diff --git a/lib/include/tree_sitter/api.h b/lib/include/tree_sitter/api.h
index fad7a589..6f826604 100644
--- a/lib/include/tree_sitter/api.h
+++ b/lib/include/tree_sitter/api.h
@@ -801,16 +801,12 @@ void ts_query_cursor_exec(TSQueryCursor *, const TSQuery *, TSNode);
  * Manage the maximum number of in-progress matches allowed by this query
  * cursor.
  *
- * Query cursors have a maximum capacity for storing lists of in-progress
- * captures. If this capacity is exceeded, then the earliest-starting match will
- * silently be dropped to make room for further matches.
- *
- * By default, this limit is 65,536 pending matches, which is effectively
- * unlimited for most queries and syntax trees. You can optionally set this to a
- * lower number if you want to have (and check) a tighter bound on query
- * complexity.
- *
- * If you update the match limit, it must be > 0 and <= 65536.
+ * Query cursors have an optional maximum capacity for storing lists of
+ * in-progress captures. If this capacity is exceeded, then the
+ * earliest-starting match will silently be dropped to make room for further
+ * matches. This maximum capacity is optional — by default, query cursors allow
+ * any number of pending matches, dynamically allocating new space for them as
+ * needed as the query is executed.
  */
 bool ts_query_cursor_did_exceed_match_limit(const TSQueryCursor *);
 uint32_t ts_query_cursor_match_limit(const TSQueryCursor *);
diff --git a/lib/src/query.c b/lib/src/query.c
index 2c8e7193..b082234f 100644
--- a/lib/src/query.c
+++ b/lib/src/query.c
@@ -152,10 +152,10 @@ typedef struct {
  */
 typedef struct {
   uint32_t id;
+  uint32_t capture_list_id;
   uint16_t start_depth;
   uint16_t step_index;
   uint16_t pattern_index;
-  uint16_t capture_list_id;
   uint16_t consumed_capture_count: 12;
   bool seeking_immediate_match: 1;
   bool has_in_progress_alternatives: 1;
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ typedef struct {
   // use. We reuse those existing-but-unused capture lists before trying to
   // allocate any new ones. We use an invalid value (UINT32_MAX) for a capture
   // list's length to indicate that it's not in use.
-  uint16_t free_capture_list_count;
+  uint32_t free_capture_list_count;
 } CaptureListPool;
 
 /*
@@ -367,9 +367,7 @@ static CaptureListPool capture_list_pool_new(void) {
   return (CaptureListPool) {
     .list = array_new(),
     .empty_list = array_new(),
-    // The maximum maxmimum is 64K, since we use `uint16_t` as our capture list
-    // index type.
-    .max_capture_list_count = 65536,
+    .max_capture_list_count = UINT32_MAX,
     .free_capture_list_count = 0,
   };
 }
@@ -2318,7 +2316,7 @@ uint32_t ts_query_cursor_match_limit(const TSQueryCursor *self) {
 }
 
 void ts_query_cursor_set_match_limit(TSQueryCursor *self, uint32_t limit) {
-  assert(limit > 0 && limit <= 65536);
+  assert(limit > 0);
   self->capture_list_pool.max_capture_list_count = limit;
 }