diff --git a/tests/tools/test_approval.py b/tests/tools/test_approval.py
index 7a0524273d..0aa36032a2 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_approval.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_approval.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from unittest.mock import patch as mock_patch
 import pytest
 
 import tools.approval as approval_module
-from tools import approval_context
+from tools import approval_context, approval_detection
 from tools import approval_smart
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 from tools.approval import approve_session, detect_dangerous_command, detect_hardline_command, is_approved, load_permanent, prompt_dangerous_approval
@@ -1162,6 +1162,30 @@ class TestLaunchctlGatewayLifecycle:
         assert "launchd" in desc.lower()
 
 
+class TestQuotedCommandWordVariants:
+    """#113535: a heredoc body of quoted lines is hundreds of quoted command words; one full-length
+    detection variant per word made both detection passes O(words * len) and stalled the gateway."""
+
+    def test_many_quoted_command_words_stay_bounded_in_both_passes(self):
+        cmd = "\n".join(f'"key{i}": "line {i} with some text"' for i in range(460))
+        start = time.monotonic()
+        assert detect_hardline_command(cmd) == (False, None)
+        assert detect_dangerous_command(cmd) == (False, None, None)
+        elapsed = time.monotonic() - start
+        assert elapsed < 5.0, f"detection took {elapsed:.2f}s for a {len(cmd)}-char command"
+
+    def test_obfuscated_command_words_still_detected_when_merged_into_one_variant(self):
+        cmd = 'echo "one"; $(echo rm) -rf ~/.ssh; echo "two"; r\'\'m -rf ~/.gnupg'
+        dangerous, _, desc = detect_dangerous_command(cmd)
+        assert dangerous is True
+        assert "delete" in desc.lower(), desc
+        # Nested spans (the backtick word and the substitution inside it) overlap, so they cannot share a
+        # variant; the inner one must land in a second-round variant instead of being dropped.
+        variants = list(approval_detection._command_detection_variants('echo `$("echo" rm) -rf ~/.ssh`'))
+        assert any("echo `rm -rf ~/.ssh`" in v for v in variants), variants
+        assert any("echo `$(echo rm) -rf ~/.ssh`" in v for v in variants), variants
+
+
 class TestGitDestructiveOps:
     """git reset --hard, push --force, clean -f, branch -D can destroy
     work and rewrite shared history. Not covered by rm/chmod patterns.
diff --git a/tools/approval_detection.py b/tools/approval_detection.py
index b03cd9ccd3..ea00c83c43 100644
--- a/tools/approval_detection.py
+++ b/tools/approval_detection.py
@@ -1413,12 +1413,29 @@ def _command_detection_variants(command: str):
         yield faithful
     # Quoting/escaping can spell an executable in pieces (r\m, r''m). Keep that deobfuscation scoped
     # to command words so arguments don't false-positive.
-    for word_start, word_end, word in _iter_shell_command_word_spans(normalized):
-        deobfuscated = _deobfuscate_shell_word_for_detection(word)
-        if deobfuscated and deobfuscated != word:
-            variant = normalized[:word_start] + deobfuscated + normalized[word_end:]
-            if fresh(variant):
-                yield variant
+    # One variant with EVERY command word deobfuscated, not one full-length variant per word: a heredoc
+    # body of quoted lines has hundreds of quoted command words, and per-word variants made both
+    # detection passes O(words * len) — minutes of GIL-held regex on a 15 KB command (#113535).
+    # Spans arrive out of order (loop/conditional bodies after their keywords) and can nest (a
+    # backtick word and the command inside it), so apply them sorted; spans overlapping an applied
+    # one wait for the next round, one combined variant per nesting level.
+    pending = sorted(
+        ((word_start, word_end, deobfuscated) for word_start, word_end, word in _iter_shell_command_word_spans(normalized)
+         if (deobfuscated := _deobfuscate_shell_word_for_detection(word)) and deobfuscated != word),
+        key=lambda span: span[:2],
+    )
+    while pending:
+        applied, carry, cursor = [], [], 0
+        for span in pending:
+            if span[0] < cursor:
+                carry.append(span)
+            else:
+                applied.append(span)
+                cursor = span[1]
+        variant = _splice(normalized, applied)
+        if fresh(variant):
+            yield variant
+        pending = carry
 
 
 def _is_verification_artifact_cleanup(command: str) -> bool: