diff --git a/src/prime.js b/src/prime.js
index 2913013..16808b0 100644
--- a/src/prime.js
+++ b/src/prime.js
@@ -3,11 +3,8 @@
 
 // One round trip, not two: since evolver 2.0.39 `/asset/fetch` recalls by text
 // when it is given no ids, so selecting a candidate and materialising it are the
-// same call. The pair it replaces had to buy its second hop out of the wait
-// budget, and that budget only ever afforded two candidates; a recall returns
-// whole assets, so this limit is about how many the Hub should rank, not about
-// what the step can afford to wait for.
-const RECALL_LIMIT = 5;
+// same call. No `limit` is sent, so the Hub's own default decides how many come
+// back (two at present).
 const MIN_PROMPT_CHARS = 8;
 const PROMPT_MAX_CHARS = 400;
 const STEP_MAX_CHARS = 400;
@@ -132,7 +129,7 @@ export async function hubGene(proxyFetch, text, {
     return EMPTY_MATCH;
   }
 
-  const recalled = await proxyJson(proxyFetch, '/asset/fetch', { text, limit: RECALL_LIMIT }, signal);
+  const recalled = await proxyJson(proxyFetch, '/asset/fetch', { text }, signal);
   if (recalled.error) {
     onOutcome({ status: 'proxy_error', error: recalled.error });
     return EMPTY_MATCH;
diff --git a/test/prime.test.js b/test/prime.test.js
index d12fc70..eb625ad 100644
--- a/test/prime.test.js
+++ b/test/prime.test.js
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ test('one call recalls by text and injects that asset\'s strategy alone', async
   const { ids, text } = await hubGene(proxyFetch, 'add a retry to the uploader', { signal: controller.signal });
 
   assert.deepEqual(calls.map((call) => call.path), ['/asset/fetch']);
-  assert.deepEqual(calls[0].body, { text: 'add a retry to the uploader', limit: 5 });
+  assert.deepEqual(calls[0].body, { text: 'add a retry to the uploader' }, 'no limit: the Hub default decides');
   assert.ok(!('asset_ids' in calls[0].body), 'ids would turn the recall back into a lookup');
   assert.equal(calls[0].signal, controller.signal);
   assert.deepEqual(ids, ['sha256:abc']);
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ test('a bounded prompt reaches the Hub, and a trivial one never does', async ()
   const long = stubProxy({ assets: [] });
   await hubGene(long.proxyFetch, 'x'.repeat(5_000));
   assert.ok(long.calls[0].body.text.length <= 5_000);
-  assert.equal(long.calls[0].body.limit, 5);
+  assert.equal('limit' in long.calls[0].body, false);
 
   const trivial = stubProxy({ assets: [ASSET] });
   assert.deepEqual(await hubGene(trivial.proxyFetch, 'hi'), { ids: [], text: '' });