diff --git a/python/python/lancedb/job.py b/python/python/lancedb/job.py
index 92b545ce7..86a1295cc 100644
--- a/python/python/lancedb/job.py
+++ b/python/python/lancedb/job.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 """Handles to asynchronous registry jobs, SQL queries, and local operations."""
 
 import asyncio
-import json
+import reprlib
 import time
 from datetime import timedelta
 from typing import Any, Callable, Generic, Optional, TypeVar, cast
@@ -461,43 +461,49 @@ class AsyncJob(Generic[T]):
 
 
 _REPR_INDENT = " " * 4
+_REPR_MAX_FIELD_LENGTH = 240
+_PAYLOAD_REPR = reprlib.Repr()
+_PAYLOAD_REPR.maxlevel = 2
+_PAYLOAD_REPR.maxdict = 4
+_PAYLOAD_REPR.maxlist = 4
+_PAYLOAD_REPR.maxtuple = 4
+_PAYLOAD_REPR.maxstring = 120
+_PAYLOAD_REPR.maxother = 120
 
 
 def _repr_payload(value: Any) -> str:
-    """Render a job payload as indented JSON, aligned under its field."""
-    try:
-        rendered = json.dumps(value, indent=4)
-    except TypeError:
-        return repr(value)
-    return rendered.replace("\n", "\n" + _REPR_INDENT)
+    """Bound nested payload previews without changing the stored values."""
+    rendered = _PAYLOAD_REPR.repr(value).replace("\n", "\\n")
+    if len(rendered) > _REPR_MAX_FIELD_LENGTH:
+        return rendered[: _REPR_MAX_FIELD_LENGTH - 3] + "..."
+    return rendered
 
 
 def _job_repr(kind: str, job: Any) -> str:
-    """Render every field the handle currently knows, omitting the rest.
+    """Show cached job identity and bounded previews without backend calls.
 
-    One field per line, with the JSON payloads indented, because a refresh
-    job's spec and result are the point of printing it.
+    The complete payloads remain available through ``spec`` and ``result``.
     """
     state = job.state
     if state is None:
         # Nothing has been fetched yet, so there is nothing to lay out.
-        known = f"id={job.id!r}, " if job.id is not None else ""
+        known = f"id={_repr_payload(job.id)}, " if job.id is not None else ""
         return f"{kind}({known}not refreshed)"
 
     fields = []
     if job.id is not None:
-        fields.append(f"id={job.id!r}")
-    fields.append(f"state={state!r}")
+        fields.append(f"id={_repr_payload(job.id)}")
+    fields.append(f"state={_repr_payload(state)}")
     for name in ("job_type", "creation_ms"):
         value = getattr(job, name)
         if value is not None:
-            fields.append(f"{name}={value!r}")
+            fields.append(f"{name}={_repr_payload(value)}")
     for name in ("spec", "result"):
         value = getattr(job, name)
         if value is not None:
             fields.append(f"{name}={_repr_payload(value)}")
     if job.failure is not None:
-        fields.append(f"failure={job.failure!r}")
+        fields.append(f"failure={_repr_payload(job.failure)}")
     body = "".join(f"\n{_REPR_INDENT}{field}," for field in fields)
     return f"{kind}({body}\n)"
 
diff --git a/python/python/tests/test_job.py b/python/python/tests/test_job.py
index c3189cbad..07b8a8c5e 100644
--- a/python/python/tests/test_job.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_job.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import asyncio
 import time
 from datetime import timedelta
+from types import SimpleNamespace
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
 
 import pytest
@@ -13,6 +14,50 @@ from lancedb.job import AsyncJob, Job, _progress_eta
 from lancedb.remote.errors import HttpError, RetryError
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("sync", [False, True])
+def test_job_repr_bounds_large_payloads_without_fetching(sync):
+    spec = {"initialization": list(range(100000)), "source": "x" * 100000}
+    result = {"rows_computed": 7, "details": [{"data": b"x" * 10000}] * 1000}
+    inner = SimpleNamespace(
+        id="job-repr",
+        _state="failed",
+        job_type="function_refresh",
+        _description=SimpleNamespace(
+            creation_ms=2000,
+            spec=spec,
+            result=result,
+            failure="worker failed " + "x" * 10000,
+        ),
+    )
+    job = AsyncJob(inner)
+    if sync:
+        job = Job(job)
+    rendered = repr(job)
+    assert len(rendered) < 1600
+    assert len(rendered.splitlines()) <= 10
+    assert "id='job-repr'" in rendered
+    assert "state='failed'" in rendered
+    assert "job_type='function_refresh'" in rendered
+    assert "rows_computed" in rendered
+    assert "worker failed" in rendered
+    assert "..." in rendered
+    assert len(repr(job.status)) < 1700
+    assert job.spec is spec
+    assert job.result is result
+    assert len(job.spec["initialization"]) == 100000
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("sync", [False, True])
+def test_job_repr_handles_unobserved_and_local_jobs(sync):
+    unobserved = AsyncJob(SimpleNamespace(id="job-pending", _state=None))
+    local = AsyncJob(None)
+    if sync:
+        unobserved, local = Job(unobserved), Job(local)
+    assert "id='job-pending', not refreshed" in repr(unobserved)
+    assert "state='finished'" in repr(local)
+    assert "failure=" not in repr(local)
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(params=["async", "sync"])
 def wait_job(request):
     async def wait(inner, timeout=None, result_decoder=None):
diff --git a/python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py b/python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
index 671d0ff23..789df1726 100644
--- a/python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
@@ -5539,9 +5539,6 @@ def test_remote_job_handle_reports_its_own_detail():
         assert json.loads(job._spec_json) == {"column": "vec"}
         assert json.loads(job._result_json) == {"rows_assigned": 1000000}
 
-        # print() shows everything the handle knows and nothing it does not.
-        # print() lays every known field out on its own line, with the JSON
-        # payloads indented rather than crammed onto one line.
         assert repr(job) == "\n".join(
             [
                 "Job(",
@@ -5549,12 +5546,8 @@ def test_remote_job_handle_reports_its_own_detail():
                 "    state='finished',",
                 "    job_type='refresh_column',",
                 "    creation_ms=2000,",
-                "    spec={",
-                '        "column": "vec"',
-                "    },",
-                "    result={",
-                '        "rows_assigned": 1000000',
-                "    },",
+                "    spec={'column': 'vec'},",
+                "    result={'rows_assigned': 1000000},",
                 ")",
             ]
         )