diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ff92c60..50784db 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,17 @@ This repository provides a library and command-line interface that reimplements
 You may build Finch from source, which requires Rust >= `1.49`. Rust's Cargo package manager (see [rustup](https://www.rustup.rs) for Cargo installation instructions) can automatically build and install Finch with `cargo install finch_cli`.
 If you require python bindings, you must take extra steps (see [python support](#python-support)). Alternatively, [download a prebuilt binary](https://github.com/onecodex/finch-rs/releases) or install from [PyPi](https://pypi.org/project/finch-sketch/) `pip install finch-sketch`.
 
+### Building ###
+
+To compile from source:
+
+```sh
+# from finch-rs
+cargo +stable build --release
+```
+
 ### Example Usage ###
+
 To get started, we first compute sketches for several FASTA or FASTQ files. These sketches are compact, sampled representations of the underlying genomic data, and what allow `finch` to rapidly estimate distances between datasets. Sketching files uses the `finch sketch` command:
 
 ```
diff --git a/lib/src/serialization/json.rs b/lib/src/serialization/json.rs
index 61402bc..56fcf89 100644
--- a/lib/src/serialization/json.rs
+++ b/lib/src/serialization/json.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use crate::bail;
 use crate::errors::FinchResult;
 use crate::filtering::FilterParams;
-pub use crate::serialization::mash::{read_mash_file, write_mash_file};
 use crate::serialization::Sketch;
 use crate::sketch_schemes::{KmerCount, SketchParams};
 
diff --git a/lib/src/serialization/mash.rs b/lib/src/serialization/mash.rs
index 761d084..1790456 100644
--- a/lib/src/serialization/mash.rs
+++ b/lib/src/serialization/mash.rs
@@ -58,7 +58,11 @@ pub fn write_mash_file(file: &mut dyn Write, sketches: &[Sketch]) -> FinchResult
 }
 
 pub fn read_mash_file(file: &mut dyn BufRead) -> FinchResult<Vec<Sketch>> {
-    let options = *message::ReaderOptions::new().traversal_limit_in_words(Some(1024 * 1024 * 1024));
+    let options = *message::ReaderOptions::new().traversal_limit_in_words(
+        // measured in words
+        // 1 word = 8 bytes
+        Some(2 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024),
+    );
     let reader = capnp_serialize::read_message(file, options)?;
     let mash_data: min_hash::Reader = reader.get_root::<min_hash::Reader>()?;
 
diff --git a/lib/src/serialization/mod.rs b/lib/src/serialization/mod.rs
index 19ccb37..6b0dee1 100644
--- a/lib/src/serialization/mod.rs
+++ b/lib/src/serialization/mod.rs
@@ -171,7 +171,11 @@ pub fn write_finch_file(file: &mut dyn Write, sketches: &[Sketch]) -> FinchResul
 }
 
 pub fn read_finch_file(file: &mut dyn BufRead) -> FinchResult<Vec<Sketch>> {
-    let options = *message::ReaderOptions::new().traversal_limit_in_words(Some(1024 * 1024 * 1024));
+    let options = *message::ReaderOptions::new().traversal_limit_in_words(
+        // measured in words
+        // 1 word = 8 bytes
+        Some(2 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024),
+    );
     let reader = capnp_serialize::read_message(file, options)?;
     let cap_data: multisketch::Reader = reader.get_root::<multisketch::Reader>()?;
     let cap_sketches = cap_data.get_sketches()?;