Please can you provide some extra information:

-Is this a maximum height (above terrain) or a maximum altitude (above sea level)?

-Is there a single penalty for every time you exceed the maximum, or does it depend on the amount of time you spend above the maximum?

-Is the maximum enforced before the start of the task?

-Any other details you can think of that might be useful :)

in germany you are (usually) limited to FL100 and competition directors sometimes add an additional limit of 2800m MSL for example. in case you exceed that limit the flight ends there with a virtual outlanding, just like when you enter a restricted airspace. if this happens more than once you might lose all points for the day or get disqualified completely.

It is either above take off, or above see level, in ather words, by QNH or QFE.
The maximum is enforced before takeoff, but it can change even when you are in the air, if a restriction is lifted or enforced.

In the section, Maximum start height , you could put another, maximum task altitude. it could be restricted by GPS altitude in platforms withought a barometric capsule, or by baro altitude if an capsule is available.

the penalty depends on the meters exceeded, a number of points with every meter, or virtual outlanding.
if this happens more than once you might lose all points for the day or get disqualified completely.
it could give auditive warning that increases with the more you approach the limit

I think it makes sense to implement it as an additional kind of airspace warning...

yes but if it changes to close to take off withought time to change the airspace file....
Well competitors with seeyou have the option, but i have android and like xcsoar soo...

ah no, not what I meant. I know that editing an airspace file for this is pretty illusional. what I meant was implement a simple option somewhere that gets displayed as if it was a regular airspace warning...

so you say it could be implemented in 6.4?

depending on when exactly we will release, it might even be included in XCSoar 6.3

any progress? the nationals are aproaching and I would really like to keep using xc soar