diff --git a/zio/anyio/gzip.go b/zio/anyio/gzip.go
index e5b09ece1b..2af21fb9b8 100644
--- a/zio/anyio/gzip.go
+++ b/zio/anyio/gzip.go
@@ -17,20 +17,18 @@ func GzipReader(r io.Reader) (io.Reader, error) {
 			return rs, nil
 		}
 	}
-	recorder := NewRecorder(r)
-	track := NewTrack(recorder)
+	track := NewTrack(r)
 	// gzip.NewReader blocks until it reads ten bytes.  readGzipID only
 	// reads two bytes.
 	if !readGzipID(track) {
-		return recorder, nil
+		return track.Reader(), nil
 	}
 	track.Reset()
 	_, err := gzip.NewReader(track)
 	if err == nil {
-		// create a new reader from recorder (track keeps a copy of read data)
-		return gzip.NewReader(recorder)
+		return gzip.NewReader(track.Reader())
 	}
-	return recorder, nil
+	return track.Reader(), nil
 }
 
 // RFC 1952, Section 2.3.1
diff --git a/zio/anyio/reader.go b/zio/anyio/reader.go
index dfd948f4bb..c2bc85b839 100644
--- a/zio/anyio/reader.go
+++ b/zio/anyio/reader.go
@@ -65,26 +65,25 @@ func NewReaderWithOpts(zctx *zed.Context, r io.Reader, opts ReaderOpts) (zio.Rea
 		vngErr = errors.New("vng: auto-detection requires seekable input")
 	}
 
-	recorder := NewRecorder(r)
-	track := NewTrack(recorder)
+	track := NewTrack(r)
 
 	arrowsErr := isArrowStream(track)
 	if arrowsErr == nil {
-		return arrowio.NewReader(zctx, recorder)
+		return arrowio.NewReader(zctx, track.Reader())
 	}
 	arrowsErr = fmt.Errorf("arrows: %w", arrowsErr)
 	track.Reset()
 
 	zeekErr := match(zeekio.NewReader(zed.NewContext(), track), "zeek", 1)
 	if zeekErr == nil {
-		return zio.NopReadCloser(zeekio.NewReader(zctx, recorder)), nil
+		return zio.NopReadCloser(zeekio.NewReader(zctx, track.Reader())), nil
 	}
 	track.Reset()
 
 	// ZJSON must come before JSON and ZSON since it is a subset of both.
 	zjsonErr := match(zjsonio.NewReader(zed.NewContext(), track), "zjson", 1)
 	if zjsonErr == nil {
-		return zio.NopReadCloser(zjsonio.NewReader(zctx, recorder)), nil
+		return zio.NopReadCloser(zjsonio.NewReader(zctx, track.Reader())), nil
 	}
 	track.Reset()
 
@@ -93,13 +92,13 @@ func NewReaderWithOpts(zctx *zed.Context, r io.Reader, opts ReaderOpts) (zio.Rea
 	// sake of tests.
 	jsonErr := match(jsonio.NewReader(zed.NewContext(), track), "json", 10)
 	if jsonErr == nil {
-		return zio.NopReadCloser(jsonio.NewReader(zctx, recorder)), nil
+		return zio.NopReadCloser(jsonio.NewReader(zctx, track.Reader())), nil
 	}
 	track.Reset()
 
 	zsonErr := match(zsonio.NewReader(zed.NewContext(), track), "zson", 1)
 	if zsonErr == nil {
-		return zio.NopReadCloser(zsonio.NewReader(zctx, recorder)), nil
+		return zio.NopReadCloser(zsonio.NewReader(zctx, track.Reader())), nil
 	}
 	track.Reset()
 
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ func NewReaderWithOpts(zctx *zed.Context, r io.Reader, opts ReaderOpts) (zio.Rea
 	// Close zngReader to ensure that it does not continue to call track.Read.
 	zngReader.Close()
 	if zngErr == nil {
-		return zngio.NewReaderWithOpts(zctx, recorder, opts.ZNG), nil
+		return zngio.NewReaderWithOpts(zctx, track.Reader(), opts.ZNG), nil
 	}
 	track.Reset()
 
@@ -126,7 +125,7 @@ func NewReaderWithOpts(zctx *zed.Context, r io.Reader, opts ReaderOpts) (zio.Rea
 		track.Reset()
 		csvErr = match(csvio.NewReader(zed.NewContext(), track, opts.CSV), "csv", 1)
 		if csvErr == nil {
-			return zio.NopReadCloser(csvio.NewReader(zctx, recorder, opts.CSV)), nil
+			return zio.NopReadCloser(csvio.NewReader(zctx, track.Reader(), opts.CSV)), nil
 		}
 	}
 	track.Reset()
diff --git a/zio/anyio/track.go b/zio/anyio/track.go
index 547d9d2fa2..aacdd09b1d 100644
--- a/zio/anyio/track.go
+++ b/zio/anyio/track.go
@@ -1,24 +1,51 @@
 package anyio
 
+import "io"
+
 const TrackSize = InitBufferSize
 
 type Track struct {
+	rs      io.ReadSeeker
+	initial int64
+
 	recorder *Recorder
 	off      int
 }
 
-func NewTrack(r *Recorder) *Track {
+func NewTrack(r io.Reader) *Track {
+	if rs, ok := r.(io.ReadSeeker); ok {
+		if n, err := rs.Seek(0, io.SeekCurrent); err == nil {
+			return &Track{rs: rs, initial: n}
+		}
+	}
 	return &Track{
-		recorder: r,
+		recorder: NewRecorder(r),
 	}
 }
 
 func (t *Track) Reset() {
+	if t.rs != nil {
+		// We ignore errors here under the assumption that a subsequent
+		// call to Read will also fail.
+		t.rs.Seek(t.initial, io.SeekStart)
+		return
+	}
 	t.off = 0
 }
 
 func (t *Track) Read(b []byte) (int, error) {
+	if t.rs != nil {
+		return t.rs.Read(b)
+	}
 	n, err := t.recorder.ReadAt(t.off, b)
 	t.off += n
 	return n, err
 }
+
+func (t *Track) Reader() io.Reader {
+	if t.rs != nil {
+		t.Reset()
+		return t.rs
+	}
+	return t.recorder
+}
diff --git a/zio/anyio/ztests/huge.yaml b/zio/anyio/ztests/huge.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..de809b288b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zio/anyio/ztests/huge.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+script: |
+  ! yes ' ' | head -c $((11 * 1024 * 1024)) > huge.zson
+  echo 0 >> huge.zson
+  zq -z huge.zson
+  ! cat huge.zson | zq -z -
+
+outputs:
+  - name: stdout
+    data: |
+      0
+  - name: stderr
+    data: |
+      stdio:stdin: format detection error
+      	arrows: schema message length exceeds 1 MiB
+      	csv: line 1: no comma found
+      	json: buffer exceeded max size trying to infer input format
+      	line: auto-detection not supported
+      	parquet: auto-detection requires seekable input
+      	vng: auto-detection requires seekable input
+      	zeek: line 1: bad types/fields definition in zeek header
+      	zjson: line 1: malformed ZJSON: bad type object: "": unpacker error parsing JSON: unexpected end of JSON input
+      	zng: buffer exceeded max size trying to infer input format
+      	zson: buffer exceeded max size trying to infer input format