diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index fdc7d3a3e..26c09ee01 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 * [#2918](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2918): Skip the dry-types round trip when a value already is the declared type - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#2917](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2917): Read path captures out of the router's union match instead of re-running the route's pattern - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#2921](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2921): Pin the router's request-time isolation regressions through requests instead of its instance variables - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
+* [#2931](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2931): Stop building a backtrace in the default `rescue_from` handler unless the API asked for one - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * Your contribution here.
 
 ### 4.0.0 (2026-09-07)
diff --git a/lib/grape/middleware/error.rb b/lib/grape/middleware/error.rb
index a2dd7c48a..7e5b0bd53 100644
--- a/lib/grape/middleware/error.rb
+++ b/lib/grape/middleware/error.rb
@@ -192,11 +192,13 @@ def failsafe_payload(headers)
         )
       end
 
+      # No +backtrace:+: #resolved_backtrace reads it off +original_exception+
+      # when the API asked for one, and only then, since building it is the
+      # dearest part of rendering the error.
       def default_rescue_handler(exception)
         error_response(
           Grape::Exceptions::ErrorResponse.new(
             message: exception.message,
-            backtrace: exception.backtrace,
             original_exception: exception
           )
         )