diff --git a/firewall/rules_builder_test.go b/firewall/rules_builder_test.go
index 0207f91d..cd9c0249 100644
--- a/firewall/rules_builder_test.go
+++ b/firewall/rules_builder_test.go
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ func TestRulesBuilder_protoIndex(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Nil(t, rules.Out.protos[iputil.IPProtocolTCP])
 }
 
-// TestRulesBuilder_manyRules checks that rule ids beyond the first 64 are indexed correctly.
+// TestRulesBuilder_manyRules checks that rule ids beyond the first byte of a rule set are indexed correctly.
 func TestRulesBuilder_manyRules(t *testing.T) {
 	rb := NewRulesBuilder(test.NewLogger())
 	const n = 130
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ func TestRulesBuilder_manyRules(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, rb.AddRule(true, ProtoAny, PortAny, PortAny, nil, "any", "", "", "", ""))
 	rules := rb.Build(nil, nil)
 
-	assert.Equal(t, 3, rules.In.protos[iputil.IPProtocolTCP].byPort.setLen)
+	assert.Equal(t, ruleSetLen(n+1), rules.In.protos[iputil.IPProtocolTCP].byPort.setLen)
 	for i := range n {
 		rs := rules.In.rulesAt(iputil.IPProtocolTCP, int32(i+1))
 		require.Len(t, rs, 2, "port %d", i+1)
diff --git a/firewall/ruleset.go b/firewall/ruleset.go
index 9e2c7961..a51e50eb 100644
--- a/firewall/ruleset.go
+++ b/firewall/ruleset.go
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@ import (
 	"math/bits"
 )
 
-// ruleSet is a set of rule ids, stored as a bitset. s[i] holds ids i*64 through i*64+63, one per bit.
-type ruleSet []uint64
+// ruleSet is a set of rule ids, stored as a bitset. s[i] holds ids i*8 through i*8+7, one per bit.
+// Bytes rather than words keep a set to the size the rule count needs, which matters when there is a set for
+// every port number.
+type ruleSet []uint8
 
 // ruleSetLen returns the length of a ruleSet that can hold ids below n.
 func ruleSetLen(n int) int {
-	return (n + 63) / 64
+	return (n + 7) / 8
 }
 
 // newRuleSet returns an empty set that can hold ids below idLimit.
@@ -20,21 +22,21 @@ func newRuleSet(idLimit int) ruleSet {
 
 // add puts id in s.
 func (s ruleSet) add(id int) {
-	s[id/64] |= 1 << (id % 64)
+	s[id/8] |= 1 << (id % 8)
 }
 
 // ruleSets holds several ruleSet objects of the same length in a single allocation.
 type ruleSets struct {
-	// setLen is the amount of uint64s needed to represent a full set
+	// setLen is the number of bytes needed to represent one set
 	setLen int
 	// bits holds the sets in order. Set i starts at i*setLen.
-	bits []uint64
+	bits []uint8
 }
 
 // newRuleSets returns n empty sets, each of which can hold ids below idLimit.
 func newRuleSets(n, idLimit int) ruleSets {
 	setLen := ruleSetLen(idLimit)
-	return ruleSets{setLen: setLen, bits: make([]uint64, n*setLen)}
+	return ruleSets{setLen: setLen, bits: make([]uint8, n*setLen)}
 }
 
 // at returns set i.
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ func (s ruleSets) at(i int) ruleSet {
 func (s ruleSet) any(pred func(id int) bool) bool {
 	for i, ids := range s {
 		for ids != 0 {
-			id := i*64 + bits.TrailingZeros64(ids)
+			id := i*8 + bits.TrailingZeros8(ids)
 			ids &= ids - 1 // Clear the lowest set bit, which is id's.
 			if pred(id) {
 				return true
@@ -65,7 +67,7 @@ func (s ruleSet) all() iter.Seq[int] {
 	return func(yield func(int) bool) {
 		for i, ids := range s {
 			for ids != 0 {
-				id := i*64 + bits.TrailingZeros64(ids)
+				id := i*8 + bits.TrailingZeros8(ids)
 				ids &= ids - 1 // Clear the lowest set bit, which is id's.
 				if !yield(id) {
 					return
diff --git a/firewall_test.go b/firewall_test.go
index 41cd81e7..ab129759 100644
--- a/firewall_test.go
+++ b/firewall_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package nebula
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/netip"
 	"testing"
@@ -419,6 +420,40 @@ func BenchmarkFirewallTable_match(b *testing.B) {
 
 var benchMatchSink bool
 
+// BenchmarkFirewallTable_matchManyRules measures a table with more rules than fit in one word of a rule set.
+// Rule 0 is a proto `any` rule that fails on host, and rules 1 through 130 are tcp ports 1 through 130 for hosts
+// h1 through h130, so the last rule id is the one that passes.
+func BenchmarkFirewallTable_matchManyRules(b *testing.B) {
+	rb := firewall.NewRulesBuilder(test.NewLogger())
+	require.NoError(b, rb.AddRule(true, firewall.ProtoAny, firewall.PortAny, firewall.PortAny, nil, "nope", "", "", "", ""))
+	for i := 1; i <= 130; i++ {
+		require.NoError(b, rb.AddRule(true, iputil.IPProtocolTCP, int32(i), int32(i), nil, fmt.Sprintf("h%d", i), "", "", "", ""))
+	}
+	ft := rb.Build(nil, nil).In
+	cp := cert.NewCAPool()
+	c := &cert.CachedCertificate{Certificate: &dummyCert{name: "h130"}, InvertedGroups: map[string]struct{}{}}
+
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name string
+		port uint16
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"fail on port", 5000, false},
+		{"pass on name, last id", 130, true},
+		{"fail on name, middle id", 65, false},
+	} {
+		p := &firewall.Packet{Protocol: iputil.IPProtocolTCP, LocalPort: tc.port}
+		b.Run(tc.name, func(b *testing.B) {
+			if ft.Match(p, true, c, cp) != tc.want {
+				b.Fatal("wrong verdict")
+			}
+			for b.Loop() {
+				benchMatchSink = ft.Match(p, true, c, cp)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFirewall_Drop2(t *testing.T) {
 	ob := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	l := test.NewLoggerWithOutput(ob)