diff --git a/httpcore5-h2/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/HPackDecoder.java b/httpcore5-h2/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/HPackDecoder.java
index 855430466f..3ee5926498 100644
--- a/httpcore5-h2/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/HPackDecoder.java
+++ b/httpcore5-h2/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/HPackDecoder.java
@@ -267,11 +267,11 @@ HPackHeader decodeIndexedHeader(final ByteBuffer src) throws HPackException {
     }
 
     public Header decodeHeader(final ByteBuffer src) throws HPackException {
-        final HPackHeader header = decodeHPackHeader(src);
+        final HPackHeader header = decodeHPackHeader(src, true);
         return header != null ? new BasicHeader(header.getName(), header.getValue(), header.isSensitive()) : null;
     }
 
-    HPackHeader decodeHPackHeader(final ByteBuffer src) throws HPackException {
+    HPackHeader decodeHPackHeader(final ByteBuffer src, final boolean allowTableSizeUpdate) throws HPackException {
         try {
             while (src.hasRemaining()) {
                 final int b = peekByte(src);
@@ -284,6 +284,9 @@ HPackHeader decodeHPackHeader(final ByteBuffer src) throws HPackException {
                 } else if ((b & 0xf0) == 0x10) {
                     return decodeLiteralHeader(src, HPackRepresentation.NEVER_INDEXED);
                 } else if ((b & 0xe0) == 0x20) {
+                    if (!allowTableSizeUpdate) {
+                        throw new HPackException("Dynamic table size update must appear at the beginning of a header block");
+                    }
                     final int maxSize = decodeInt(src, 5);
                     if (maxSize > this.maxTableSize) {
                         throw new HPackException("Requested dynamic header table size exceeds maximum size: " + maxSize);
@@ -302,13 +305,17 @@ HPackHeader decodeHPackHeader(final ByteBuffer src) throws HPackException {
     public List<Header> decodeHeaders(final ByteBuffer src) throws HPackException {
         final boolean enforceSizeLimit = maxListSize < Integer.MAX_VALUE;
         int listSize = 0;
+        // RFC 7541 §4.2: dynamic table size updates are only allowed at the
+        // beginning of a header block (before the first header field).
+        boolean allowTableSizeUpdate = true;
 
         final List<Header> list = new ArrayList<>();
         while (src.hasRemaining()) {
-            final HPackHeader header = decodeHPackHeader(src);
+            final HPackHeader header = decodeHPackHeader(src, allowTableSizeUpdate);
             if (header == null) {
                 break;
             }
+            allowTableSizeUpdate = false;
             if (enforceSizeLimit) {
                 listSize += header.getTotalSize();
                 if (listSize >= maxListSize) {
diff --git a/httpcore5-h2/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/TestHPackCoding.java b/httpcore5-h2/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/TestHPackCoding.java
index fde738a9d4..de72c0cd90 100644
--- a/httpcore5-h2/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/TestHPackCoding.java
+++ b/httpcore5-h2/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/core5/http2/hpack/TestHPackCoding.java
@@ -1178,5 +1178,51 @@ void decoderDynamicHeaderTableMaxSizeLimitedByConfig() throws Exception {
         Assertions.assertThrows(HPackException.class, () -> decoder.decodeHeaders(wrap(buf)));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void decoderRejectsDynamicTableSizeUpdateMidHeaderBlock() {
+        final InboundDynamicTable dynamicTable = new InboundDynamicTable(4096);
+        final HPackDecoder decoder = new HPackDecoder(dynamicTable, StandardCharsets.US_ASCII);
+
+        final ByteBuffer src = createByteBuffer(
+                0x82, // :method: GET
+                0x20  // dynamic table size update (0) - illegal after first header field
+        );
+
+        final HPackException ex = Assertions.assertThrows(HPackException.class, () -> decoder.decodeHeaders(src));
+        Assertions.assertTrue(ex.getMessage().contains("beginning of a header block"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void decoderAllowsMultipleLeadingDynamicTableSizeUpdates() throws Exception {
+        final InboundDynamicTable dynamicTable = new InboundDynamicTable(4096);
+        final HPackDecoder decoder = new HPackDecoder(dynamicTable, StandardCharsets.US_ASCII);
+
+        final ByteBuffer src = createByteBuffer(
+                0x20, // dynamic table size update (0)
+                0x2a, // dynamic table size update (10)
+                0x82  // :method: GET
+        );
+
+        final List<Header> headers = decoder.decodeHeaders(src);
+        Assertions.assertEquals(1, headers.size());
+        assertHeaderEquals(new BasicHeader(":method", "GET"), headers.get(0));
+        Assertions.assertEquals(10, dynamicTable.getMaxSize());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void decoderRejectsDynamicTableSizeUpdateAfterLeadingUpdateAndHeader() {
+        final InboundDynamicTable dynamicTable = new InboundDynamicTable(4096);
+        final HPackDecoder decoder = new HPackDecoder(dynamicTable, StandardCharsets.US_ASCII);
+
+        final ByteBuffer src = createByteBuffer(
+                0x20, // dynamic table size update (0)
+                0x82, // :method: GET
+                0x20  // dynamic table size update (0) - illegal after first header field
+        );
+
+        final HPackException ex = Assertions.assertThrows(HPackException.class, () -> decoder.decodeHeaders(src));
+        Assertions.assertTrue(ex.getMessage().contains("beginning of a header block"));
+    }
+
 }