diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details.js b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details.js
index 6c566c3722..6bd6017e32 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details.js
@@ -2,15 +2,22 @@ import _ from 'lodash';
 import React from 'react';
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
+import { clickCloseDetails, clickShowTopologyForNode } from '../actions/app-actions';
+import { brightenColor, getNeutralColor, getNodeColorDark } from '../utils/color-utils';
+import { resetDocumentTitle, setDocumentTitle } from '../utils/title-utils';
+
 import NodeDetailsControls from './node-details/node-details-controls';
 import NodeDetailsHealth from './node-details/node-details-health';
 import NodeDetailsInfo from './node-details/node-details-info';
 import NodeDetailsLabels from './node-details/node-details-labels';
 import NodeDetailsRelatives from './node-details/node-details-relatives';
 import NodeDetailsTable from './node-details/node-details-table';
-import { clickCloseDetails, clickShowTopologyForNode } from '../actions/app-actions';
-import { brightenColor, getNeutralColor, getNodeColorDark } from '../utils/color-utils';
-import { resetDocumentTitle, setDocumentTitle } from '../utils/title-utils';
+import Warning from './warning';
+
+function getTruncationText(count) {
+  return 'This section was too long to be handled efficiently and has been truncated'
+  + ` (${count} extra entries not included). We are working to remove this limitation.`;
+}
 
 export class NodeDetails extends React.Component {
 
@@ -196,7 +203,13 @@ export class NodeDetails extends React.Component {
             if (table.rows.length > 0) {
               return (
                 <div className="node-details-content-section" key={table.id}>
-                  <div className="node-details-content-section-header">{table.label}</div>
+                  <div className="node-details-content-section-header">
+                    {table.label}
+                    {table.truncationCount > 0 && <span
+                      className="node-details-content-section-header-warning">
+                      <Warning text={getTruncationText(table.truncationCount)} />
+                    </span>}
+                  </div>
                   <NodeDetailsLabels rows={table.rows} />
                 </div>
               );
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/warning.js b/client/app/scripts/components/warning.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..161c68d5ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/warning.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import classnames from 'classnames';
+
+
+class Warning extends React.Component {
+
+  constructor(props, context) {
+    super(props, context);
+    this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
+    this.state = {
+      expanded: false
+    };
+  }
+
+  handleClick() {
+    const expanded = !this.state.expanded;
+    this.setState({ expanded });
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    const { text } = this.props;
+    const { expanded } = this.state;
+
+    const className = classnames('warning', {
+      'warning-expanded': expanded
+    });
+
+    return (
+      <div className={className} onClick={this.handleClick}>
+        <div className="warning-wrapper">
+          <span className="warning-icon fa fa-warning" title={text} />
+          {expanded && <span className="warning-text">{text}</span>}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+export default Warning;
diff --git a/client/app/styles/main.less b/client/app/styles/main.less
index 321468f475..43132ba893 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/main.less
+++ b/client/app/styles/main.less
@@ -1098,6 +1098,42 @@ h2 {
   }
 }
 
+.warning {
+  display: inline-block;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  border: 1px dashed transparent;
+  text-transform: none;
+  border-radius: @border-radius;
+  margin-left: 4px;
+
+  &-wrapper {
+    display: flex;
+  }
+
+  &-text {
+    display: inline-block;
+    color: @text-secondary-color;
+    padding-left: 0.5em;
+  }
+
+  &-icon {
+    .btn-opacity;
+  }
+
+  &-expanded {
+    margin-left: 0;
+    padding: 2px 4px;
+    border-color: @text-tertiary-color;
+  }
+
+  &-expanded &-icon {
+    position: relative;
+    top: 4px;
+    left: 2px;
+  }
+
+}
+
 .sidebar {
   position: fixed;
   bottom: 16px;
diff --git a/report/table.go b/report/table.go
index 25052640b8..6ab4f5a20e 100644
--- a/report/table.go
+++ b/report/table.go
@@ -1,37 +1,62 @@
 package report
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
+	log "github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/weaveworks/scope/common/mtime"
 )
 
+// MaxTableRows sets the limit on the table size to render
+// TODO: this won't be needed once we send reports incrementally
+const (
+	MaxTableRows          = 20
+	TruncationCountPrefix = "table_truncation_count_"
+)
+
 // AddTable appends arbirary key-value pairs to the Node, returning a new node.
 func (node Node) AddTable(prefix string, labels map[string]string) Node {
+	count := 0
 	for key, value := range labels {
+		if count >= MaxTableRows {
+			break
+		}
 		node = node.WithLatest(prefix+key, mtime.Now(), value)
+		count++
+	}
+	if len(labels) > MaxTableRows {
+		truncationCount := fmt.Sprintf("%d", len(labels)-MaxTableRows)
+		node = node.WithLatest(TruncationCountPrefix+prefix, mtime.Now(), truncationCount)
 	}
 	return node
 }
 
 // ExtractTable returns the key-value pairs with the given prefix from this Node,
-func (node Node) ExtractTable(prefix string) map[string]string {
-	result := map[string]string{}
+func (node Node) ExtractTable(prefix string) (rows map[string]string, truncationCount int) {
+	rows = map[string]string{}
+	truncationCount = 0
 	node.Latest.ForEach(func(key, value string) {
 		if strings.HasPrefix(key, prefix) {
 			label := key[len(prefix):]
-			result[label] = value
+			rows[label] = value
 		}
 	})
-	return result
+	if str, ok := node.Latest.Lookup(TruncationCountPrefix + prefix); ok {
+		if n, err := fmt.Sscanf(str, "%d", &truncationCount); n != 1 || err != nil {
+			log.Warn("Unexpected truncation count format %q", str)
+		}
+	}
+	return rows, truncationCount
 }
 
 // Table is the type for a table in the UI.
 type Table struct {
-	ID    string        `json:"id"`
-	Label string        `json:"label"`
-	Rows  []MetadataRow `json:"rows"`
+	ID              string        `json:"id"`
+	Label           string        `json:"label"`
+	Rows            []MetadataRow `json:"rows"`
+	TruncationCount int           `json:"truncationCount,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type tablesByID []Table
@@ -90,12 +115,13 @@ type TableTemplates map[string]TableTemplate
 func (t TableTemplates) Tables(node Node) []Table {
 	var result []Table
 	for _, template := range t {
+		rows, truncationCount := node.ExtractTable(template.Prefix)
 		table := Table{
-			ID:    template.ID,
-			Label: template.Label,
-			Rows:  []MetadataRow{},
+			ID:              template.ID,
+			Label:           template.Label,
+			Rows:            []MetadataRow{},
+			TruncationCount: truncationCount,
 		}
-		rows := node.ExtractTable(template.Prefix)
 		keys := make([]string, 0, len(rows))
 		for k := range rows {
 			keys = append(keys, k)
diff --git a/report/table_test.go b/report/table_test.go
index b1866b072a..cf276ba75c 100644
--- a/report/table_test.go
+++ b/report/table_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package report_test
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -16,9 +17,37 @@ func TestTables(t *testing.T) {
 	nmd := report.MakeNode("foo1")
 
 	nmd = nmd.AddTable("foo_", want)
-	have := nmd.ExtractTable("foo_")
+	have, truncationCount := nmd.ExtractTable("foo_")
+
+	if truncationCount != 0 {
+		t.Error("Table shouldn't had been truncated")
+	}
 
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(want, have) {
 		t.Error(test.Diff(want, have))
 	}
 }
+
+func TestTruncation(t *testing.T) {
+	wantTruncationCount := 1
+	want := map[string]string{}
+	for i := 0; i < report.MaxTableRows+wantTruncationCount; i++ {
+		key := fmt.Sprintf("key%d", i)
+		value := fmt.Sprintf("value%d", i)
+		want[key] = value
+	}
+
+	nmd := report.MakeNode("foo1")
+
+	nmd = nmd.AddTable("foo_", want)
+	_, truncationCount := nmd.ExtractTable("foo_")
+
+	if truncationCount != wantTruncationCount {
+		t.Error(
+			"Table should had been truncated by",
+			wantTruncationCount,
+			"and not",
+			truncationCount,
+		)
+	}
+}