diff --git a/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/src/lib.rs b/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/src/lib.rs
index b1ef9e56..c6d49238 100644
--- a/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/src/lib.rs
+++ b/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/src/lib.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ mod exec;
 mod roster;
 mod server;
 
+use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::collections::BTreeSet;
 use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use std::path::Path;
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ use knot_types::{AccountDid, ActorId, AdmissionPolicy, AppviewEndpoint, CiLogsAd
 use russh::keys::ssh_key::rand_core;
 use russh::keys::{Algorithm, PrivateKey, ssh_key};
 use russh::server::{Config, Server as _};
-use russh::{MethodKind, MethodSet};
+use russh::{MethodKind, MethodSet, Preferred, compression};
 use tokio::sync::Semaphore;
 use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
 use tokio_util::task::TaskTracker;
@@ -153,6 +154,10 @@ fn server_config(host_key: PrivateKey) -> Arc<Config> {
         inactivity_timeout: Some(INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT),
         keepalive_interval: Some(KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL),
         auth_rejection_time: AUTH_REJECTION_TIME,
+        preferred: Preferred {
+            compression: Cow::Borrowed(&[compression::NONE]),
+            ..Preferred::DEFAULT
+        },
         ..Config::default()
     })
 }
diff --git a/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/tests/ssh_push.rs b/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/tests/ssh_push.rs
index 5584e795..6f890649 100644
--- a/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/tests/ssh_push.rs
+++ b/knot2/crates/knot-ssh/tests/ssh_push.rs
@@ -652,6 +652,48 @@ async fn an_authorized_push_emits_a_ref_update_event() {
     assert_eq!(event["meta"]["isDefaultRef"], true);
 }
 
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 4)]
+async fn a_client_requesting_ssh_compression_clones_an_incompressible_pack() {
+    let fx = fixture().await;
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&fx.work).unwrap();
+    git(&fx.work, &[], &["init", "-q", "-b", "main"]);
+    let mut state = 0x9e3779b97f4a7c15u64;
+    let payload: Vec<u8> = std::iter::repeat_with(|| {
+        state ^= state << 13;
+        state ^= state >> 7;
+        state ^= state << 17;
+        state.to_le_bytes()
+    })
+    .take(32 * 1024)
+    .flatten()
+    .collect();
+    std::fs::write(fx.work.join("noise.bin"), &payload).unwrap();
+    git(&fx.work, &[], &["add", "-A"]);
+    git(&fx.work, &[], &["commit", "-q", "-m", "noise"]);
+
+    let (ok, out) = push(&fx.work, &fx.url, &fx.key_path, &["main"]).await;
+    assert!(ok, "push must succeed:\n{out}");
+
+    let dest = fx.scratch.path().join("compressed-clone");
+    let ssh = format!("{} -o Compression=yes", ssh_command(&fx.key_path));
+    let url = fx.url.clone();
+    let dest_arg = dest.to_str().unwrap().to_string();
+    let (ok, out) = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
+        git(
+            Path::new("/tmp"),
+            &[("GIT_SSH_COMMAND", &ssh)],
+            &["clone", "-q", &url, &dest_arg],
+        )
+    })
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        ok,
+        "clone with ssh compression requested must succeed:\n{out}"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(std::fs::read(dest.join("noise.bin")).unwrap(), payload);
+}
+
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 4)]
 async fn an_oversized_push_is_refused_at_the_ssh_boundary() {
     let scratch = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();