diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emit-module.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emit-module.ts
index 156ad8b8d..b6e489c19 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emit-module.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emit-module.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import {
 } from "../../ir/ir.js";
 import {
   FN_ATTRS,
-  limitInlineDynReleases,
+  limitInlineReleases,
   releaseSym,
   typedRefConstructor,
   vAdapters,
@@ -2469,7 +2469,7 @@ export function emitFfiCallbackDefs(emitter: LlEmitter): { globals: string[]; de
 
 export function emitParts(emitter: LlEmitter): string[] {
   const parts = [
-    ...limitInlineDynReleases(emitter.emitModuleParts()),
+    ...limitInlineReleases(emitter.emitModuleParts(), emitter.shapeHost.rcMode),
     ...emitter.disposeObserverGates(),
   ];
   if (!emitter.executableTls) return parts;
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emitter.test.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emitter.test.ts
index f413d6153..d1fd62a83 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emitter.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/emitter.test.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   type IrType,
 } from "../../ir/ir.js";
 import { emitLlvmModule, emitLlvmModuleSource, LlEmitter } from "./emitter.js";
+import { INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION } from "./shapes.js";
 
 /** A pending-exception check: the inline active-cell test or a runtime call. */
 const PENDING_CHECK = /@scr_exc_(?:active|pending)\b/;
@@ -201,17 +202,24 @@ test("detached exit defines the runtime opt-in symbol only when requested", () =
   expect(detached.replace("@scr_detached_exit = constant i8 1\n", "")).toBe(plain);
 });
 
-test("inline RC inlines every fast path at speed and keeps string and box releases as calls in release", () => {
+test("inline RC inlines every fast path at speed and keeps box releases as calls in release", () => {
   for (const boxed of [false, true]) {
     const module = moduleFor(Array.from({ length: 4 }, call), { boxed });
     const release = emitLlvmModule(module);
     expect(release).not.toContain("@sc_rc_");
     expect(release).not.toContain("%ScrMapRc");
-    // The release subset inlines string retains and dyn retains and releases
-    // only; these string and box releases stay runtime calls.
+    // The release subset inlines string and dyn retains and releases and Map
+    // retains only: box releases stay runtime calls, and so do the string
+    // releases of a function with more than INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION.
     const subset = emitLlvmModule(module, { inlineRc: "release" });
-    expect(subset).not.toContain("@sc_rc_release_str");
-    expect(subset).not.toContain("@sc_rc_release_box");
+    expect(subset).not.toContain("call void @sc_rc_release_box(");
+    const sites = (ir: string, fn: string): number => ir.split(`call void @${fn}(ptr`).length - 1;
+    if (!boxed) {
+      expect(sites(subset, "sc_rc_release_str")).toBe(0);
+      // Every site calls the runtime, and so does the unused helper's slow path.
+      expect(sites(subset, "scr_str_release")).toBe(sites(release, "scr_str_release") + 1);
+      expect(sites(release, "scr_str_release")).toBeGreaterThan(INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION);
+    }
     const speed = emitLlvmModule(module, { inlineRc: "speed" });
     const helper = boxed ? "sc_rc_release_box" : "sc_rc_release_str";
     const runtime = boxed ? "scr_box_release" : "scr_str_release";
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.test.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.test.ts
index 347099c16..f7327a688 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.test.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ import {
   emitRecordShapes,
   inlineRcDecls,
   INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION,
+  INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION,
   inlineRcOption,
-  limitInlineDynReleases,
+  limitInlineReleases,
   releaseSym,
   retainSym,
   type ShapeHost,
@@ -132,10 +133,10 @@ describe("LLVM runtime RC symbols", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
-  test("release builds inline only string retains and dyn retains and releases", () => {
+  test("release builds inline only string and dyn retains and releases and Map retains", () => {
     const { host } = declarationHost(64, "release");
     expect(retainSym(host, { kind: "string" })).toBe("@sc_rc_retain_str");
-    expect(releaseSym(host, { kind: "string" })).toBe("@scr_str_release");
+    expect(releaseSym(host, { kind: "string" })).toBe("@sc_rc_release_str");
     expect(retainSym(host, { kind: "dyn" })).toBe("@sc_rc_retain_dyn");
     expect(releaseSym(host, { kind: "dyn" })).toBe("@sc_rc_release_dyn");
     expect(releaseSym(host, { kind: "union", unionId: "u0" } as never)).toBe("@scr_union_release");
@@ -251,12 +252,12 @@ describe("LLVM runtime RC symbols", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("inline dyn release budget", () => {
-  const body = (name: string, sites: number): string =>
+describe("inline release budgets", () => {
+  const body = (name: string, sites: number, family = "dyn"): string =>
     [
       `define internal void @${name}(ptr %v) #0 {`,
       "entry:",
-      ...Array.from({ length: sites }, () => "  call void @sc_rc_release_dyn(ptr %v)"),
+      ...Array.from({ length: sites }, () => `  call void @sc_rc_release_${family}(ptr %v)`),
       "  ret void",
       "}",
       "",
@@ -266,7 +267,9 @@ describe("inline dyn release budget", () => {
     const small = body("small", INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION);
     const large = body("large", INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION + 1);
     // main's lines are separate parts.
-    const limited = limitInlineDynReleases([`; header\n${small}`, ...large.split("\n")]).join("\n");
+    const limited = limitInlineReleases([`; header\n${small}`, ...large.split("\n")], "speed").join(
+      "\n",
+    );
     expect(limited.startsWith("; header\n")).toBe(true);
     expect(limited).toContain(small);
     const out = limited.slice(limited.indexOf("@large("));
@@ -275,6 +278,20 @@ describe("inline dyn release budget", () => {
       INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION + 1,
     );
   });
+
+  test("a function over the string budget calls the runtime string release at every site", () => {
+    const small = body("small", INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION, "str");
+    const large = body("large", INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION + 1, "str");
+    const limited = limitInlineReleases([small, large], "release").join("\n");
+    expect(limited).toContain(small);
+    // Speed emission keeps every inline string release.
+    expect(limitInlineReleases([small, large], "speed").join("\n")).toBe([small, large].join("\n"));
+    const out = limited.slice(limited.indexOf("@large("));
+    expect(out).not.toContain("@sc_rc_release_str(");
+    expect(out.split("call void @scr_str_release(ptr %v)").length - 1).toBe(
+      INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION + 1,
+    );
+  });
 });
 
 describe("emitted object releases", () => {
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.ts
index 382d2aa34..8ae24375e 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/shapes.ts
@@ -578,15 +578,17 @@ export function inlineRcFamily(host: ShapeHost, stem: string, op: RcOp): InlineR
 }
 
 /** Which RC fast paths an emission inlines. `speed` mirrors every family
- * with a fast path. `release` mirrors only the string and Map retains and
- * the dyn retain and release: the operations that dominate dynamic-value,
- * string and Map code (a Map read from an array or another Map), at almost
- * no size cost. String releases stay calls in `release` because
- * string-heavy programs have many release sites. */
+ * with a fast path. `release` mirrors only the string retain and release,
+ * the Map retain and the dyn retain and release: the operations that
+ * dominate dynamic-value, string and Map code (a Map read from an array or
+ * another Map). String-heavy programs have many string release sites, so a
+ * function with more than INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION of them calls the
+ * runtime release at each (limitInlineReleases). */
 export type InlineRcMode = "release" | "speed";
 
 const RELEASE_RC_OPS = new Set([
   "str:retain",
+  "str:release",
   "map:retain",
   "dyn:retain",
   "dyn:release",
@@ -670,12 +672,34 @@ function inlineRcName(family: string, op: RcOp): string {
  * the inline helper mirrors, at every site. */
 export const INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION = 256;
 
-/** Apply {@link INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION} to each function of an
- * emitted module, given as parts joined by newlines. A function can span
- * parts (main's lines) and a part can hold several functions. */
-export function limitInlineDynReleases(parts: readonly string[]): string[] {
-  const call = `call void @${inlineRcName("dyn", "release")}(`;
-  const runtime = `call void @${INLINE_RC_FAMILIES["dyn"]!.release}(`;
+/** Inlined string releases one function body keeps in `release` emission,
+ * which inlines string releases (RELEASE_RC_OPS); the bodies with the most of them, such as
+ * builders of string-heavy records and module initializers, would grow the
+ * most for the least gain, so a body with more calls scr_str_release at
+ * every site. */
+export const INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION = 8;
+
+/** Apply {@link INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION}, and in `release` emission
+ * {@link INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION}, to each function of an emitted
+ * module, given as parts joined by newlines. A function can span parts
+ * (main's lines) and a part can hold several functions. */
+export function limitInlineReleases(
+  parts: readonly string[],
+  mode: InlineRcMode | undefined,
+): string[] {
+  const dyn = limitInlineReleaseFamily(parts, "dyn", INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION);
+  return mode === "release"
+    ? limitInlineReleaseFamily(dyn, "str", INLINE_STR_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION)
+    : dyn;
+}
+
+function limitInlineReleaseFamily(
+  parts: readonly string[],
+  family: "dyn" | "str",
+  max: number,
+): string[] {
+  const call = `call void @${inlineRcName(family, "release")}(`;
+  const runtime = `call void @${INLINE_RC_FAMILIES[family]!.release}(`;
   // The function each release site belongs to: the last `define` line
   // before it, counted over the joined text.
   const sites = (
@@ -701,9 +725,7 @@ export function limitInlineDynReleases(parts: readonly string[]): string[] {
   const counts = new Map<number, number>();
   let fn = 0;
   for (const part of parts) fn = sites(part, (_, f) => counts.set(f, (counts.get(f) ?? 0) + 1), fn);
-  const over = new Set(
-    [...counts].filter(([, n]) => n > INLINE_DYN_RELEASES_PER_FUNCTION).map(([f]) => f),
-  );
+  const over = new Set([...counts].filter(([, n]) => n > max).map(([f]) => f));
   if (over.size === 0) return [...parts];
   fn = 0;
   return parts.map((part) => {