diff --git a/crates/gpui_linux/Cargo.toml b/crates/gpui_linux/Cargo.toml
index e4cd0ed7fd..f830d2dbc9 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_linux/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/gpui_linux/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ path = "src/gpui_linux.rs"
 [features]
 default = ["wayland", "x11"]
 test-support = ["gpui/test-support"]
+# Reads a window’s frame back through the WGPU renderer’s offscreen readback
+# (`Window::render_to_image`) without the rest of `test-support`.
+render-to-image = ["gpui/render-to-image", "gpui_wgpu?/render-to-image"]
 wayland = [
   "bitflags",
   "gpui_wgpu",
diff --git a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/wayland/window.rs b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/wayland/window.rs
index 5b6fd583ac..fdef53d765 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/wayland/window.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/wayland/window.rs
@@ -2148,6 +2148,11 @@ impl PlatformWindow for WaylandWindow {
         self.0.schedule_frame();
     }
 
+    #[cfg(feature = "render-to-image")]
+    fn render_to_image(&self, scene: &Scene) -> anyhow::Result<image::RgbaImage> {
+        self.borrow_mut().renderer.render_to_image(scene)
+    }
+
     fn sprite_atlas(&self) -> Arc<dyn PlatformAtlas> {
         let state = self.borrow();
         state.renderer.sprite_atlas().clone()
diff --git a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/window.rs b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/window.rs
index 499d237a3f..c7a85a3989 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/window.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/window.rs
@@ -1796,6 +1796,11 @@ impl PlatformWindow for X11Window {
         }
     }
 
+    #[cfg(feature = "render-to-image")]
+    fn render_to_image(&self, scene: &Scene) -> anyhow::Result<image::RgbaImage> {
+        self.0.state.borrow_mut().renderer.render_to_image(scene)
+    }
+
     fn sprite_atlas(&self) -> Arc<dyn PlatformAtlas> {
         let inner = self.0.state.borrow();
         inner.renderer.sprite_atlas().clone()
diff --git a/crates/gpui_macos/src/wgpu_renderer.rs b/crates/gpui_macos/src/wgpu_renderer.rs
index 00e3e88f0d..6b3cd55507 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_macos/src/wgpu_renderer.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_macos/src/wgpu_renderer.rs
@@ -123,10 +123,10 @@ impl MacWgpuRenderer {
         self.renderer.render_to_image(scene)
     }
 
-    // WGPU's offscreen rendering needs gpui_wgpu's test-support, which the
-    // `test-support` feature enables. `render-to-image` deliberately does not
-    // (it exists to render without test-support's frame scheduling), so with
-    // the `wgpu` renderer it reports the gap rather than failing to compile.
+    // WGPU’s offscreen readback needs gpui_wgpu’s `test-support` or
+    // `render-to-image`, and this crate’s `render-to-image` forwards neither,
+    // so with the `wgpu` renderer it reports the gap rather than failing to
+    // compile.
     #[cfg(all(any(test, feature = "render-to-image"), not(feature = "test-support")))]
     pub fn render_to_image(&mut self, _scene: &Scene) -> anyhow::Result<image::RgbaImage> {
         anyhow::bail!("rendering to an image with the wgpu renderer needs the test-support feature")
diff --git a/crates/gpui_platform/Cargo.toml b/crates/gpui_platform/Cargo.toml
index 2800bb2d1c..7f07628e28 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_platform/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/gpui_platform/Cargo.toml
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ test-support = [
 render-to-image = [
   "gpui/render-to-image",
   "gpui_apple/render-to-image",
+  "gpui_linux/render-to-image",
   "gpui_macos/render-to-image",
   "gpui_windows/render-to-image",
 ]
diff --git a/crates/gpui_wgpu/Cargo.toml b/crates/gpui_wgpu/Cargo.toml
index 9488b9215b..ffdf9de875 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_wgpu/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/gpui_wgpu/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ path = "src/gpui_wgpu.rs"
 [features]
 default = []
 test-support = ["gpui/test-support", "dep:image"]
+# Compiles `WgpuRenderer::render_to_image`, the offscreen readback, without the
+# rest of `test-support`, so a window can read its own frame back.
+render-to-image = ["dep:image"]
 custom-gpu = ["gpui/custom-gpu"]
 wgpu-surfaces = ["gpui/wgpu-surfaces"]
 
diff --git a/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer.rs b/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer.rs
index 069246b160..fd10f20264 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ mod buffers;
 mod drawing;
 mod filters;
 mod frame;
-#[cfg(all(feature = "test-support", not(target_family = "wasm")))]
+#[cfg(all(
+    any(feature = "test-support", feature = "render-to-image"),
+    not(target_family = "wasm")
+))]
 mod headless;
 mod path_types;
 mod pipelines;
@@ -261,7 +264,10 @@ impl WgpuRenderer {
         frame::render_to_view(self, scene, frame_view, None).is_some()
     }
 
-    #[cfg(all(feature = "test-support", not(target_family = "wasm")))]
+    #[cfg(all(
+        any(feature = "test-support", feature = "render-to-image"),
+        not(target_family = "wasm")
+    ))]
     fn render_to_view_with_readback(
         &mut self,
         scene: &Scene,
@@ -494,6 +500,49 @@ mod tests {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    #[cfg(all(feature = "test-support", not(target_family = "wasm")))]
+    #[test]
+    fn render_to_image_refuses_without_gpu_resources() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let context = WgpuContext::new_headless(None)?;
+        let size = Size {
+            width: DevicePixels(2),
+            height: DevicePixels(2),
+        };
+        let mut renderer = WgpuRenderer::new_headless(&context, size)?;
+        let mut scene = Scene::default();
+        scene.finish();
+        // What a window’s renderer looks like while it recovers a lost device.
+        renderer.destroy();
+        let error = renderer
+            .render_to_image(&scene)
+            .expect_err("a renderer without GPU resources has no frame to read back");
+        assert!(error.to_string().contains("live GPU device"), "{error}");
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(all(feature = "test-support", not(target_family = "wasm")))]
+    #[test]
+    fn render_to_image_refuses_once_the_device_is_lost() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let context = WgpuContext::new_headless(None)?;
+        let size = Size {
+            width: DevicePixels(2),
+            height: DevicePixels(2),
+        };
+        let mut renderer = WgpuRenderer::new_headless(&context, size)?;
+        let mut scene = Scene::default();
+        scene.finish();
+        // A window between the device-lost callback and the draw that recovers it.
+        renderer
+            .faults
+            .device_lost
+            .store(true, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
+        let error = renderer
+            .render_to_image(&scene)
+            .expect_err("a lost device has no frame to read back");
+        assert!(error.to_string().contains("live GPU device"), "{error}");
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     #[cfg(all(feature = "test-support", not(target_family = "wasm")))]
     #[test]
     fn configurable_dashes_reach_both_wgpu_quad_pipelines() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
diff --git a/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer/headless.rs b/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer/headless.rs
index beff866c98..29c8d013dc 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer/headless.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_renderer/headless.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
+#[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use gpui::{DevicePixels, Scene, Size};
 
+#[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
 use crate::{WgpuAtlas, WgpuContext};
 
-use super::{WgpuRenderer, WgpuSurfaceConfig};
+use super::WgpuRenderer;
+#[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
+use super::WgpuSurfaceConfig;
 
 struct OffscreenTarget {
     texture: wgpu::Texture,
@@ -15,6 +19,7 @@ struct OffscreenTarget {
 }
 
 impl WgpuRenderer {
+    #[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
     pub(super) fn new_headless(
         context: &WgpuContext,
         size: Size<DevicePixels>,
@@ -127,6 +132,20 @@ impl WgpuRenderer {
 
     /// Renders through the normal scene path and reads back without presenting.
     pub fn render_to_image(&mut self, scene: &Scene) -> anyhow::Result<image::RgbaImage> {
+        // A window’s renderer drops its GPU resources while it recovers a lost device.
+        anyhow::ensure!(
+            self.resources.is_some() && !self.device_lost(),
+            "render_to_image unavailable without a live GPU device"
+        );
+        // The readback copies 8-bit RGBA or BGRA rows; a window surface may use another format.
+        let format = self.target.format();
+        anyhow::ensure!(
+            matches!(
+                format,
+                wgpu::TextureFormat::Bgra8Unorm | wgpu::TextureFormat::Rgba8Unorm
+            ),
+            "render_to_image cannot read back a {format:?} target"
+        );
         let target = self.create_offscreen_target();
         let submission = self
             .render_to_view_with_readback(scene, &target.view, target.readback_copy())
@@ -148,11 +167,13 @@ impl OffscreenTarget {
 }
 
 /// Surface-free renderer used by GPUI visual tests and benchmarks.
+#[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
 pub struct WgpuHeadlessRenderer {
     renderer: WgpuRenderer,
     target: Option<OffscreenTarget>,
 }
 
+#[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
 impl WgpuHeadlessRenderer {
     pub fn new() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
         let context = WgpuContext::new_headless(None)?;
@@ -209,6 +230,7 @@ impl WgpuHeadlessRenderer {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(feature = "test-support")]
 impl gpui::PlatformHeadlessRenderer for WgpuHeadlessRenderer {
     fn render_scene_to_image(
         &mut self,