diff --git a/src/lib/testsuite/test_xlist.c b/src/lib/testsuite/test_xlist.c
index 4b192d53..042d70b3 100644
--- a/src/lib/testsuite/test_xlist.c
+++ b/src/lib/testsuite/test_xlist.c
@@ -128,6 +128,54 @@ static void test_xlist_iter(void)
     xlist_fini(&lst);
 }
 
+/*
+ * test_xlist_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse - sibling of zarray's own
+ * test_zarray_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse (test_zarray.c): xlist_get()'s
+ * bounds check has the identical shape as zarray_get_ex()'s
+ * (`idx >= l->caps`), so the same live SIGSEGV class (schedobj.c's
+ * reset_sched_obj() -> xlist_fini(&(obj->glimits)), reused without a
+ * matching xlist_init()) applies here too -- caps/count must not survive
+ * xlist_fini() as stale-nonzero while data is NULL.
+ */
+static void test_xlist_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse(void)
+{
+    xlist_t lst;
+    void*   p;
+    int     idx;
+
+    xlist_init(&lst, 2);
+
+    idx = xlist_store(&lst, (void*)"Hello");
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(idx >= 0);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(lst.caps > 0);
+
+    /* Tear down for reuse WITHOUT calling xlist_init() again -- exactly
+     * reset_sched_obj()'s own pattern. */
+    xlist_fini(&lst);
+
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, lst.caps);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, lst.count);
+    TEST_ASSERT_NULL(lst.data);
+
+    /* Reading an index that was valid before fini must now safely return
+     * NULL instead of dereferencing freed memory. */
+    p = xlist_get(&lst, idx);
+    TEST_ASSERT_NULL(p);
+
+    /* And the list must be genuinely reusable afterward, matching
+     * xlist_init()'s own contract -- including xlist_store(), which
+     * before this fix could ALSO write through the freed pointer if
+     * count/caps had survived stale (xlist_ensure()'s own
+     * `count < caps` check would wrongly skip reallocating). */
+    idx = xlist_store(&lst, (void*)"World");
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(idx >= 0);
+    p = xlist_get(&lst, idx);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(p != NULL);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(strcmp((char*)p, "World") == 0);
+
+    xlist_fini(&lst);
+}
+
 void test_xlist(void)
 {
     printf("\n>> xlist test\n\n");
@@ -136,4 +184,5 @@ void test_xlist(void)
     RUN_TEST(test_xlist_find);
     RUN_TEST(test_xlist_del);
     RUN_TEST(test_xlist_iter);
+    RUN_TEST(test_xlist_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse);
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/testsuite/test_zarray.c b/src/lib/testsuite/test_zarray.c
index 73c9b495..6a27de66 100644
--- a/src/lib/testsuite/test_zarray.c
+++ b/src/lib/testsuite/test_zarray.c
@@ -160,6 +160,56 @@ static void test_zarray_clear()
 
     destroy(a); /* no memory leak */
 }
+/*
+ * test_zarray_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse - live SIGSEGV found 2026-09-15
+ * (scheduler's allocator thread, zarray_get_ex dereferencing a NULL
+ * array->data): schedobj.c's reset_sched_obj() calls zarray_fini() on a
+ * still-in-use xce_sched_obj_t.hlimits and expects it to be safely reusable
+ * afterward (the object itself isn't freed, just reset for the next
+ * scheduling round) -- but the pre-fix zarray_fini() only NULLed data,
+ * leaving caps/count/pos at their pre-fini values. A later zarray_get()
+ * for any idx below that stale caps then passed the bounds check and
+ * dereferenced NULL. This drives the raw zarray_init/zarray_put/
+ * zarray_fini/zarray_get API directly (not the xzarray RTTI wrapper this
+ * file's other tests use) since that's the exact API schedobj.c calls.
+ */
+static void test_zarray_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse()
+{
+    zarray_t array;
+    int      rc;
+    void*    p;
+
+    zarray_init(&array, 4, NULL);
+
+    rc = zarray_put(&array, 0, (void*)"Hello");
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, rc);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(array.caps > 0);
+
+    /* Tear down for reuse WITHOUT calling zarray_init() again -- exactly
+     * reset_sched_obj()'s own pattern. */
+    zarray_fini(&array);
+
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, array.caps);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, array.count);
+    TEST_ASSERT_NULL(array.data);
+
+    /* The exact call that used to SEGV: reading an index that was valid
+     * before fini must now safely return NULL instead of dereferencing
+     * freed memory. */
+    p = zarray_get(&array, 0);
+    TEST_ASSERT_NULL(p);
+
+    /* And the array must be genuinely reusable afterward, matching
+     * zarray_init()'s own contract. */
+    rc = zarray_put(&array, 0, (void*)"World");
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, rc);
+    p = zarray_get(&array, 0);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(p != NULL);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(strcmp((char*)p, "World") == 0);
+
+    zarray_fini(&array);
+}
+
 void test_zarray(void)
 {
     printf("\n>> zarray test\n\n");
@@ -170,4 +220,5 @@ void test_zarray(void)
     RUN_TEST(test_zarray_put);
     RUN_TEST(test_zarray_put_get_vec);
     RUN_TEST(test_zarray_iter);
+    RUN_TEST(test_zarray_fini_resets_bounds_for_reuse);
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/xlist.c b/src/lib/xlist.c
index ab48adbc..70ce0fa1 100644
--- a/src/lib/xlist.c
+++ b/src/lib/xlist.c
@@ -158,6 +158,17 @@ void* xlist_find(xlist_t* l, xlist_find_fn_t fn, ...)
     return it;
 }
 
+/*
+ * xlist_fini - tears down `l`'s backing storage, leaving it in the SAME
+ * safe, empty state xlist_init() establishes (data=NULL, caps=0, count=0)
+ * -- NOT just data=NULL with caps/count still holding their pre-fini
+ * values. See zarray_fini()'s own doc comment (zarray.c) for the exact
+ * live crash this class of bug caused (schedobj.c's reset_sched_obj(),
+ * the analogous xlist_t field obj->glimits) -- xlist_get()'s bounds check
+ * has the identical shape (`idx >= l->caps`), so a stale-nonzero caps with
+ * data==NULL is just as exploitable here. No existing caller relies on
+ * caps/count surviving an xlist_fini() call.
+ */
 void xlist_fini(xlist_t* l)
 {
     if (l == NULL) {
@@ -165,5 +176,6 @@ void xlist_fini(xlist_t* l)
     }
 
     FREEUP(l->data);
-    return;
+    l->count = 0;
+    l->caps  = 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/zarray.c b/src/lib/zarray.c
index 42113e52..fbee96fd 100644
--- a/src/lib/zarray.c
+++ b/src/lib/zarray.c
@@ -117,6 +117,26 @@ int zarray_clear(zarray_t* array, int idx)
     return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * zarray_fini - tears down `array`'s backing storage, leaving it in the
+ * SAME safe, empty state zarray_init() establishes (data=NULL, caps=0,
+ * count=0, pos=0) -- NOT just data=NULL with caps/count/pos still holding
+ * their pre-fini values. Before this fix, a caller that called
+ * zarray_fini() and then reused the SAME zarray_t (rather than discarding
+ * it) without an intervening zarray_init() left `caps`/`count` stale-
+ * nonzero while `data` was NULL: zarray_get_ex()'s own bounds check
+ * (`idx >= array->caps`) would then pass for any idx below the stale caps,
+ * and `array->data[idx]` would dereference NULL -- a live SIGSEGV
+ * (scheduler-framework, 2026-09-15, xce_sched_obj_t.hlimits via
+ * schedobj.c's reset_sched_obj() -> plugins/limit.c's match_job_host_
+ * limit_(), crashing in the scheduler's allocator thread) that had also
+ * caused at least one earlier, never-root-caused crash near the same call
+ * site (2026-08-17). No existing caller relies on caps/count surviving a
+ * zarray_fini() call -- every current call site either discards the
+ * zarray_t immediately after (a stack-local scratch array) or is tearing
+ * down the struct that embeds it -- so this is a pure safety improvement,
+ * not a behavior change for any correct caller.
+ */
 void zarray_fini(zarray_t* array)
 {
     if (array == NULL) {
@@ -139,6 +159,10 @@ void zarray_fini(zarray_t* array)
         free(array->data);
         array->data = NULL;
     }
+
+    array->count = 0;
+    array->caps  = 0;
+    array->pos   = 0;
 }
 
 int zarray_iter_ex(zarray_t* array, zarray_iter_skip_fn_t skipfn, xlist_t* l,