp/line_clamp_test.dart b/test/line_clamp/line_clamp_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26575fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/line_clamp/line_clamp_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_md/flutter_md.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+
+void main() => group('clampMarkdownToLines', () {
+      // Height 2.0 keeps every line exactly 20px tall, so expectations read as
+      // line counts.
+      final theme = MarkdownThemeData(
+        textStyle: const TextStyle(fontSize: 10, height: 2),
+      );
+
+      MarkdownLineClamp clamp(String source, int maxLines,
+              {double width = 300}) =>
+          clampMarkdownToLines(
+            markdown: Markdown.fromString(source),
+            theme: theme,
+            maxWidth: width,
+            maxLines: maxLines,
+          );
+
+      test('content within the budget is not clamped', () {
+        final result = clamp('one\n\ntwo', 6);
+
+        expect(result.overflows, isFalse);
+        expect(result.clampedHeight, result.height);
+      });
+
+      test('cuts on the boundary of the last allowed line', () {
+        final result = clamp('one\ntwo\nthree\nfour', 2);
+
+        expect(result.overflows, isTrue);
+        expect(result.clampedHeight, 40);
+        expect(result.height, 80);
+      });
+
+      test('counts wrapped lines of a single paragraph', () {
+        // 10px glyphs at width 100 wrap roughly every 10 characters.
+        final result = clamp('word ' * 40, 3, width: 100);
+
+        expect(result.overflows, isTrue);
+        expect(result.clampedHeight, 60);
+      });
+
+      test('counts list items as lines', () {
+        final result = clamp('- one\n- two\n- three', 2);
+
+        expect(result.overflows, isTrue);
+        expect(result.clampedHeight, 40);
+      });
+
+      test('blank lines add height without spending the budget', () {
+        final withBlank = clamp('one\n\ntwo\nthree', 2);
+        final withoutBlank = clamp('one\ntwo\nthree', 2);
+
+        expect(withBlank.overflows, isTrue);
+        // Two text lines plus the blank line between them.
+        expect(
+            withBlank.clampedHeight, greaterThan(withoutBlank.clampedHeight));
+      });
+
+      test('dividers add height without spending the budget', () {
+        final withDivider = clamp('one\n\n---\n\ntwo\nthree', 2);
+        final withoutDivider = clamp('one\ntwo\nthree', 2);
+
+        expect(withDivider.overflows, isTrue);
+        expect(withDivider.clampedHeight,
+            greaterThan(withoutDivider.clampedHeight));
+      });
+
+      test('a clamp of zero lines keeps nothing', () {
+        expect(clamp('one\ntwo', 0).clampedHeight, 0);
+      });
+
+      test('empty markdown has no height', () {
+        final result = clamp('', 6);
+
+        expect(result.height, 0);
+        expect(result.overflows, isFalse);
+      });
+
+      test('a negative budget keeps nothing', () {
+        final result = clamp('one\ntwo', -5);
+
+        expect(result.clampedHeight, 0);
+        expect(result.overflows, isTrue);
+      });
+
+      test('table rows count as one line each', () {
+        const source = '| a | b |\n|---|---|\n| 1 | 2 |\n| 3 | 4 |';
+        final all = clamp(source, 100);
+        final two = clamp(source, 2);
+
+        expect(all.overflows, isFalse);
+        expect(two.overflows, isTrue);
+        expect(two.clampedHeight, greaterThan(0));
+        expect(two.clampedHeight, lessThan(all.height));
+      });
+
+      test('a quote with a nested fence counts its child lines', () {
+        const source = '> intro\n> ```\n> one\n> two\n> ```\n> outro';
+        final all = clamp(source, 100);
+        final two = clamp(source, 2);
+
+        expect(all.height, greaterThan(0));
+        expect(two.clampedHeight, greaterThan(0));
+        expect(two.clampedHeight, lessThan(all.height));
+      });
+
+      test('a zero measuring width does not throw', () {
+        final result = clamp('hello world', 2, width: 0);
+
+        expect(result.height, greaterThanOrEqualTo(0));
+        expect(result.clampedHeight, greaterThanOrEqualTo(0));
+      });
+    });
diff --git a/test/unit_test.dart b/test/unit_test.dart
index f6dce08..2da36c7 100644
--- a/test/unit_test.dart
+++ b/test/unit_test.dart
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import 'parser/block_test.dart' as block_test;
 import 'parser/edge_cases_test.dart' as edge_cases_test;
 import 'parser/gfm_test.dart' as gfm_test;
 import 'parser/golden_test.dart' as golden_test;
+import 'line_clamp/line_clamp_test.dart' as line_clamp_test;
 import 'nodes/nodes_test.dart' as nodes_test;
 import 'parser/inline_test.dart' as inline_test;
 import 'parser/math_test.dart' as math_test;
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ void main() => group('Unit', () {
       selection_widget_test.main();
       selection_keyboard_test.main();
       selection_handles_test.main();
+      line_clamp_test.main();
       render_test.main();
       widget_test.main();
     });