Index: src/select.c
==================================================================
--- src/select.c
+++ src/select.c
@@ -1611,10 +1611,11 @@
     testcase( aCol==0 );
   }else{
     nCol = 0;
     aCol = 0;
   }
+  assert( nCol==(i16)nCol );
   *pnCol = nCol;
   *paCol = aCol;
 
   for(i=0, pCol=aCol; i<nCol && !db->mallocFailed; i++, pCol++){
     /* Get an appropriate name for the column
@@ -4453,10 +4454,11 @@
     p->pEList = pNew;
   }
 #if SQLITE_MAX_COLUMN
   if( p->pEList && p->pEList->nExpr>db->aLimit[SQLITE_LIMIT_COLUMN] ){
     sqlite3ErrorMsg(pParse, "too many columns in result set");
+    return WRC_Abort;
   }
 #endif
   return WRC_Continue;
 }
 

Index: test/sqllimits1.test
==================================================================
--- test/sqllimits1.test
+++ test/sqllimits1.test
@@ -872,10 +872,21 @@
   catchsql {
     SELECT strftime($::format, 1);
   }
 } {1 {string or blob too big}}
 
+do_catchsql_test sqllimits1.17.0 {
+  SELECT *,*,*,*,*,*,*,* FROM (
+  SELECT *,*,*,*,*,*,*,* FROM (
+  SELECT *,*,*,*,*,*,*,* FROM (
+  SELECT *,*,*,*,*,*,*,* FROM (
+  SELECT *,*,*,*,*,*,*,* FROM (
+    SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
+  )
+  ))))
+} "1 {too many columns in result set}"
+
 
 foreach {key value} [array get saved] {
   catch {set $key $value}
 }
 finish_test