diff --git a/core/src/errors.rs b/core/src/errors.rs
index 1a1e98ceb0..5128d8f9cd 100644
--- a/core/src/errors.rs
+++ b/core/src/errors.rs
@@ -5,20 +5,22 @@ use core::fmt;
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub enum InputError {
-    NotFieldElement(u64, &'static str),
     DuplicateAdviceRoot([u8; 32]),
+    NotFieldElement(u64, &'static str),
+    StackTooBig(usize),
 }
 
 impl fmt::Display for InputError {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
         use InputError::*;
         match self {
-            NotFieldElement(num, description) => {
-                write!(f, "{num} is not a valid field element: {description}")
-            }
             DuplicateAdviceRoot(key) => {
                 write!(f, "{key:02x?} is a duplicate of the current merkle set")
             }
+            NotFieldElement(num, description) => {
+                write!(f, "{num} is not a valid field element: {description}")
+            }
+            StackTooBig(size) => write!(f, "Stack can not have {size} elements"),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/stack/inputs.rs b/core/src/stack/inputs.rs
index 4e8c6520e7..b5ca987581 100644
--- a/core/src/stack/inputs.rs
+++ b/core/src/stack/inputs.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
+use winter_utils::{ByteReader, Deserializable, DeserializationError};
+
 use super::{vec, ByteWriter, Felt, InputError, Serializable, ToElements, Vec};
 use core::slice;
 
 // STACK INPUTS
 // ================================================================================================
 
+const MAX_STACK_INPUTS_SIZE: usize = u32::MAX as usize;
+
 /// Initial state of the stack to support program execution.
 ///
 /// The program execution expects the inputs to be a stack on the VM, and it will be stored in
@@ -18,9 +22,13 @@ impl StackInputs {
     // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     /// Returns `[StackInputs]` from a list of values, reversing them into a stack.
-    pub fn new(mut values: Vec<Felt>) -> Self {
-        values.reverse();
-        Self { values }
+    pub fn new(mut values: Vec<Felt>) -> Result<Self, InputError> {
+        if values.len() > MAX_STACK_INPUTS_SIZE {
+            Err(InputError::StackTooBig(values.len()))
+        } else {
+            values.reverse();
+            Ok(Self { values })
+        }
     }
 
     /// Attempts to create stack inputs from an iterator of numbers, failing if they do not
@@ -30,7 +38,7 @@ impl StackInputs {
         I: IntoIterator<Item = u64>,
     {
         let values: Vec<Felt> = iter.into_iter().map(Felt::from).collect();
-        Ok(Self::new(values))
+        Self::new(values)
     }
 
     // PUBLIC ACCESSORS
@@ -60,20 +68,27 @@ impl IntoIterator for StackInputs {
     }
 }
 
+impl ToElements<Felt> for StackInputs {
+    fn to_elements(&self) -> Vec<Felt> {
+        self.values.to_vec()
+    }
+}
+
+// SERIALIZATION
+// ================================================================================================
+
 impl Serializable for StackInputs {
     fn write_into<W: ByteWriter>(&self, target: &mut W) {
-        // TODO the length of the stack, by design, will not be greater than `u32::MAX`. however,
-        // we must define a common serialization format as we might diverge from the implementation
-        // here and the one provided by default from winterfell.
-
-        debug_assert!(self.values.len() <= u32::MAX as usize);
+        debug_assert!(self.values.len() <= MAX_STACK_INPUTS_SIZE);
         target.write_u32(self.values.len() as u32);
-        self.values.iter().copied().for_each(|v| target.write(v));
+        self.values.write_into(target);
     }
 }
 
-impl ToElements<Felt> for StackInputs {
-    fn to_elements(&self) -> Vec<Felt> {
-        self.values.to_vec()
+impl Deserializable for StackInputs {
+    fn read_from<R: ByteReader>(source: &mut R) -> Result<Self, DeserializationError> {
+        let count: usize = source.read_u32()?.try_into().expect("u32 must fit in a usize");
+        let values = Felt::read_batch_from(source, count)?;
+        Ok(Self { values })
     }
 }
diff --git a/processor/src/operations/ext2_ops.rs b/processor/src/operations/ext2_ops.rs
index 2af25f29ec..53b0c053ee 100644
--- a/processor/src/operations/ext2_ops.rs
+++ b/processor/src/operations/ext2_ops.rs
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ mod tests {
         // initialize the stack with a few values
         let [a0, a1, b0, b1] = [rand_value(); 4];
 
-        let stack = StackInputs::new(vec![a0, a1, b0, b1]);
+        let stack = StackInputs::new(vec![a0, a1, b0, b1]).unwrap();
         let mut process = Process::new_dummy(stack);
 
         // multiply the top two values
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(expected, process.stack.trace_state());
 
         // calling ext2mul with a stack of minimum depth is ok
-        let stack = StackInputs::new(vec![]);
+        let stack = StackInputs::new(vec![]).unwrap();
         let mut process = Process::new_dummy(stack);
         assert!(process.execute_op(Operation::Ext2Mul).is_ok());
     }
diff --git a/processor/src/operations/fri_ops.rs b/processor/src/operations/fri_ops.rs
index c0beeafda4..653c314def 100644
--- a/processor/src/operations/fri_ops.rs
+++ b/processor/src/operations/fri_ops.rs
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ mod tests {
         ];
 
         // --- execute FRIE2F4 operation --------------------------------------
-        let stack_inputs = StackInputs::new(inputs.to_vec());
+        let stack_inputs = StackInputs::new(inputs.to_vec()).unwrap();
         let mut process = Process::new_dummy_with_decoder_helpers(stack_inputs);
         process.execute_op(Operation::FriE2F4).unwrap();