diff --git a/lib_com/bitstream.c b/lib_com/bitstream.c
index dee02c69b62132a6db3761f678e372f163dc0797..3fe32b04e3f36efd20836eb59ad6b314e810d247 100644
--- a/lib_com/bitstream.c
+++ b/lib_com/bitstream.c
@@ -990,7 +990,12 @@ ivas_error check_ind_list_limits(
     if ( ( &hBstr->ind_list[hBstr->nb_ind_tot] - ivas_ind_list_zero ) >= *( hBstr->ivas_max_num_indices ) )
     {
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
+#ifdef DEBUG_IND_LIST_MEMORY
+        /* TODO: replace with the warning message below before the finalization of the IVAS codec */
+        assert( 0 && "The maximum number of indices has been exceeded! Increase the limits in get_ivas_max_num_indices() or get_max_num_indices_metadata()." );
+#else
         fprintf( stderr, "Warning: The maximum number of indices %d has been exceeded in frame %d! Increase the limits in get_ivas_max_num_indices() or get_max_num_indices_metadata().\n", *( hBstr->ivas_max_num_indices ), frame );
+#endif
 #endif
 
         /* reallocate the buffer of indices with increased limit */
@@ -1022,7 +1027,12 @@ ivas_error check_ind_list_limits(
             if ( hBstr->ind_list >= ivas_ind_list_last )
             {
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
+#ifdef DEBUG_IND_LIST_MEMORY
+                /* TODO: replace with the warning message below before the finalization of the IVAS codec */
+                assert( 0 && "The maximum number of indices has been exceeded! Increase the limits in get_ivas_max_num_indices() or get_max_num_indices_metadata()." );
+#else
                 fprintf( stderr, "Warning: The maximum number of indices %d has been exceeded in frame %d! Increase the limits in get_ivas_max_num_indices() or get_max_num_indices_metadata().\n", *( hBstr->ivas_max_num_indices ), frame );
+#endif
 #endif
 
                 /* no available empty slot -> need to re-allocate the buffer */
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 4eaa7bb31e8a30035bb773c3a35472000cc7bdbb..cd6627365d982256bdbb544031935970f2e24e0a 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
 /*#define DEBUG_AGC_ENCODER_CMD_OPTION*/        /* Ability to force enable or disable AGC behaviour in DIRAC/SPAR via command line option */
 #define DEBUG_JBM_CMD_OPTION                    /* ability for telling the decoder the frontend fetch size and to not delay compensate for bad frames at the beginning */
 #define VARIABLE_SPEED_DECODING                 /* variable speed decoding employing the JBM functioniality; move to DEBUGGING after build for disabled is fixed */
-
+#define DEBUG_IND_LIST_MEMORY                   /* raise assert() when ind_list[] runs out of memory */
 #endif
 
 /* #################### End DEBUGGING switches ############################ */