diff --git a/pkg/cas/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/cas/BUILD.bazel
index cbfe29b8..16ea83f9 100644
--- a/pkg/cas/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/cas/BUILD.bazel
@@ -7,11 +7,14 @@ go_library(
         "blob_access_file_fetcher.go",
         "caching_directory_fetcher.go",
         "configuration.go",
+        "copy_on_link_limit.go",
         "decomposed_directory_walker.go",
         "directory_fetcher.go",
         "directory_walker.go",
         "file_fetcher.go",
         "hardlinking_file_fetcher.go",
+        "link_limit_other.go",
+        "link_limit_windows.go",
         "suspending_directory_fetcher.go",
     ],
     importpath = "github.com/buildbarn/bb-remote-execution/pkg/cas",
@@ -32,7 +35,12 @@ go_library(
         "@org_golang_google_grpc//status",
         "@org_golang_google_protobuf//encoding/protowire",
         "@org_golang_google_protobuf//proto",
-    ],
+    ] + select({
+        "@rules_go//go/platform:windows": [
+            "@org_golang_x_sys//windows",
+        ],
+        "//conditions:default": [],
+    }),
 )
 
 go_test(
@@ -51,6 +59,7 @@ go_test(
         "@com_github_buildbarn_bb_storage//pkg/blobstore/slicing",
         "@com_github_buildbarn_bb_storage//pkg/digest",
         "@com_github_buildbarn_bb_storage//pkg/eviction",
+        "@com_github_buildbarn_bb_storage//pkg/filesystem",
         "@com_github_buildbarn_bb_storage//pkg/filesystem/path",
         "@com_github_buildbarn_bb_storage//pkg/testutil",
         "@com_github_stretchr_testify//require",
diff --git a/pkg/cas/copy_on_link_limit.go b/pkg/cas/copy_on_link_limit.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..617b0df7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cas/copy_on_link_limit.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package cas
+
+import (
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/filesystem"
+	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/filesystem/path"
+)
+
+// copyCachedFile copies a file between directories, yielding an independent file
+// with its own hard link count. It is the fallback for hardlinking when the
+// source has reached the filesystem's maximum link count (1023 on NTFS).
+func copyCachedFile(srcDirectory filesystem.Directory, srcName path.Component, dstDirectory filesystem.Directory, dstName path.Component) error {
+	r, err := srcDirectory.OpenRead(srcName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer r.Close()
+
+	// CreateExcl mirrors hardlink semantics: the destination must not exist.
+	w, err := dstDirectory.OpenWrite(dstName, filesystem.CreateExcl(0o777))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	buf := make([]byte, 1<<16)
+	for offset := int64(0); ; {
+		n, readErr := r.ReadAt(buf, offset)
+		if n > 0 {
+			if _, err := w.WriteAt(buf[:n], offset); err != nil {
+				w.Close()
+				return err
+			}
+			offset += int64(n)
+		}
+		if readErr == io.EOF {
+			return w.Close()
+		}
+		if readErr != nil {
+			w.Close()
+			return readErr
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher.go b/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher.go
index 838f7f02..58f46753 100644
--- a/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher.go
+++ b/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher.go
@@ -170,6 +170,14 @@ func (ff *hardlinkingFileFetcher) tryLinkFromCache(key string, directory filesys
 		if err := ff.cacheDirectory.Link(path.MustNewComponent(key), directory, name); err == nil {
 			// Successfully hardlinked the file to its destination.
 			return nil
+		} else if isHardlinkLimitReached(err) {
+			// The file reached the filesystem's maximum hard link
+			// count (1023 on NTFS); copy it into place instead of
+			// failing the action.
+			if err := copyCachedFile(ff.cacheDirectory, path.MustNewComponent(key), directory, name); err != nil {
+				return util.StatusWrapfWithCode(err, codes.Internal, "Failed to copy cached file %#v after reaching the hard link limit", key)
+			}
+			return nil
 		} else if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return util.StatusWrapfWithCode(err, codes.Internal, "Failed to create hardlink to cached file %#v", key)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher_test.go b/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher_test.go
index 1796da48..e9867ed2 100644
--- a/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cas/hardlinking_file_fetcher_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package cas_test
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-remote-execution/pkg/cas"
 	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/digest"
 	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/eviction"
+	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/filesystem"
 	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/filesystem/path"
 	"github.com/buildbarn/bb-storage/pkg/testutil"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -143,3 +145,39 @@ func TestHardlinkingFileFetcher(t *testing.T) {
 		fileFetcher.GetFile(ctx, blobDigest2, buildDirectory, path.MustNewComponent("goodbye.txt"), false),
 	)
 }
+
+func TestHardlinkingFileFetcherCopyFallbackOnLinkLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	ctrl, ctx := gomock.WithContext(context.Background(), t)
+
+	baseFileFetcher := mock.NewMockFileFetcher(ctrl)
+	cacheDirectory := mock.NewMockDirectory(ctrl)
+	fileFetcher := cas.NewHardlinkingFileFetcher(baseFileFetcher, cacheDirectory, 10, 10000, eviction.NewLRUSet[string]())
+
+	blobDigest := digest.MustNewDigest("example", remoteexecution.DigestFunction_MD5, "8b1a9953c4611296a827abf8c47804d7", 5)
+	buildDirectory := mock.NewMockDirectory(ctrl)
+	key := path.MustNewComponent("3-8b1a9953c4611296a827abf8c47804d7-5-x")
+	name := path.MustNewComponent("hello.txt")
+
+	// Prime the cache: download the file and link it into the cache directory.
+	baseFileFetcher.EXPECT().GetFile(ctx, blobDigest, buildDirectory, name, false)
+	buildDirectory.EXPECT().Link(name, cacheDirectory, key)
+	require.NoError(t, fileFetcher.GetFile(ctx, blobDigest, buildDirectory, name, false))
+
+	// The cached file has reached the filesystem's maximum hard link count, so
+	// hardlinking it into the build directory fails with EMLINK. The fetcher
+	// must fall back to copying the cached file's contents into place.
+	cacheDirectory.EXPECT().Link(key, buildDirectory, name).Return(syscall.EMLINK)
+	cachedFile := mock.NewMockFileReader(ctrl)
+	cacheDirectory.EXPECT().OpenRead(key).Return(cachedFile, nil)
+	copiedFile := mock.NewMockFileWriter(ctrl)
+	buildDirectory.EXPECT().OpenWrite(name, filesystem.CreateExcl(0o777)).Return(copiedFile, nil)
+	cachedFile.EXPECT().ReadAt(gomock.Any(), int64(0)).DoAndReturn(
+		func(p []byte, off int64) (int, error) {
+			return copy(p, []byte("Hello")), io.EOF
+		},
+	)
+	copiedFile.EXPECT().WriteAt([]byte("Hello"), int64(0)).Return(5, nil)
+	copiedFile.EXPECT().Close()
+	cachedFile.EXPECT().Close()
+	require.NoError(t, fileFetcher.GetFile(ctx, blobDigest, buildDirectory, name, false))
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cas/link_limit_other.go b/pkg/cas/link_limit_other.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..36e74318
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cas/link_limit_other.go
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+//go:build !windows
+
+package cas
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// isHardlinkLimitReached reports whether err is the filesystem's "too many hard
+// links" error (EMLINK on POSIX).
+func isHardlinkLimitReached(err error) bool {
+	return errors.Is(err, syscall.EMLINK)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cas/link_limit_windows.go b/pkg/cas/link_limit_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e1147b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cas/link_limit_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package cas
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/windows"
+)
+
+// isHardlinkLimitReached reports whether err is the filesystem's "too many hard
+// links" error. NTFS returns ERROR_TOO_MANY_LINKS after 1023 links to a file.
+func isHardlinkLimitReached(err error) bool {
+	return errors.Is(err, windows.ERROR_TOO_MANY_LINKS)
+}