diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/_compression.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/_compression.py
index 718189fac..f83f64e8a 100644
--- a/xrspatial/geotiff/_compression.py
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/_compression.py
@@ -978,6 +978,78 @@ def unpack_bits(data: np.ndarray, bps: int, pixel_count: int) -> np.ndarray:
 
 # -- PackBits (simple RLE) ----------------------------------------------------
 
+@ngjit
+def _packbits_decode_kernel(src, src_len, dst, dst_cap):
+    """Decode PackBits (TIFF compression tag 32773) into a uint8 buffer.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    src : uint8 array
+        Compressed bytes.
+    src_len : int
+        Number of valid bytes in ``src``.
+    dst : uint8 array
+        Pre-allocated output buffer.
+    dst_cap : int
+        Maximum bytes to write before bailing out. When ``0``, the kernel
+        writes up to ``len(dst)`` (the wrapper sizes ``dst`` for the
+        no-cap path so this is safe).
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    int
+        Number of bytes written. ``-1`` signals the cap was exceeded
+        (the wrapper turns this into ``ValueError``).
+    """
+    out_pos = 0
+    i = 0
+    # When dst_cap is zero we use the full buffer length as the write limit.
+    if dst_cap > 0:
+        write_limit = dst_cap
+        enforce_cap = True
+    else:
+        write_limit = len(dst)
+        enforce_cap = False
+
+    while i < src_len:
+        header = src[i]
+        i += 1
+        if header < 128:
+            # Literal run of header + 1 bytes.
+            count = header + 1
+            # Don't read past end of src on a truncated stream.
+            available = src_len - i
+            if count > available:
+                count = available
+            for k in range(count):
+                if out_pos >= write_limit:
+                    if enforce_cap:
+                        return -1
+                    # write_limit equals len(dst); refuse to write past it.
+                    return out_pos
+                dst[out_pos] = src[i + k]
+                out_pos += 1
+            i += count
+        elif header > 128:
+            # Replicate run: header interpreted as signed yields n in
+            # [-127, -1]; repeat count is 1 - n == 257 - header.
+            count = 257 - header
+            if i >= src_len:
+                break
+            byte_val = src[i]
+            i += 1
+            for _ in range(count):
+                if out_pos >= write_limit:
+                    if enforce_cap:
+                        return -1
+                    return out_pos
+                dst[out_pos] = byte_val
+                out_pos += 1
+        # header == 128: no-op marker.
+
+    return out_pos
+
+
 def packbits_decompress(data: bytes, expected_size: int = 0) -> bytes:
     """Decompress PackBits (TIFF compression tag 32773).
 
@@ -990,32 +1062,41 @@ def packbits_decompress(data: bytes, expected_size: int = 0) -> bytes:
     ``expected_size * 1.05 + 1`` bytes and raises ``ValueError`` on overflow
     (decompression-bomb guard).
     """
-    src = data if isinstance(data, (bytes, bytearray)) else bytes(data)
+    if isinstance(data, (bytes, bytearray, memoryview)):
+        src = np.frombuffer(data, dtype=np.uint8)
+    else:
+        src = np.frombuffer(bytes(data), dtype=np.uint8)
+
+    src_len = len(src)
+    if src_len == 0:
+        return b""
+
     cap = _max_output_with_margin(expected_size)
-    out = bytearray()
-    i = 0
-    length = len(src)
-    while i < length:
-        n = src[i]
-        if n > 127:
-            n = n - 256  # interpret as signed
-        i += 1
-        if 0 <= n <= 127:
-            count = n + 1
-            out.extend(src[i:i + count])
-            i += count
-        elif -127 <= n <= -1:
-            if i < length:
-                out.extend(bytes([src[i]]) * (1 - n))
-                i += 1
-        # n == -128: skip
-        if cap and len(out) > cap:
-            raise ValueError(
-                f"packbits decode exceeded expected size: {len(out)} bytes "
-                f"produced, cap is {cap} (expected {expected_size}).  "
-                f"Likely a decompression bomb."
-            )
-    return bytes(out)
+    if cap > 0:
+        # dst sized exactly to the cap; the kernel returns -1 the moment
+        # out_pos would reach write_limit (= cap), so we never need a
+        # sentinel byte past the cap.
+        dst = np.empty(cap, dtype=np.uint8)
+        n_written = _packbits_decode_kernel(src, src_len, dst, cap)
+    else:
+        # No cap supplied. PackBits expands by at most 128:1 (a single
+        # replicate header byte yields 128 output bytes), so this bound
+        # is tight enough to keep the decoder bounded even on adversarial
+        # input while still always fitting the legitimate output. The
+        # reader path always supplies expected_size, so this branch is
+        # only hit by direct callers and round-trip tests where the
+        # peak allocation is acceptable.
+        worst_case = src_len * 128
+        dst = np.empty(worst_case, dtype=np.uint8)
+        n_written = _packbits_decode_kernel(src, src_len, dst, 0)
+
+    if n_written < 0:
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"packbits decode exceeded expected size: produced more than "
+            f"{cap} bytes (cap = expected_size * 1.05 + 1, expected "
+            f"{expected_size}).  Likely a decompression bomb."
+        )
+    return bytes(dst[:n_written])
 
 
 def packbits_compress(data: bytes) -> bytes:
diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/test_packbits_jit_2048.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/test_packbits_jit_2048.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b46a0ac8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/test_packbits_jit_2048.py
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+"""PackBits decode JIT kernel coverage (issue #2048).
+
+``packbits_decompress`` was reworked from a pure-Python ``while`` loop into a
+numba ``@ngjit`` kernel wrapped by a thin bytes-in / bytes-out shim. These
+tests pin the kernel against PackBits' boundary conditions: the 128-byte run
+length boundary that switches literal/replicate encodings, max-length runs,
+the ``-128`` no-op sentinel, empty input, and the decompression-bomb cap.
+
+The pre-existing PackBits coverage (``test_features.py`` round-trips and
+``test_decompression_caps.py`` bomb guard) keeps passing too; this file just
+fills in the bit-exact edge cases that the JIT rewrite is most likely to
+regress on.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+from xrspatial.geotiff._compression import (
+    packbits_compress,
+    packbits_decompress,
+)
+
+
+# -- Bit-exact decode against known PackBits encodings -----------------------
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_empty_input_returns_empty_bytes():
+    assert packbits_decompress(b"") == b""
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_single_literal_byte():
+    # Header 0x00 -> "copy next 1 byte literally".
+    assert packbits_decompress(bytes([0x00, 0x42])) == b"\x42"
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_single_replicate_pair():
+    # Header 0xFF (signed -1) -> "repeat next byte 2 times".
+    assert packbits_decompress(bytes([0xFF, 0x42])) == b"\x42\x42"
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_noop_sentinel_is_skipped():
+    # Header 0x80 (signed -128) is a no-op marker; surrounding data still decodes.
+    assert packbits_decompress(bytes([0x80, 0x00, 0x42])) == b"\x42"
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_wikipedia_canonical_example():
+    # From the PackBits Wikipedia article, normalized to a self-contained vector.
+    encoded = bytes(
+        [0xFE, 0xAA, 0x02, 0x80, 0x00, 0x2A, 0xFD, 0xAA,
+         0x03, 0x80, 0x00, 0x2A, 0x22, 0xF7, 0xAA]
+    )
+    expected = (
+        b"\xAA" * 3
+        + b"\x80\x00\x2A"
+        + b"\xAA" * 4
+        + b"\x80\x00\x2A\x22"
+        + b"\xAA" * 10
+    )
+    assert packbits_decompress(encoded) == expected
+
+
+# -- Run-length boundary cases (128-byte switch) -----------------------------
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_max_literal_run_is_128_bytes():
+    # Header 0x7F (127) -> 128 literal bytes follow.
+    literal = bytes(range(128))
+    encoded = bytes([0x7F]) + literal
+    assert packbits_decompress(encoded) == literal
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_max_replicate_run_is_128_bytes():
+    # Header 0x81 (signed -127) -> repeat next byte 128 times.
+    encoded = bytes([0x81, 0x42])
+    assert packbits_decompress(encoded) == b"\x42" * 128
+
+
+def test_packbits_decode_back_to_back_max_runs():
+    # Two back-to-back max-length runs land on the 128-byte boundary
+    # and exercise the literal -> replicate switch with no gap.
+    literal = bytes(range(128))
+    encoded = bytes([0x7F]) + literal + bytes([0x81, 0x99])
+    assert packbits_decompress(encoded) == literal + b"\x99" * 128
+
+
+# -- Round-trip parity with the (untouched) compressor -----------------------
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "payload",
+    [
+        b"",
+        b"A",
+        b"AAAA",
+        b"ABCD" * 64,
+        bytes(range(256)),
+        b"\x00" * 1024,
+        (b"long literal stretch with no runs at all 1234567890" * 17),
+    ],
+)
+def test_packbits_roundtrip(payload):
+    assert packbits_decompress(packbits_compress(payload)) == payload
+
+
+# -- Decompression-bomb cap stays intact across the rewrite ------------------
+
+
+def test_packbits_cap_rejects_oversized_expansion():
+    # 0x81 0x42 produces 128 bytes from a 2-byte input; cap of 4 must reject.
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="packbits decode exceeded expected size"):
+        packbits_decompress(bytes([0x81, 0x42]), expected_size=4)
+
+
+def test_packbits_cap_allows_within_margin():
+    # Cap is expected_size * 1.05 + 1 = 5; a 4-byte decode must pass.
+    out = packbits_decompress(bytes([0xFF, 0x42, 0xFF, 0x43]), expected_size=4)
+    assert out == b"BBCC"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "expected_size, payload_bytes, should_pass",
+    [
+        # Cap = int(expected_size * 1.05) + 1.
+        # expected_size=1 -> cap=2; 2-byte legitimate decode lands on the cap.
+        (1, 2, True),
+        # expected_size=100 -> cap=106; 106-byte decode equals the cap.
+        (100, 106, True),
+        # expected_size=100 -> cap=106; 107-byte decode trips the guard.
+        (100, 107, False),
+    ],
+)
+def test_packbits_cap_boundary(expected_size, payload_bytes, should_pass):
+    # Encode `payload_bytes` zeros using replicate runs of 128 plus a tail.
+    full_runs, tail = divmod(payload_bytes, 128)
+    encoded = bytes([0x81, 0x00]) * full_runs
+    if tail:
+        # Replicate run of `tail` bytes: header = 257 - tail (for tail >= 2),
+        # or a single literal byte (header 0x00) for tail == 1.
+        if tail == 1:
+            encoded += bytes([0x00, 0x00])
+        else:
+            encoded += bytes([257 - tail, 0x00])
+    if should_pass:
+        out = packbits_decompress(encoded, expected_size=expected_size)
+        assert out == b"\x00" * payload_bytes
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="packbits decode exceeded"):
+            packbits_decompress(encoded, expected_size=expected_size)
+
+
+def test_packbits_no_cap_when_expected_size_is_zero():
+    # expected_size=0 disables the cap (backward-compat path).
+    out = packbits_decompress(bytes([0x81, 0x42]))
+    assert out == b"\x42" * 128
+
+
+# -- Truncated input must not read past src ----------------------------------
+
+
+def test_packbits_truncated_literal_run_stops_at_src_end():
+    # Header claims 4 literal bytes but only 2 follow. Decoder must not
+    # read past the end of src.
+    encoded = bytes([0x03, 0x01, 0x02])
+    out = packbits_decompress(encoded)
+    assert out == b"\x01\x02"
+
+
+def test_packbits_truncated_replicate_header_stops_cleanly():
+    # Replicate header without its data byte: decoder must terminate
+    # rather than reading off the end.
+    encoded = bytes([0xFE])
+    out = packbits_decompress(encoded)
+    assert out == b""