diff --git a/db/db_bench.cc b/db/db_bench.cc
index 96bb44d67..0ed57d461 100644
--- a/db/db_bench.cc
+++ b/db/db_bench.cc
@@ -221,6 +221,10 @@ static bool FLAGS_read_only = false;
 // Do not auto trigger compactions
 static bool FLAGS_disable_auto_compactions = false;
 
+// Cap the size of data in levelK for a compaction run
+// that compacts Levelk with LevelK+1
+static int FLAGS_source_compaction_factor = 1;
+
 extern bool useOsBuffer;
 extern bool useFsReadAhead;
 extern bool useMmapRead;
@@ -978,6 +982,7 @@ class Benchmark {
     options.max_grandparent_overlap_factor = 
       FLAGS_max_grandparent_overlap_factor;
     options.disable_auto_compactions = FLAGS_disable_auto_compactions;
+    options.source_compaction_factor = FLAGS_source_compaction_factor;
     Status s;
     if(FLAGS_read_only) {
       s = DB::OpenForReadOnly(options, FLAGS_db, &db_);
@@ -1431,6 +1436,9 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     } else if (sscanf(argv[i], "--disable_auto_compactions=%d%c", 
                &n, &junk) == 1 && (n == 0 || n ==1)) {
       FLAGS_disable_auto_compactions = n;
+    } else if (sscanf(argv[i], "--source_compaction_factor=%d%c", 
+               &n, &junk) == 1 && n > 0) {
+      FLAGS_source_compaction_factor = n;
     } else {
       fprintf(stderr, "Invalid flag '%s'\n", argv[i]);
       exit(1);
diff --git a/db/version_set.cc b/db/version_set.cc
index 47d82c7b0..dd33fe21b 100644
--- a/db/version_set.cc
+++ b/db/version_set.cc
@@ -2028,7 +2028,8 @@ Compaction* VersionSet::CompactRange(
   }
 
   // Avoid compacting too much in one shot in case the range is large.
-  const uint64_t limit = MaxFileSizeForLevel(level);
+  const uint64_t limit = MaxFileSizeForLevel(level) *
+                         options_->source_compaction_factor;
   uint64_t total = 0;
   for (size_t i = 0; i < inputs.size(); i++) {
     uint64_t s = inputs[i]->file_size;
@@ -2039,7 +2040,7 @@ Compaction* VersionSet::CompactRange(
     }
   }
 
-  Compaction* c = new Compaction(level, limit,
+  Compaction* c = new Compaction(level, MaxFileSizeForLevel(level),
     MaxGrandParentOverlapBytes(level), NumberLevels());
   c->input_version_ = current_;
   c->input_version_->Ref();
diff --git a/include/leveldb/options.h b/include/leveldb/options.h
index 2ae8c31bb..b89322440 100644
--- a/include/leveldb/options.h
+++ b/include/leveldb/options.h
@@ -238,6 +238,15 @@ struct Options {
   // (expanded_compaction_factor * targetFileSizeLevel()) many bytes.
   int expanded_compaction_factor;
 
+  // Maximum number of bytes in all source files to be compacted in a
+  // single compaction run. We avoid picking too many files in the 
+  // source level so that we do not exceed the total source bytes
+  // for compaction to exceed
+  // (source_compaction_factor * targetFileSizeLevel()) many bytes.
+  // Default:1, i.e. pick maxfilesize amount of data as the source of
+  // a compaction.
+  int source_compaction_factor;
+
   // Control maximum bytes of overlaps in grandparent (i.e., level+2) before we
   // stop building a single file in a level->level+1 compaction.
   int max_grandparent_overlap_factor;
diff --git a/util/options.cc b/util/options.cc
index 4907c45af..58981a2ba 100644
--- a/util/options.cc
+++ b/util/options.cc
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ Options::Options()
       max_bytes_for_level_base(10 * 1048576),
       max_bytes_for_level_multiplier(10),
       expanded_compaction_factor(25),
+      source_compaction_factor(1),
       max_grandparent_overlap_factor(10),
       statistics(NULL),
       disableDataSync(false),
@@ -115,6 +116,8 @@ Options::Dump(
         max_bytes_for_level_multiplier);
     Log(log,"             Options.expanded_compaction_factor: %d",
         expanded_compaction_factor);
+    Log(log,"               Options.source_compaction_factor: %d",
+        source_compaction_factor);
     Log(log,"         Options.max_grandparent_overlap_factor: %d",
         max_grandparent_overlap_factor);
     Log(log,"                             Options.db_log_dir: %s",