diff --git a/src/cli/commands/test/set-default-test-options.ts b/src/cli/commands/test/set-default-test-options.ts
index 62504a31d0..1987746d11 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/test/set-default-test-options.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/test/set-default-test-options.ts
@@ -9,15 +9,21 @@ export function setDefaultTestOptions<CommandOptions>(
     .toLowerCase();
 
   delete options['show-vulnerable-paths'];
+  const showVulnPaths = showVulnPathsMapping[svpSupplied] || 'some';
+  const maxVulnPaths =
+    showVulnPaths === 'all' ? undefined : options['max-vulnerable-paths'] ?? defaultMaxVulnPaths;
   return {
     ...options,
     // org fallback to config unless specified
     org: options.org || config.org,
     // making `show-vulnerable-paths` 'some' by default.
-    showVulnPaths: showVulnPathsMapping[svpSupplied] || 'some',
+    showVulnPaths,
+    maxVulnPaths,
   };
 }
 
+const defaultMaxVulnPaths = 20;
+
 const showVulnPathsMapping: Record<string, ShowVulnPaths> = {
   false: 'none',
   none: 'none',
diff --git a/src/lib/snyk-test/legacy.ts b/src/lib/snyk-test/legacy.ts
index bbd88f80b2..e82b587f44 100644
--- a/src/lib/snyk-test/legacy.ts
+++ b/src/lib/snyk-test/legacy.ts
@@ -367,7 +367,10 @@ function convertTestDepGraphResultToLegacy(
   const vulns: AnnotatedIssue[] = [];
 
   for (const pkgInfo of values(result.affectedPkgs)) {
-    for (const vulnPkgPath of depGraph.pkgPathsToRoot(pkgInfo.pkg)) {
+    const pkgPathsToRoot = depGraph.pkgPathsToRoot(pkgInfo.pkg, {
+      limit: options.maxVulnPaths,
+    });
+    for (const vulnPkgPath of pkgPathsToRoot) {
       const legacyFromPath = pkgPathToLegacyPath(vulnPkgPath.reverse());
       for (const pkgIssue of values(pkgInfo.issues)) {
         const vulnPathString = getVulnPathString(
diff --git a/src/lib/types.ts b/src/lib/types.ts
index 6e40ca59a3..cc93fef924 100644
--- a/src/lib/types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/types.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export interface TestOptions {
   traverseNodeModules?: boolean;
   pruneRepeatedSubdependencies?: boolean;
   showVulnPaths: ShowVulnPaths;
+  maxVulnPaths?: number;
   failOn?: FailOn;
   initScript?: string;
   yarnWorkspaces?: boolean;