diff --git a/crates/pf-capture/src/lib.rs b/crates/pf-capture/src/lib.rs
index aa4999eb..3366a11f 100644
--- a/crates/pf-capture/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-capture/src/lib.rs
@@ -515,15 +515,25 @@ pub mod synthetic_nv12;
 /// `want_hdr` offers the GNOME 50+ HDR formats (10-bit PQ/BT.2020 dmabufs) instead of the SDR
 /// set — pass it only when the mirrored monitor is actually in HDR mode (the host probes
 /// DisplayConfig) or the negotiation runs into its 10 s timeout and latches the SDR downgrade.
-/// The [`ZeroCopyPolicy`] carries the pre-resolved encode-backend facts (the one-way edge).
+/// `want_metadata_cursor` asks for cursor-as-metadata (`SPA_META_Cursor`) — pass it only when
+/// the session's encode path composites `CapturedFrame::cursor` (the host consults
+/// `pf-encode`'s `cursor_blend_capable`); otherwise the portal EMBEDS the pointer so it is
+/// never silently lost. The [`ZeroCopyPolicy`] carries the pre-resolved encode-backend facts
+/// (the one-way edge).
 #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
 pub fn open_portal_monitor(
     anchored: bool,
     want_hdr: bool,
+    want_metadata_cursor: bool,
     policy: ZeroCopyPolicy,
 ) -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>> {
-    linux::PortalCapturer::open(anchored, want_hdr && !hdr_capture_failed(), policy)
-        .map(|c| Box::new(c) as Box<dyn Capturer>)
+    linux::PortalCapturer::open(
+        anchored,
+        want_hdr && !hdr_capture_failed(),
+        want_metadata_cursor,
+        policy,
+    )
+    .map(|c| Box::new(c) as Box<dyn Capturer>)
 }
 
 /// Open the Linux portal capturer bound to an already-created virtual output's PipeWire node. The
diff --git a/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/mod.rs b/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/mod.rs
index 096a2eec..01395d9d 100644
--- a/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/mod.rs
@@ -233,7 +233,15 @@ impl PortalCapturer {
     /// RemoteDesktop grant and never raises a separate ScreenCast dialog; `false` uses a plain
     /// ScreenCast session (wlroots, which has no RemoteDesktop portal). `want_hdr` offers the
     /// GNOME 50+ HDR formats (10-bit PQ/BT.2020, dmabuf-only) instead of the SDR set.
-    pub fn open(anchored: bool, want_hdr: bool, policy: ZeroCopyPolicy) -> Result<PortalCapturer> {
+    /// `want_metadata_cursor` picks the cursor mode — `true` asks for `SPA_META_Cursor` (this
+    /// session's encode path composites it), `false` asks the compositor to EMBED the pointer; see
+    /// `portal::choose_cursor_mode`.
+    pub fn open(
+        anchored: bool,
+        want_hdr: bool,
+        want_metadata_cursor: bool,
+        policy: ZeroCopyPolicy,
+    ) -> Result<PortalCapturer> {
         // Portal handshake (async) on its own thread; hands back the PW fd + node id.
         let (setup_tx, setup_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<Result<(OwnedFd, u32), String>>();
         // Teardown plumbing (see `PortalSession`): `quit_rx` parks the thread once the handshake is
@@ -244,9 +252,9 @@ impl PortalCapturer {
             .name("punktfunk-portal".into())
             .spawn(move || {
                 if anchored {
-                    portal_thread_remote_desktop(setup_tx, quit_rx)
+                    portal_thread_remote_desktop(setup_tx, quit_rx, want_metadata_cursor)
                 } else {
-                    portal_thread(setup_tx, quit_rx)
+                    portal_thread(setup_tx, quit_rx, want_metadata_cursor)
                 }
                 // After the runtime has been dropped inside the fn above, so a successful
                 // `recv_timeout` in `Drop` means the zbus connection is really gone. Covers the
diff --git a/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/portal.rs b/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/portal.rs
index ea1fcfda..caa10a41 100644
--- a/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/portal.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-capture/src/linux/portal.rs
@@ -91,19 +91,23 @@ pub fn gnome_hdr_monitor_active() -> bool {
     }
 }
 
-/// Pick the ScreenCast cursor mode from what the backend advertises (`AvailableCursorModes`),
-/// preferring **cursor-as-metadata**: the compositor keeps its cheap hardware cursor plane and
-/// ships the pointer as PipeWire `SPA_META_Cursor` metadata (position + an occasional bitmap),
-/// which the consumer composites itself. That avoids forcing the producer to burn the cursor into
-/// every frame — the `Embedded` mode — which on gamescope would defeat its HW cursor plane. Falls
-/// back to `Embedded`, then `Hidden`, and (if the property query fails, e.g. an older portal)
-/// keeps the prior `Embedded` behavior so the cursor is never silently lost.
+/// Pick the ScreenCast cursor mode from what the backend advertises (`AvailableCursorModes`).
+/// With `want_metadata` the ladder prefers **cursor-as-metadata**: the compositor keeps its cheap
+/// hardware cursor plane and ships the pointer as PipeWire `SPA_META_Cursor` metadata (position +
+/// an occasional bitmap), which the consumer composites itself — avoiding the producer burning the
+/// cursor into every frame (`Embedded`), which on gamescope would defeat its HW cursor plane.
+/// Without it — the session's encode path has no compositing stage for a metadata cursor
+/// (`pf-encode`'s `cursor_blend_capable` said the resolved backend can't blend) — the ladder
+/// prefers `Embedded`, so the pointer is in the pixels instead of in metadata nothing would draw.
+/// Both ladders fall through to the other mode, then `Hidden`; a failed property query (an older
+/// portal) keeps the prior `Embedded` behavior so the cursor is never silently lost.
 async fn choose_cursor_mode(
     proxy: &ashpd::desktop::screencast::Screencast,
+    want_metadata: bool,
 ) -> ashpd::desktop::screencast::CursorMode {
     use ashpd::desktop::screencast::CursorMode;
     match proxy.available_cursor_modes().await {
-        Ok(avail) if avail.contains(CursorMode::Metadata) => {
+        Ok(avail) if want_metadata && avail.contains(CursorMode::Metadata) => {
             tracing::info!(
                 ?avail,
                 "ScreenCast: requesting cursor-as-metadata (SPA_META_Cursor)"
@@ -111,12 +115,30 @@ async fn choose_cursor_mode(
             CursorMode::Metadata
         }
         Ok(avail) if avail.contains(CursorMode::Embedded) => {
-            tracing::info!(
-                ?avail,
-                "ScreenCast: cursor metadata unavailable — requesting Embedded cursor"
-            );
+            if want_metadata {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    ?avail,
+                    "ScreenCast: cursor metadata unavailable — requesting Embedded cursor"
+                );
+            } else {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    ?avail,
+                    "ScreenCast: requesting Embedded cursor (this session's encoder does not \
+                     composite a metadata cursor)"
+                );
+            }
             CursorMode::Embedded
         }
+        Ok(avail) if avail.contains(CursorMode::Metadata) => {
+            // Embedded wanted but not offered. Metadata still beats Hidden: the CPU capture
+            // path composites `SPA_META_Cursor` inline, so part of the matrix keeps a pointer.
+            tracing::warn!(
+                ?avail,
+                "ScreenCast: Embedded cursor not advertised — requesting cursor-as-metadata \
+                 (only CPU-path frames will composite it)"
+            );
+            CursorMode::Metadata
+        }
         Ok(avail) => {
             tracing::warn!(
                 ?avail,
@@ -140,6 +162,7 @@ async fn choose_cursor_mode(
 pub(super) fn portal_thread(
     setup_tx: std::sync::mpsc::Sender<Result<(OwnedFd, u32), String>>,
     quit_rx: tokio::sync::oneshot::Receiver<()>,
+    want_metadata_cursor: bool,
 ) {
     use ashpd::desktop::screencast::{Screencast, SelectSourcesOptions, SourceType};
     use ashpd::desktop::PersistMode;
@@ -170,7 +193,7 @@ pub(super) fn portal_thread(
                 .create_session(Default::default())
                 .await
                 .context("create_session")?;
-            let cursor_mode = choose_cursor_mode(&proxy).await;
+            let cursor_mode = choose_cursor_mode(&proxy, want_metadata_cursor).await;
             proxy
                 .select_sources(
                     &session,
@@ -236,6 +259,7 @@ pub(super) fn portal_thread(
 pub(super) fn portal_thread_remote_desktop(
     setup_tx: std::sync::mpsc::Sender<Result<(OwnedFd, u32), String>>,
     quit_rx: tokio::sync::oneshot::Receiver<()>,
+    want_metadata_cursor: bool,
 ) {
     use ashpd::desktop::remote_desktop::{DeviceType, RemoteDesktop, SelectDevicesOptions};
     use ashpd::desktop::screencast::{Screencast, SelectSourcesOptions, SourceType};
@@ -281,7 +305,7 @@ pub(super) fn portal_thread_remote_desktop(
                 .context("select_devices")?
                 .response()
                 .context("select_devices rejected")?;
-            let cursor_mode = choose_cursor_mode(&screencast).await;
+            let cursor_mode = choose_cursor_mode(&screencast, want_metadata_cursor).await;
             screencast
                 .select_sources(
                     &session,
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/codec.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/codec.rs
index b9ba5493..b09ebf3b 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/codec.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/codec.rs
@@ -249,9 +249,16 @@ impl Codec {
     }
 }
 
-/// Static capabilities an [`Encoder`] declares so the session glue routes loss-recovery and HDR
-/// plumbing by *query* rather than relying on a method's no-op/`false` default. Cheap `Copy`; fixed
-/// for the session (an HDR toggle re-initialises the encoder — re-query if that matters).
+/// Static capabilities an [`Encoder`] declares so the session glue routes loss-recovery and
+/// cursor plumbing by *query* rather than relying on a method's no-op/`false` default. Cheap
+/// `Copy`; fixed for the session (an HDR toggle re-initialises the encoder — re-query if that
+/// matters).
+///
+/// (There is deliberately NO `supports_hdr_metadata` cap: in-band HDR SEI/OBU embedding needs no
+/// host-side routing — every first-party client reads the static grade exclusively out-of-band
+/// (the native 0xCE datagram / the GameStream 0x010e control message), both planes send it
+/// unconditionally, and the in-band grade is a decoder-side bonus for stock clients. A cap field
+/// nothing reads is a contract nobody honors; it was deleted after shipping write-only.)
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, Default, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub struct EncoderCaps {
     /// The encoder can perform real reference-frame invalidation — i.e.
@@ -261,10 +268,6 @@ pub struct EncoderCaps {
     /// AMF (user-LTR force-reference, when the driver accepted the LTR slots at open). The
     /// libavcodec paths (Linux NVENC, VAAPI, QSV) can't express it and always keyframe.
     pub supports_rfi: bool,
-    /// The encoder emits in-band HDR mastering/CLL SEI from [`set_hdr_meta`](Encoder::set_hdr_meta).
-    /// When `false`, `set_hdr_meta` is a no-op and no in-band grade reaches the client. Only the
-    /// Windows direct-NVENC path attaches it today.
-    pub supports_hdr_metadata: bool,
     /// The opened encoder is actually producing a full-chroma 4:4:4 (`chroma_format_idc = 3`) stream.
     /// `false` on every 4:2:0 session (the default) and on a backend that declined 4:4:4. Set by the
     /// NVENC backends (Linux + Windows). The chroma is committed to the wire (`Welcome::chroma_format`)
@@ -304,8 +307,11 @@ pub struct EncoderCaps {
     ///
     /// This makes the answer queryable instead of assumed. It is deliberately a plain fact about the
     /// encoder, not a policy: what to DO when a session wants blending and the backend cannot is the
-    /// host's call, since only the host can re-plan capture (fall back to capturer-side compositing).
-    /// `open_video` can only warn, which it does.
+    /// host's call, since only the host can re-plan capture. That call is wired now — the
+    /// negotiation consults the pre-open mirror ([`cursor_blend_capable`](crate::cursor_blend_capable))
+    /// to gate the cursor channel and to keep capture on embedded-cursor / CSC-capable shapes for
+    /// any backend that can't blend; `open_video`'s post-open check remains as the backstop for
+    /// open-time fallbacks the plan can't see.
     pub blends_cursor: bool,
 }
 
@@ -333,11 +339,10 @@ pub trait Encoder: Send {
         let _ = wire_index;
         self.submit(frame)
     }
-    /// This encoder's static [capabilities](EncoderCaps) (RFI, HDR SEI), so the session glue can
-    /// route by query rather than rely on the no-op/`false` defaults of
-    /// [`invalidate_ref_frames`](Self::invalidate_ref_frames) / [`set_hdr_meta`](Self::set_hdr_meta).
-    /// Default: no optional capabilities (the SDR / libavcodec backends) — only the direct-NVENC
-    /// path overrides it.
+    /// This encoder's static [capabilities](EncoderCaps) (RFI, intra-refresh, chroma, cursor
+    /// blending), so the session glue can route by query rather than rely on the no-op/`false`
+    /// defaults of methods like [`invalidate_ref_frames`](Self::invalidate_ref_frames).
+    /// Default: no optional capabilities (the software / libavcodec backends).
     fn caps(&self) -> EncoderCaps {
         EncoderCaps::default()
     }
@@ -345,10 +350,12 @@ pub trait Encoder: Send {
     /// reference-frame-invalidation request). Default: no-op.
     fn request_keyframe(&mut self) {}
     /// Set the source's static HDR mastering metadata (from the capturer). An HDR encoder emits it
-    /// as in-band SEI (`mastering_display_colour_volume` + `content_light_level_info`) on each
-    /// keyframe so any decoder — including stock Moonlight — tone-maps from the source's real grade.
-    /// Default: no-op (SDR encoders / libavcodec paths that don't attach it yet). Cheap to call
-    /// every frame; only the direct-NVENC path consumes it.
+    /// in-band (HEVC/H.264 `mastering_display_colour_volume` + `content_light_level_info` SEI, or
+    /// AV1 metadata OBUs) on keyframes so a stock decoder — e.g. stock Moonlight — tone-maps from
+    /// the source's real grade. Default: no-op (SDR encoders / paths that don't attach it).
+    /// Cheap to call every frame; consumed by Windows direct-NVENC, native AMF, and native QSV.
+    /// Every first-party client reads the grade out-of-band (the 0xCE datagram) regardless, so
+    /// this is a bonus for stock decoders, never the primary channel.
     fn set_hdr_meta(&mut self, _meta: Option<punktfunk_core::quic::HdrMeta>) {}
     /// Invalidate a contiguous range of previously-encoded reference frames (client frame numbers
     /// — WIRE frame indexes, the domain [`submit_indexed`](Self::submit_indexed) pins the encoder's
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/nvenc_cuda.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/nvenc_cuda.rs
index 82db0401..2899ee0b 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/nvenc_cuda.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/nvenc_cuda.rs
@@ -1850,7 +1850,6 @@ impl Encoder for NvencCudaEncoder {
             // Composites `frame.cursor` via the SPIR-V blend over the Vulkan-allocated input slot.
             blends_cursor: true,
             supports_rfi: self.rfi_supported,
-            supports_hdr_metadata: self.hdr,
             chroma_444: self.chroma_444,
             intra_refresh: false,
             intra_refresh_recovery: false,
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vaapi.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vaapi.rs
index c2836f84..fc9e2f44 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vaapi.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vaapi.rs
@@ -94,23 +94,152 @@ type LpKey = (String, &'static str, bool);
 /// The [`LP_MODE`] key for this device/codec/depth. `render_node()` is re-read rather than cached
 /// so a GPU-preference change is picked up on the next open.
 fn lp_key(codec: Codec, ten_bit: bool) -> LpKey {
-    (
-        render_node().to_string_lossy().into_owned(),
-        codec.label(),
-        ten_bit,
-    )
+    lp_key_for(&render_node().to_string_lossy(), codec, ten_bit)
+}
+
+/// [`lp_key`] with the render node explicit (device-free for the unit tests). Every part of the
+/// key is load-bearing — see [`LP_MODE`] for the two field-motivated bugs (node: cross-GPU
+/// session-killer; depth: HDR under-advertisement).
+fn lp_key_for(node: &str, codec: Codec, ten_bit: bool) -> LpKey {
+    (node.to_owned(), codec.label(), ten_bit)
 }
 
 /// `PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_LOW_POWER` pins the entrypoint mode (`1` = low-power only, `0` = full-feature
 /// only); unset → try full-feature first, fall back to low-power.
 fn low_power_override() -> Option<bool> {
-    match std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_LOW_POWER").ok()?.trim() {
+    parse_low_power(&std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_LOW_POWER").ok()?)
+}
+
+/// [`low_power_override`]'s value grammar (device-free for the unit tests). Anything outside the
+/// two literal sets means "no pin" — the `[full-feature, low-power]` ladder runs.
+fn parse_low_power(raw: &str) -> Option<bool> {
+    match raw.trim() {
         "1" | "true" | "yes" | "on" => Some(true),
         "0" | "false" | "no" | "off" => Some(false),
         _ => None,
     }
 }
 
+/// The entrypoint modes to attempt, in order (`false` = full-feature `EncSlice`, `true` =
+/// low-power VDEnc): an operator pin tries exactly that one; a cached resolution ([`LP_MODE`]:
+/// 1 = full-feature, 2 = low-power) skips the known-failing attempt; anything else runs the full
+/// ladder — full-feature first so AMD's first-try open stays byte-for-byte unchanged. Never
+/// empty: [`open_vaapi_encoder`] relies on at least one attempt running.
+fn entrypoint_ladder(pin: Option<bool>, cached: u8) -> &'static [bool] {
+    match pin {
+        Some(true) => &[true],
+        Some(false) => &[false],
+        None => match cached {
+            1 => &[false],
+            2 => &[true],
+            _ => &[false, true],
+        },
+    }
+}
+
+/// The [`LP_MODE`] value a successful open latches (1 = full-feature, 2 = low-power). Paired with
+/// [`entrypoint_ladder`], which maps it back to the single-mode retry list.
+fn latched_mode(low_power: bool) -> u8 {
+    if low_power {
+        2
+    } else {
+        1
+    }
+}
+
+/// The VUI colour metadata the encoder signals for the session's depth.
+struct Vui {
+    colorspace: ffi::AVColorSpace,
+    range: ffi::AVColorRange,
+    primaries: ffi::AVColorPrimaries,
+    trc: ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic,
+}
+
+/// 10-bit HDR: BT.2020 primaries + SMPTE-2084 (PQ) transfer, limited range — matches the P010 the
+/// CSC produces (swscale BT.2020 on the CPU path; `scale_vaapi` pinned to bt2020 on the zero-copy
+/// path); the client decoder auto-detects PQ from the VUI. SDR: we hand the encoder BT.709
+/// *limited* NV12 (swscale CSC on the CPU path; `scale_vaapi` pinned to
+/// `out_color_matrix=bt709:out_range=limited` on the zero-copy path, with the full-range RGB input
+/// tagged), so signal that VUI — else the client decoder washes the picture out.
+fn vui_for(ten_bit: bool) -> Vui {
+    if ten_bit {
+        Vui {
+            colorspace: ffi::AVColorSpace::AVCOL_SPC_BT2020_NCL,
+            range: ffi::AVColorRange::AVCOL_RANGE_MPEG,
+            primaries: ffi::AVColorPrimaries::AVCOL_PRI_BT2020,
+            trc: ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic::AVCOL_TRC_SMPTE2084,
+        }
+    } else {
+        Vui {
+            colorspace: ffi::AVColorSpace::AVCOL_SPC_BT709,
+            range: ffi::AVColorRange::AVCOL_RANGE_MPEG,
+            primaries: ffi::AVColorPrimaries::AVCOL_PRI_BT709,
+            trc: ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic::AVCOL_TRC_BT709,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// The explicit `profile` option for this codec/depth, or `None` to let the encoder derive it.
+/// HEVC Main10 is pinned explicitly so the depth is never silently dropped (`hevc_vaapi` would
+/// derive it from the P010 surfaces, but a derivation can regress quietly); 10-bit AV1 is
+/// input-driven — no profile knob — and every 8-bit open keeps the encoder default.
+fn explicit_profile(codec: Codec, ten_bit: bool) -> Option<&'static str> {
+    (ten_bit && codec == Codec::H265).then_some("main10")
+}
+
+/// `PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_ASYNC_DEPTH` grammar: 1..=8 accepted verbatim; unset, junk, and out-of-range
+/// values all resolve to depth 1 — the lowest-latency structure (see the `async_depth` note at the
+/// call site for why 1 is the default and what depth ≥ 2 trades).
+fn async_depth(raw: Option<&str>) -> u32 {
+    raw.and_then(|s| s.parse::<u32>().ok())
+        .filter(|d| (1..=8).contains(d))
+        .unwrap_or(1)
+}
+
+/// The `scale_vaapi` filter args for the session's depth. The VPP's output colour is pinned to
+/// exactly what the encoder's VUI signals ([`vui_for`]) — without the explicit options the
+/// conversion matrix is whatever the driver defaults to for an unspecified output (Mesa: BT.601),
+/// a hue shift against the signaled VUI. (The PQ transfer is per-channel and rides through the
+/// matrix untouched.)
+fn scale_vaapi_args(ten_bit: bool) -> &'static CStr {
+    if ten_bit {
+        c"format=p010:out_color_matrix=bt2020:out_range=limited"
+    } else {
+        c"format=nv12:out_color_matrix=bt709:out_range=limited"
+    }
+}
+
+/// What a (captured format, negotiated bit depth) pair resolves to at open. 10-bit rides on the
+/// captured PIXELS, not the negotiated depth — see [`crate::ten_bit_input`] for the failure the
+/// reverse shape produces.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+enum DepthResolution {
+    /// PQ-graded 10-bit frames on a non-10-bit session: refuse the open, so PQ content is never
+    /// mislabeled BT.709.
+    RefuseMislabeledPq,
+    /// 10-bit negotiated but the capture stayed SDR: honestly encode 8-bit (with a warning).
+    SdrDowngrade,
+    /// Format and negotiated depth agree.
+    Agreed,
+}
+
+/// See [`DepthResolution`].
+fn resolve_depth(format: PixelFormat, bit_depth: u8) -> DepthResolution {
+    if format.is_hdr_rgb10() && bit_depth != 10 {
+        DepthResolution::RefuseMislabeledPq
+    } else if bit_depth == 10 && !format.is_hdr_rgb10() {
+        DepthResolution::SdrDowngrade
+    } else {
+        DepthResolution::Agreed
+    }
+}
+
+/// Whether a codec is even eligible for the 10-bit probe: PyroWave answers 10-bit support on its
+/// own path (no VAAPI involved), and a codec without a 10-bit profile can never pass.
+fn ten_bit_probe_eligible(codec: Codec) -> bool {
+    codec.supports_10bit() && codec != Codec::PyroWave
+}
+
 /// Open the VAAPI encoder, resolving the entrypoint mode: try the full-feature entrypoint first
 /// and, if the driver rejects it, retry with `low_power=1` — modern Intel (Gen12+/Arc) exposes
 /// ONLY the low-power VDEnc entrypoint (ffmpeg's `vaapi_encode` defaults `low_power=0` and errors
@@ -135,15 +264,7 @@ unsafe fn open_vaapi_encoder(
         .lock()
         .map(|m| m.get(&key).copied().unwrap_or(0))
         .unwrap_or(0);
-    let modes: &[bool] = match low_power_override() {
-        Some(true) => &[true],
-        Some(false) => &[false],
-        None => match cached {
-            1 => &[false],
-            2 => &[true],
-            _ => &[false, true],
-        },
-    };
+    let modes: &[bool] = entrypoint_ladder(low_power_override(), cached);
     let mut first_err = None;
     for &lp in modes {
         match open_vaapi_encoder_mode(
@@ -159,7 +280,7 @@ unsafe fn open_vaapi_encoder(
         ) {
             Ok(enc) => {
                 if let Ok(mut m) = LP_MODE.get_or_init(|| Mutex::new(HashMap::new())).lock() {
-                    m.insert(key.clone(), if lp { 2 } else { 1 });
+                    m.insert(key.clone(), latched_mode(lp));
                 }
                 if lp {
                     tracing::info!(
@@ -216,32 +337,18 @@ unsafe fn open_vaapi_encoder_mode(
     apply_low_latency_rc(&mut video, fps, bitrate_bps);
     let raw = video.as_mut_ptr();
     (*raw).gop_size = i32::MAX; // no periodic IDR (forced-IDR via pict_type=I on RFI)
-    if ten_bit {
-        // HDR10: BT.2020 primaries + SMPTE-2084 (PQ) transfer, limited range — matches the P010
-        // the CSC produces (swscale BT.2020 on the CPU path; scale_vaapi pinned to bt2020 on the
-        // zero-copy path). The client decoder auto-detects PQ from the VUI.
-        (*raw).colorspace = ffi::AVColorSpace::AVCOL_SPC_BT2020_NCL;
-        (*raw).color_range = ffi::AVColorRange::AVCOL_RANGE_MPEG;
-        (*raw).color_primaries = ffi::AVColorPrimaries::AVCOL_PRI_BT2020;
-        (*raw).color_trc = ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic::AVCOL_TRC_SMPTE2084;
-    } else {
-        // We hand the encoder BT.709 *limited* NV12 (swscale CSC on the CPU path; scale_vaapi pinned
-        // to `out_color_matrix=bt709:out_range=limited` on the zero-copy path, with the full-range
-        // RGB input tagged), so signal that VUI — else the client decoder washes the picture out.
-        (*raw).colorspace = ffi::AVColorSpace::AVCOL_SPC_BT709;
-        (*raw).color_range = ffi::AVColorRange::AVCOL_RANGE_MPEG;
-        (*raw).color_primaries = ffi::AVColorPrimaries::AVCOL_PRI_BT709;
-        (*raw).color_trc = ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic::AVCOL_TRC_BT709;
-    }
+    let vui = vui_for(ten_bit);
+    (*raw).colorspace = vui.colorspace;
+    (*raw).color_range = vui.range;
+    (*raw).color_primaries = vui.primaries;
+    (*raw).color_trc = vui.trc;
     (*raw).pix_fmt = ffi::AVPixelFormat::AV_PIX_FMT_VAAPI;
     (*raw).hw_device_ctx = ffi::av_buffer_ref(device_ref);
     (*raw).hw_frames_ctx = ffi::av_buffer_ref(frames_ref);
 
     let mut opts = Dictionary::new();
-    if ten_bit && codec == Codec::H265 {
-        // HEVC Main10. `hevc_vaapi` derives it from the P010 surfaces, but pin it explicitly so
-        // the depth is never silently dropped. (10-bit AV1 is input-driven — no profile knob.)
-        opts.set("profile", "main10");
+    if let Some(profile) = explicit_profile(codec, ten_bit) {
+        opts.set("profile", profile);
     }
     // async_depth=1: `send_frame` blocks until THIS frame's ASIC encode completes — the lowest
     // latency structure libavcodec's vaapi_encode offers. Measured on the 780M at 1440p60: depth 1
@@ -251,11 +358,7 @@ unsafe fn open_vaapi_encoder_mode(
     // where depth 2 restores throughput at that one-frame cost. NOTE: the per-frame block tracks
     // GPU CLOCKS — a paced 60 fps trickle lets the VCN downclock (~8 ms/frame vs ~4.4 ms hot);
     // see `gpuclocks` for the session clock pin that removes the ramp tax.
-    let depth = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_ASYNC_DEPTH")
-        .ok()
-        .and_then(|s| s.parse::<u32>().ok())
-        .filter(|d| (1..=8).contains(d))
-        .unwrap_or(1);
+    let depth = async_depth(std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_ASYNC_DEPTH").ok().as_deref());
     opts.set("async_depth", &depth.to_string());
     if low_power {
         opts.set("low_power", "1"); // VDEnc — the only encode entrypoint on modern Intel
@@ -309,7 +412,7 @@ pub fn probe_can_encode(codec: Codec) -> bool {
 /// ([`crate::can_encode_10bit`]), so a non-Main10 GPU resolves every session to 8-bit SDR before
 /// the Welcome (honest downgrade).
 pub fn probe_can_encode_10bit(codec: Codec) -> bool {
-    if !codec.supports_10bit() || codec == Codec::PyroWave {
+    if !ten_bit_probe_eligible(codec) {
         return false;
     }
     if ffmpeg::init().is_err() {
@@ -834,24 +937,7 @@ impl DmabufInner {
             }
             init!(src, ptr::null(), "buffer");
             init!(hwmap, c"mode=read".as_ptr(), "hwmap");
-            // Pin the VPP's output colour to what the encoder's VUI signals (BT.709 limited SDR,
-            // or BT.2020 limited P010 for HDR — the PQ transfer is per-channel and rides through
-            // the matrix untouched). Without the explicit options the conversion matrix is
-            // whatever the driver defaults to for an unspecified output (Mesa: BT.601) — a hue
-            // shift against the signaled VUI.
-            if ten_bit {
-                init!(
-                    scale,
-                    c"format=p010:out_color_matrix=bt2020:out_range=limited".as_ptr(),
-                    "scale_vaapi"
-                );
-            } else {
-                init!(
-                    scale,
-                    c"format=nv12:out_color_matrix=bt709:out_range=limited".as_ptr(),
-                    "scale_vaapi"
-                );
-            }
+            init!(scale, scale_vaapi_args(ten_bit).as_ptr(), "scale_vaapi");
             init!(sink, ptr::null(), "buffersink");
 
             let link = |a: *mut ffi::AVFilterContext, b: *mut ffi::AVFilterContext| -> c_int {
@@ -1143,21 +1229,18 @@ impl VaapiEncoder {
         chroma: super::ChromaFormat,
     ) -> Result<Self> {
         // 10-bit rides on the captured format: an HDR capture (X2RGB10/X2BGR10) opens the P010 /
-        // Main10 / PQ-VUI variant of whichever inner path the first frame selects. A 10-bit
-        // request whose capture stayed SDR honestly encodes 8-bit; the reverse (PQ frames on an
-        // 8-bit session) is refused so PQ content is never mislabeled BT.709.
-        if format.is_hdr_rgb10() && bit_depth != 10 {
-            bail!(
+        // Main10 / PQ-VUI variant of whichever inner path the first frame selects.
+        match resolve_depth(format, bit_depth) {
+            DepthResolution::RefuseMislabeledPq => bail!(
                 "captured 10-bit HDR frames ({format:?}) on an {bit_depth}-bit VAAPI session — \
                  refusing to mislabel PQ content"
-            );
-        }
-        if bit_depth == 10 && !format.is_hdr_rgb10() {
-            tracing::warn!(
+            ),
+            DepthResolution::SdrDowngrade => tracing::warn!(
                 bit_depth,
                 ?format,
                 "10-bit requested but the capture stayed SDR — encoding 8-bit"
-            );
+            ),
+            DepthResolution::Agreed => {}
         }
         // VAAPI 4:4:4 is deferred (see `probe_can_encode_444`): no validated AMD/Intel hardware in the
         // lab exposes a HEVC 4:4:4 encode entrypoint, and the probe returns false so the host never
@@ -1307,3 +1390,261 @@ impl Encoder for VaapiEncoder {
         Ok(())
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    /// The operator pin tries exactly one mode; a cached resolution ([`LP_MODE`]) tries only the
+    /// mode that worked; anything else runs the full ladder, full-feature FIRST — AMD's first-try
+    /// open must stay byte-for-byte unchanged.
+    #[test]
+    fn entrypoint_ladder_orders_and_pins() {
+        assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(None, 0), &[false, true]);
+        assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(None, 1), &[false]);
+        assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(None, 2), &[true]);
+        // A corrupt/unknown cache value degrades to the full ladder, never to a wrong pin.
+        assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(None, 77), &[false, true]);
+        // The pin beats the cache in BOTH directions — what makes PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_LOW_POWER a
+        // real escape hatch from a stale latch.
+        for cached in [0u8, 1, 2, 77] {
+            assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(Some(true), cached), &[true]);
+            assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(Some(false), cached), &[false]);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The latch round-trip: what a successful open stores makes the NEXT open attempt exactly
+    /// the mode that worked (the "skip the known-failing attempt and its libav error spew"
+    /// contract — and, per [`LP_MODE`], the shape that must never cross devices or depths).
+    #[test]
+    fn latch_round_trip_pins_the_resolved_mode() {
+        for lp in [false, true] {
+            assert_eq!(entrypoint_ladder(None, latched_mode(lp)), &[lp]);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_LOW_POWER` grammar: the two lowercase literal sets pin; anything else —
+    /// including uppercase — means "no pin" (the ladder runs). Case-sensitivity is pinned as
+    /// shipped behavior.
+    #[test]
+    fn low_power_grammar() {
+        for s in ["1", "true", "yes", "on", " on ", "yes\n"] {
+            assert_eq!(parse_low_power(s), Some(true), "{s:?}");
+        }
+        for s in ["0", "false", "no", "off", " off "] {
+            assert_eq!(parse_low_power(s), Some(false), "{s:?}");
+        }
+        for s in ["", "2", "TRUE", "On", "enabled", "low_power"] {
+            assert_eq!(parse_low_power(s), None, "{s:?}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Every part of the LP_MODE key is load-bearing (see the [`LP_MODE`] field comments): the
+    /// node (a GPU-preference switch must re-resolve — the old codec-only key was a
+    /// session-killer), the codec, and the depth (an 8-bit answer must never pin the 10-bit open —
+    /// the HDR under-advertisement).
+    #[test]
+    fn lp_key_separates_node_codec_and_depth() {
+        let base = lp_key_for("/dev/dri/renderD128", Codec::H265, false);
+        assert_ne!(base, lp_key_for("/dev/dri/renderD129", Codec::H265, false));
+        assert_ne!(base, lp_key_for("/dev/dri/renderD128", Codec::H264, false));
+        assert_ne!(base, lp_key_for("/dev/dri/renderD128", Codec::H265, true));
+    }
+
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_ASYNC_DEPTH` grammar: 1..=8 verbatim; unset, junk, zero, and past-the-cap
+    /// all resolve to the lowest-latency depth 1.
+    #[test]
+    fn async_depth_grammar() {
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(None), 1);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("1")), 1);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("2")), 2);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("8")), 8);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("0")), 1);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("9")), 1);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("-1")), 1);
+        assert_eq!(async_depth(Some("fast")), 1);
+    }
+
+    /// The swscale source map: packed RGB/BGR and the GNOME 50+ HDR 2:10:10:10 layouts convert;
+    /// planar/video formats are refused (the CPU path is a packed-RGB fallback, not a general
+    /// converter).
+    #[test]
+    fn sws_src_accepts_packed_rgb_only() {
+        assert_eq!(vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::Bgrx).unwrap(), Pixel::BGRZ);
+        assert_eq!(vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::Rgbx).unwrap(), Pixel::RGBZ);
+        assert_eq!(vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::Bgra).unwrap(), Pixel::BGRA);
+        assert_eq!(vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::Rgba).unwrap(), Pixel::RGBA);
+        assert_eq!(vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::Rgb).unwrap(), Pixel::RGB24);
+        assert_eq!(vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::Bgr).unwrap(), Pixel::BGR24);
+        assert_eq!(
+            vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::X2Rgb10).unwrap(),
+            Pixel::X2RGB10LE
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            vaapi_sws_src(PixelFormat::X2Bgr10).unwrap(),
+            Pixel::X2BGR10LE
+        );
+        for f in [
+            PixelFormat::Nv12,
+            PixelFormat::P010,
+            PixelFormat::Rgb10a2,
+            PixelFormat::Yuv444,
+        ] {
+            assert!(vaapi_sws_src(f).is_err(), "{f:?} must be refused");
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// VUI ↔ CSC agreement: the signaled VUI and the zero-copy VPP's pinned output colour must
+    /// name the SAME matrix/range per depth — a mismatch is exactly the Mesa-BT.601 hue shift the
+    /// pin exists to prevent.
+    #[test]
+    fn vui_and_scale_args_agree_per_depth() {
+        let sdr = vui_for(false);
+        assert!(matches!(sdr.colorspace, ffi::AVColorSpace::AVCOL_SPC_BT709));
+        assert!(matches!(sdr.range, ffi::AVColorRange::AVCOL_RANGE_MPEG));
+        assert!(matches!(
+            sdr.primaries,
+            ffi::AVColorPrimaries::AVCOL_PRI_BT709
+        ));
+        assert!(matches!(
+            sdr.trc,
+            ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic::AVCOL_TRC_BT709
+        ));
+        let args = scale_vaapi_args(false).to_str().unwrap();
+        for needle in ["format=nv12", "out_color_matrix=bt709", "out_range=limited"] {
+            assert!(
+                args.contains(needle),
+                "SDR scale args miss {needle}: {args}"
+            );
+        }
+
+        let hdr = vui_for(true);
+        assert!(matches!(
+            hdr.colorspace,
+            ffi::AVColorSpace::AVCOL_SPC_BT2020_NCL
+        ));
+        assert!(matches!(hdr.range, ffi::AVColorRange::AVCOL_RANGE_MPEG));
+        assert!(matches!(
+            hdr.primaries,
+            ffi::AVColorPrimaries::AVCOL_PRI_BT2020
+        ));
+        assert!(matches!(
+            hdr.trc,
+            ffi::AVColorTransferCharacteristic::AVCOL_TRC_SMPTE2084
+        ));
+        let args = scale_vaapi_args(true).to_str().unwrap();
+        for needle in [
+            "format=p010",
+            "out_color_matrix=bt2020",
+            "out_range=limited",
+        ] {
+            assert!(
+                args.contains(needle),
+                "HDR scale args miss {needle}: {args}"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The honest-downgrade table at open: PQ pixels demand a 10-bit session (refused otherwise —
+    /// PQ content must never be mislabeled BT.709); a 10-bit session over SDR pixels downgrades
+    /// honestly to 8-bit; agreement passes both ways.
+    #[test]
+    fn depth_resolution_table() {
+        use DepthResolution::*;
+        assert_eq!(resolve_depth(PixelFormat::X2Rgb10, 8), RefuseMislabeledPq);
+        assert_eq!(resolve_depth(PixelFormat::X2Bgr10, 8), RefuseMislabeledPq);
+        assert_eq!(resolve_depth(PixelFormat::Bgrx, 10), SdrDowngrade);
+        assert_eq!(resolve_depth(PixelFormat::Bgrx, 8), Agreed);
+        assert_eq!(resolve_depth(PixelFormat::X2Rgb10, 10), Agreed);
+        assert_eq!(resolve_depth(PixelFormat::X2Bgr10, 10), Agreed);
+    }
+
+    /// Main10 is pinned explicitly for 10-bit HEVC ONLY: 10-bit AV1 is input-driven (no profile
+    /// knob), and every 8-bit open keeps the encoder's default profile.
+    #[test]
+    fn explicit_profile_is_hevc_main10_only() {
+        assert_eq!(explicit_profile(Codec::H265, true), Some("main10"));
+        assert_eq!(explicit_profile(Codec::H265, false), None);
+        assert_eq!(explicit_profile(Codec::Av1, true), None);
+        assert_eq!(explicit_profile(Codec::Av1, false), None);
+        assert_eq!(explicit_profile(Codec::H264, true), None);
+        assert_eq!(explicit_profile(Codec::H264, false), None);
+    }
+
+    /// The 10-bit probe gate: HEVC and AV1 are probe-eligible; H.264 (no 10-bit path here) and
+    /// PyroWave (answers 10-bit on its own path, no VAAPI involved) are refused before any device
+    /// is touched — this is what keeps the probe safe on GPU-less CI.
+    #[test]
+    fn ten_bit_probe_gate() {
+        assert!(ten_bit_probe_eligible(Codec::H265));
+        assert!(ten_bit_probe_eligible(Codec::Av1));
+        assert!(!ten_bit_probe_eligible(Codec::H264));
+        assert!(!ten_bit_probe_eligible(Codec::PyroWave));
+    }
+
+    /// Probe smoke on real silicon: H.264 VAAPI encode opens on every supported AMD/Intel GPU;
+    /// the narrower codecs are printed, not asserted (device-dependent). Build anywhere, run on a
+    /// VAAPI host:
+    ///   cargo test -p pf-encode --no-run
+    ///   <host> target/debug/deps/pf_encode-<hash> --ignored --nocapture vaapi_probe_smoke
+    #[test]
+    #[ignore = "needs a real VAAPI device (run on an AMD/Intel host, not the build box)"]
+    fn vaapi_probe_smoke() {
+        assert!(
+            probe_can_encode(Codec::H264),
+            "H.264 VAAPI encode should open on any supported AMD/Intel GPU"
+        );
+        for codec in [Codec::H265, Codec::Av1] {
+            eprintln!("probe_can_encode({codec:?}) = {}", probe_can_encode(codec));
+            eprintln!(
+                "probe_can_encode_10bit({codec:?}) = {}",
+                probe_can_encode_10bit(codec)
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// CPU-path encode round-trip on real silicon: open → BGRX frames → poll AUs → the first AU
+    /// is the IDR. Exercises the swscale CSC, the VA surface upload, and the entrypoint ladder
+    /// end-to-end (same recipe as [`vaapi_probe_smoke`]).
+    #[test]
+    #[ignore = "needs a real VAAPI device (run on an AMD/Intel host, not the build box)"]
+    fn vaapi_cpu_encode_smoke() {
+        let (w, h) = (256u32, 256u32);
+        let mut enc = VaapiEncoder::open(
+            Codec::H264,
+            PixelFormat::Bgrx,
+            w,
+            h,
+            30,
+            2_000_000,
+            8,
+            crate::ChromaFormat::Yuv420,
+        )
+        .expect("open");
+        let mut aus = Vec::new();
+        for i in 0..30u32 {
+            let mut buf = vec![0u8; (w * h * 4) as usize];
+            for px in buf.chunks_exact_mut(4) {
+                px.copy_from_slice(&[(i * 8) as u8, 0x40, 0xC0, 0xFF]);
+            }
+            let frame = CapturedFrame {
+                width: w,
+                height: h,
+                pts_ns: u64::from(i) * 33_333_333,
+                format: PixelFormat::Bgrx,
+                payload: FramePayload::Cpu(buf),
+                cursor: None,
+            };
+            enc.submit(&frame).expect("submit");
+            while let Some(au) = enc.poll().expect("poll") {
+                aus.push(au);
+            }
+        }
+        enc.flush().expect("flush");
+        while let Some(au) = enc.poll().expect("poll") {
+            aus.push(au);
+        }
+        assert!(!aus.is_empty(), "no AUs out of 30 submitted frames");
+        assert!(aus[0].keyframe, "the first AU must be the IDR");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vulkan_video.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vulkan_video.rs
index 85b944c0..51ee8d90 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vulkan_video.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/linux/vulkan_video.rs
@@ -76,9 +76,11 @@ fn quality_request() -> u32 {
 /// (design/vulkan-rgb-direct-encode.md): the captured RGB frame is the encode source and the
 /// VCN EFC front-end does the 709-narrow CSC inline — no compute CSC, no plane copies, one
 /// queue submit per frame (unaligned modes go through the padded-copy staging blit). B2
-/// default: ON wherever the probe passes, EXCEPT sessions that may need the CSC's cursor
-/// blend (see [`VulkanVideoEncoder::open`]). `=0` disables outright; `=1` forces it even on
-/// cursor-blend sessions (the pointer will be missing from the stream); unset = the default.
+/// default: ON wherever the probe passes, EXCEPT sessions that need the CSC's cursor blend
+/// (see [`VulkanVideoEncoder::open`]). `=0` disables outright; `=1` forces it on non-cursor
+/// sessions; unset = the default. A cursor-blend session IGNORES `=1` — EFC cannot composite
+/// the pointer, and the caps-aware negotiation promised the client a composited one, so the
+/// pointer outranks the lab pin (the open logs the override).
 ///
 /// Parses like every sibling knob (`matches!(v.trim(), …)`): anything unrecognised — including
 /// an empty value and a value that is only whitespace — falls back to the default rather than
@@ -614,10 +616,6 @@ pub struct VulkanVideoEncoder {
     /// GPU reset (those paths keep their aligned-size sources/staging).
     native_nv12: bool,
 
-    /// One-shot warning latch: a cursor bitmap arrived on an RGB-direct or native-NV12 session
-    /// (neither has a compositing stage — the cursor will be missing from the stream until the
-    /// CSC path is used).
-    warned_cursor: bool,
     /// A [`reconfigure_bitrate`](Encoder::reconfigure_bitrate) rate not yet installed in the video
     /// session. The next `record_submit` emits an `ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL` control command carrying it
     /// (mid-stream) or folds it into the first frame's RESET+RC install, then promotes it into
@@ -671,7 +669,16 @@ impl VulkanVideoEncoder {
         cursor_blend: bool,
     ) -> Result<Self> {
         let native_nv12 = format == PixelFormat::Nv12;
-        let want_rgb = !native_nv12 && rgb_request().unwrap_or(!cursor_blend);
+        // A cursor-blend session must keep the compute-CSC path — the only arm with the cursor
+        // blend — so it outranks an explicit RGB-direct pin (EFC cannot composite; the
+        // negotiation promised the client a composited pointer).
+        if cursor_blend && rgb_request() == Some(true) {
+            tracing::info!(
+                "PUNKTFUNK_VULKAN_RGB_DIRECT=1 ignored for this session — it composites the \
+                 pointer, which the EFC front-end cannot; using the compute-CSC path"
+            );
+        }
+        let want_rgb = !native_nv12 && !cursor_blend && rgb_request().unwrap_or(true);
         Self::open_opts_inner(
             codec,
             width,
@@ -1448,7 +1455,6 @@ impl VulkanVideoEncoder {
             cpu_expand: Vec::new(),
             rgb: rgb_cfg,
             native_nv12,
-            warned_cursor: false,
             pending_bitrate: None,
             width: w,
             height: h,
@@ -2621,17 +2627,10 @@ impl VulkanVideoEncoder {
                 d.modifier
             );
         }
-        // No compositing stage exists here (like RGB-direct/EFC): gamescope embeds its pointer
-        // in the produced pixels, but any other NV12 producer's metadata cursor would be lost —
-        // say so once instead of silently.
-        if frame.cursor.is_some() && !self.warned_cursor {
-            self.warned_cursor = true;
-            tracing::warn!(
-                "cursor bitmap on a native-NV12 session — nothing composites it; the cursor \
-                 will be missing from the stream (unset PUNKTFUNK_PIPEWIRE_NV12 for \
-                 metadata-cursor captures)"
-            );
-        }
+        // No compositing stage exists here (like RGB-direct/EFC) — and none is needed: the
+        // session plan negotiates native NV12 only for a non-cursor-blend session
+        // (`SessionPlan::output_format` gates `nv12_native` on `!cursor_blend`), so no cursor
+        // bitmap ever reaches this arm. Gamescope embeds its pointer in the produced pixels.
         let dev = self.device.clone();
         let cmd = self.frames[slot].cmd;
         let fence = self.frames[slot].fence;
@@ -2691,16 +2690,9 @@ impl VulkanVideoEncoder {
         let query_pool = self.frames[slot].query_pool;
         let bs_buf = self.frames[slot].bs_buf;
         let ts_pool = self.frames[slot].ts_pool;
-        // EFC cannot composite the cursor bitmap the metadata-cursor captures hand us — say so
-        // once instead of silently losing the pointer (gamescope, the flagship, embeds it).
-        if frame.cursor.is_some() && !self.warned_cursor {
-            self.warned_cursor = true;
-            tracing::warn!(
-                "cursor bitmap on an RGB-direct session — EFC cannot composite it; the cursor \
-                 will be missing from the stream (unset PUNKTFUNK_VULKAN_RGB_DIRECT for \
-                 metadata-cursor captures)"
-            );
-        }
+        // EFC cannot composite a cursor bitmap — and never has to: `open` refuses the RGB-direct
+        // shape for a cursor-blend session (the pin override above), so no cursor bitmap ever
+        // reaches this arm. Gamescope, the flagship, embeds its pointer in the produced pixels.
         let padded = self.rgb.as_ref().is_some_and(|r| r.padded);
         // Only the padded Dmabuf arm below records timestamps (via `record_pad_blit`); the
         // CPU-upload arm records its own command buffer and writes none. Default to "not written"
@@ -4486,44 +4478,50 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
-    /// A CPU-capture source that CHANGES SIZE mid-session must not copy past the cached staging
-    /// image. `ensure_cpu_rgb` keys that image on (format, width, height); when it was keyed on
-    /// format alone the image kept the FIRST frame's size while `cmd_copy_buffer_to_image` used the
-    /// current frame's extent, so a same-format size increase wrote out of bounds — and `submit`
-    /// still returned `Ok`, so nothing upstream noticed.
-    ///
-    /// The out-of-bounds copy is only *observable* through the Vulkan validation layers, so run this
-    /// as: `VK_LOADER_LAYERS_ENABLE='*validation*' cargo test ... -- --ignored`. Confirmed on RADV
-    /// PHOENIX 2026-07-25: 8 x VUID-vkCmdCopyBufferToImage-imageSubresource-07971 before the fix
-    /// ("extent.width (512) exceeds imageSubresource width extent (128)"), zero after.
+    /// The CSC arm REFUSES a source that doesn't match the session mode (the e3354b6d guard —
+    /// the check every sibling arm always had; a clamped-texelFetch mismatch used to stream a
+    /// silently cropped/edge-padded picture). This test previously DROVE mismatched sizes through
+    /// the lenient arm to exercise the per-slot `cpu_img` staging across a size change (the
+    /// format-only-keyed cache wrote out of bounds while `submit` returned `Ok`); the guard makes
+    /// that scenario unrepresentable through `submit`, structurally retiring the hazard — the
+    /// size-keyed staging from that fix stays as belt-and-braces. What's left to pin:
+    /// refusal in BOTH directions, and that a refused submit does not WEDGE the session — the
+    /// bail happens after step 1's frame-type bookkeeping, so "the next well-sized frame still
+    /// encodes" is a real property, not a formality (the host routes the error to its
+    /// encoder-rebuild path and the session must be able to continue if that path retries).
     #[test]
     #[ignore = "needs a real VK_KHR_video_encode_h265 device; meaningful only under validation layers"]
-    fn vulkan_cpu_img_survives_a_source_size_change() {
-        // CSC mode (rgb=false) — that is the arm where the image is sized to the SOURCE frame.
+    fn vulkan_csc_refuses_a_mismatched_source() {
+        // CSC mode (rgb=false) — the arm the guard covers.
         let mut enc = VulkanVideoEncoder::open_opts(Codec::H265, 512, 512, 60, 10_000_000, false)
             .expect("open");
-        // `cpu_img` is cached PER RING SLOT, so the small frames must first populate every slot;
-        // only when the ring wraps does a slot holding a 128x128 image get a 512x512 copy.
-        eprintln!("phase 1: 8x 128x128 — populates every ring slot with a 128x128 cpu_img");
-        for i in 0..8u64 {
+        enc.submit_indexed(&cpu_frame(512, 512, 0, [40, 40, 200, 255]), 0)
+            .expect("well-sized baseline");
+        while enc.poll().expect("poll").is_some() {}
+        // Smaller AND larger both refuse — the guard is equality on the MODE (render size), not
+        // a ceiling; the render-vs-CODED padding tolerance lives in the direct arms, untouched.
+        let e = enc
+            .submit_indexed(&cpu_frame(128, 128, 16_666_667, [200, 40, 40, 255]), 1)
+            .expect_err("smaller source must refuse");
+        assert!(e.to_string().contains("mismatched"), "{e:#}");
+        let e = enc
+            .submit_indexed(&cpu_frame(640, 640, 33_333_334, [200, 40, 40, 255]), 2)
+            .expect_err("larger source must refuse");
+        assert!(e.to_string().contains("mismatched"), "{e:#}");
+        // The refusals must not wedge the session: a well-sized frame still encodes and an AU
+        // still comes out the other end.
+        let mut got_au = false;
+        for i in 3..11u64 {
             enc.submit_indexed(
-                &cpu_frame(128, 128, i * 16_666_667, [40, 40, 200, 255]),
+                &cpu_frame(512, 512, i * 16_666_667, [40, 200, 40, 255]),
                 i as u32,
             )
-            .expect("submit small");
-            while enc.poll().expect("poll").is_some() {}
+            .expect("well-sized after refusal");
+            while let Ok(Some(_)) = enc.poll() {
+                got_au = true;
+            }
         }
-        eprintln!("phase 2: 8x 512x512 — SAME format, so each slot REUSES its 128x128 image");
-        for i in 8..16u64 {
-            let r = enc.submit_indexed(
-                &cpu_frame(512, 512, i * 16_666_667, [200, 40, 40, 255]),
-                i as u32,
-            );
-            r.expect("submit after the source grew");
-            while matches!(enc.poll(), Ok(Some(_))) {}
-        }
-        let _ = enc.flush();
-        while matches!(enc.poll(), Ok(Some(_))) {}
+        assert!(got_au, "no AU after the refused submits — session wedged");
         eprintln!("done — under validation layers this run must report ZERO VUID errors");
     }
 
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/amf.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/amf.rs
index ecfc28d1..8f72cdf2 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/amf.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/amf.rs
@@ -2014,9 +2014,6 @@ impl Encoder for AmfEncoder {
             // frame, force a later one to re-reference it). True only when the live driver accepted
             // the LTR slots at open — otherwise loss recovery falls back to a full IDR.
             supports_rfi: self.ltr_active,
-            // In-band mastering/CLL via `*InHDRMetadata` (HEVC SEI / AV1 metadata OBU); AVC has
-            // no such property (and no HDR sessions negotiate H.264).
-            supports_hdr_metadata: self.ten_bit && self.props.hdr_metadata.is_some(),
             // Permanent: VCN hardware does not encode 4:4:4.
             chroma_444: false,
             // True only when `PUNKTFUNK_INTRA_REFRESH` asked for the wave AND the live driver
@@ -2715,10 +2712,6 @@ mod tests {
             }
         };
         enc.set_hdr_meta(Some(sample_hdr_meta()));
-        assert!(
-            enc.caps().supports_hdr_metadata,
-            "HEVC 10-bit reports HDR SEI capability"
-        );
         let mut aus: Vec<EncodedFrame> = Vec::new();
         for i in 0..6 {
             let frame = CapturedFrame {
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs
index 263f0db4..62c2f5a7 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs
@@ -129,9 +129,13 @@ impl WinVendor {
 /// open-failure fallback only catches *setup* errors; a derive that opens but maps wrong would
 /// corrupt silently, so it stays opt-in per the probe-never-assume rule).
 fn zerocopy_enabled(vendor: WinVendor) -> bool {
-    pf_host_config::config()
-        .zerocopy
-        .unwrap_or(matches!(vendor, WinVendor::Amf))
+    zerocopy_active(pf_host_config::config().zerocopy, vendor)
+}
+
+/// The pure half of [`zerocopy_enabled`]: an operator override wins; unset resolves to the
+/// per-vendor default (AMF on, QSV off — see the validation status above).
+fn zerocopy_active(override_: Option<bool>, vendor: WinVendor) -> bool {
+    override_.unwrap_or(matches!(vendor, WinVendor::Amf))
 }
 
 /// Upper bound on `PUNKTFUNK_FFWIN_POLL_MS`. This knob spins the **encode thread** waiting for an
@@ -164,14 +168,19 @@ const MAX_POLL_SPIN_MS: u64 = 1_000;
 fn poll_spin_cap_us() -> u64 {
     static CAP_US: std::sync::OnceLock<u64> = std::sync::OnceLock::new();
     *CAP_US.get_or_init(|| {
-        std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_FFWIN_POLL_MS")
-            .ok()
-            .and_then(|s| s.trim().parse::<u64>().ok())
-            .map(|ms| ms.min(MAX_POLL_SPIN_MS) * 1000)
-            .unwrap_or(0) // default: no spin — the libavcodec AMF buffer can't be spun out
+        parse_poll_spin_cap_us(std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_FFWIN_POLL_MS").ok().as_deref())
     })
 }
 
+/// The pure half of [`poll_spin_cap_us`]: parse, clamp to [`MAX_POLL_SPIN_MS`] BEFORE the µs
+/// conversion (the ordering the doc above proves is load-bearing), and default to 0 — no spin,
+/// the libavcodec AMF buffer can't be spun out.
+fn parse_poll_spin_cap_us(raw: Option<&str>) -> u64 {
+    raw.and_then(|s| s.trim().parse::<u64>().ok())
+        .map(|ms| ms.min(MAX_POLL_SPIN_MS) * 1000)
+        .unwrap_or(0)
+}
+
 /// The swscale *source* pixel format for a captured packed-RGB/BGR layout (8-bit BGRA fallback only).
 fn sws_src(format: PixelFormat) -> Result<Pixel> {
     Ok(match format {
@@ -206,6 +215,86 @@ fn is_10bit_format(format: PixelFormat) -> bool {
     matches!(format, PixelFormat::P010 | PixelFormat::Rgb10a2)
 }
 
+/// Which lane the system-memory path routes a captured D3D11 format through. Device-free — the
+/// routing DECISION, split from the D3D11 copies so it is testable.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+enum ReadbackRoute {
+    /// Same-format `CopyResource` + plane-by-plane copy (NV12/P010 from the video processor).
+    Yuv,
+    /// BGRA staging + swscale BGRA→NV12 — the 8-bit fallback when the capturer's video
+    /// processor latched off.
+    Bgra,
+    /// R10G10B10A2 staging + swscale X2BGR10→P010 — the HDR twin of that fallback.
+    Rgb10,
+}
+
+/// Route a captured format, guarding the mid-stream depth change first: the predicate matches
+/// what the encoder was built from (`ten_bit_input`), so the guard can only fire on a GENUINE
+/// depth change under the encoder — never, as it used to, on every frame of a session that
+/// merely negotiated 10-bit over an 8-bit capture (see [`is_10bit_format`]).
+fn readback_route(format: PixelFormat, ten_bit: bool) -> Result<ReadbackRoute> {
+    anyhow::ensure!(
+        is_10bit_format(format) == ten_bit,
+        "captured format {format:?} bit-depth changed under the encoder (built {}-bit)",
+        if ten_bit { 10 } else { 8 }
+    );
+    Ok(match format {
+        PixelFormat::Nv12 | PixelFormat::P010 => ReadbackRoute::Yuv,
+        PixelFormat::Bgra | PixelFormat::Bgrx => ReadbackRoute::Bgra,
+        PixelFormat::Rgb10a2 => ReadbackRoute::Rgb10,
+        other => {
+            bail!("ffmpeg_win system path cannot read back captured D3D11 format {other:?}")
+        }
+    })
+}
+
+/// The vendor-specific low-latency option set for [`open_win_encoder`], pure so the latency
+/// contract is pinned by tests. Unknown private options are ignored by `avcodec_open2` (left in
+/// the dict), so vendor/codec-specific keys are safe to set unconditionally.
+fn vendor_opts(vendor: WinVendor, amf_usage: &str) -> Vec<(&'static str, String)> {
+    match vendor {
+        WinVendor::Amf => vec![
+            // Field-tuning override (ultralowlatency | lowlatency | lowlatency_high_quality |
+            // transcoding): AMF usage presets bundle driver-side pipeline behavior that varies
+            // by VCN generation/driver — measured on-box rather than assumed.
+            ("usage", amf_usage.to_owned()),
+            ("rc", "cbr".into()),
+            // Streaming is latency-first: `speed` trims per-frame motion-estimation depth — the
+            // difference between ~encode-time and ~frame-budget on iGPU-class VCN (matches the
+            // low-latency preset choice on the NVENC path).
+            ("quality", "speed".into()),
+            ("preanalysis", "false".into()),
+            ("enforce_hrd", "true".into()),
+            // AMF low-latency submission mode (FFmpeg ≥ 6.1; unknown-option-ignored on older).
+            ("latency", "true".into()),
+            // Never B-frames: h264_amf defaults >0 on RDNA3+ HW that supports them, and each
+            // B-frame is a full frame period of added latency. (HEVC VCN has none; ignored there.)
+            ("bf", "0".into()),
+            // VPS/SPS/PPS on each IDR (clean mid-stream join) — HEVC/AV1 only; ignored elsewhere.
+            ("header_insertion_mode", "idr".into()),
+        ],
+        WinVendor::Qsv => vec![
+            ("preset", "veryfast".into()),
+            ("async_depth", "1".into()), // bound in-flight frames — the big QSV latency lever
+            ("low_power", "1".into()),   // VDEnc fixed-function path (lower latency)
+            ("look_ahead", "0".into()),  // (h264_qsv only; ignored on hevc/av1)
+            ("forced_idr", "1".into()),  // a forced key frame becomes a real IDR
+            ("scenario", "displayremoting".into()),
+        ],
+    }
+}
+
+/// Bind flags on the FFmpeg-allocated zero-copy pool. AMF reads it as encoder input
+/// (RENDER_TARGET + SHADER_RESOURCE, matching the video-processor output); QSV maps it as an mfx
+/// surface (DECODER | VIDEO_ENCODER). The `CopySubresourceRegion` into the pool works with any
+/// usable DEFAULT-usage texture regardless.
+fn pool_bind_flags(vendor: WinVendor) -> u32 {
+    match vendor {
+        WinVendor::Amf => (D3D11_BIND_RENDER_TARGET.0 | D3D11_BIND_SHADER_RESOURCE.0) as u32,
+        WinVendor::Qsv => (D3D11_BIND_DECODER.0 | D3D11_BIND_VIDEO_ENCODER.0) as u32,
+    }
+}
+
 /// Build the FFmpeg encoder context shared by both inner paths: name, mode, low-latency RC,
 /// infinite GOP, the BT.709-limited (SDR) or BT.2020-PQ (HDR) VUI, the given `pix_fmt`, and the
 /// optional hw device/frames contexts (null for the system path). Returns the opened encoder.
@@ -266,40 +355,11 @@ unsafe fn open_win_encoder(
         (*raw).hw_frames_ctx = ffi::av_buffer_ref(frames_ref);
     }
 
-    // Low-latency tuning. Unknown private options are ignored by avcodec_open2 (left in the dict),
-    // so vendor-specific keys are safe to set unconditionally.
+    // Low-latency tuning — the per-vendor contract lives in `vendor_opts` (pure, test-pinned).
     let mut opts = Dictionary::new();
-    match vendor {
-        WinVendor::Amf => {
-            // Field-tuning override (ultralowlatency | lowlatency | lowlatency_high_quality |
-            // transcoding): AMF usage presets bundle driver-side pipeline behavior that varies by
-            // VCN generation/driver — measured on-box rather than assumed.
-            let usage =
-                std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_AMF_USAGE").unwrap_or_else(|_| "ultralowlatency".into());
-            opts.set("usage", &usage);
-            opts.set("rc", "cbr");
-            // Streaming is latency-first: `speed` trims per-frame motion-estimation depth — the
-            // difference between ~encode-time and ~frame-budget on iGPU-class VCN (matches the
-            // low-latency preset choice on the NVENC path).
-            opts.set("quality", "speed");
-            opts.set("preanalysis", "false");
-            opts.set("enforce_hrd", "true");
-            // AMF low-latency submission mode (FFmpeg ≥ 6.1; unknown-option-ignored on older).
-            opts.set("latency", "true");
-            // Never B-frames: h264_amf defaults >0 on RDNA3+ HW that supports them, and each
-            // B-frame is a full frame period of added latency. (HEVC VCN has none; ignored there.)
-            opts.set("bf", "0");
-            // VPS/SPS/PPS on each IDR (clean mid-stream join) — HEVC/AV1 only; ignored elsewhere.
-            opts.set("header_insertion_mode", "idr");
-        }
-        WinVendor::Qsv => {
-            opts.set("preset", "veryfast");
-            opts.set("async_depth", "1"); // bound in-flight frames — the big QSV latency lever
-            opts.set("low_power", "1"); // VDEnc fixed-function path (lower latency)
-            opts.set("look_ahead", "0"); // (h264_qsv only; ignored on hevc/av1)
-            opts.set("forced_idr", "1"); // a forced key frame becomes a real IDR
-            opts.set("scenario", "displayremoting");
-        }
+    let usage = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_AMF_USAGE").unwrap_or_else(|_| "ultralowlatency".into());
+    for (k, v) in vendor_opts(vendor, &usage) {
+        opts.set(k, &v);
     }
     video
         .open_with(opts)
@@ -528,22 +588,10 @@ impl SystemInner {
         pts: i64,
         idr: bool,
     ) -> Result<()> {
-        // Same predicate the encoder was built from (`ten_bit_input`), so this can only fire on a
-        // genuine MID-STREAM depth change — never, as it used to, on every frame of a session that
-        // merely negotiated 10-bit over an 8-bit capture.
-        let fmt_10 = is_10bit_format(format);
-        anyhow::ensure!(
-            fmt_10 == self.ten_bit,
-            "captured format {format:?} bit-depth changed under the encoder (built {}-bit)",
-            if self.ten_bit { 10 } else { 8 }
-        );
-        match format {
-            PixelFormat::Nv12 | PixelFormat::P010 => self.readback_yuv(frame, pts, idr),
-            PixelFormat::Bgra | PixelFormat::Bgrx => self.readback_bgra(frame, pts, idr),
-            PixelFormat::Rgb10a2 => self.readback_rgb10(frame, pts, idr),
-            other => {
-                bail!("ffmpeg_win system path cannot read back captured D3D11 format {other:?}")
-            }
+        match readback_route(format, self.ten_bit)? {
+            ReadbackRoute::Yuv => self.readback_yuv(frame, pts, idr),
+            ReadbackRoute::Bgra => self.readback_bgra(frame, pts, idr),
+            ReadbackRoute::Rgb10 => self.readback_rgb10(frame, pts, idr),
         }
     }
 
@@ -921,14 +969,7 @@ impl ZeroCopyInner {
         } else {
             PixelFormat::Nv12
         };
-        // Bind flags on the FFmpeg-allocated pool. AMF reads it as encoder input (RENDER_TARGET +
-        // SHADER_RESOURCE, matching the video-processor output); QSV maps it as an mfx surface
-        // (DECODER | VIDEO_ENCODER). The CopySubresourceRegion into the pool works with any usable
-        // DEFAULT-usage texture regardless.
-        let bind_flags = match vendor {
-            WinVendor::Amf => (D3D11_BIND_RENDER_TARGET.0 | D3D11_BIND_SHADER_RESOURCE.0) as u32,
-            WinVendor::Qsv => (D3D11_BIND_DECODER.0 | D3D11_BIND_VIDEO_ENCODER.0) as u32,
-        };
+        let bind_flags = pool_bind_flags(vendor);
         const POOL: c_int = 8;
         // SAFETY: `D3d11Hw::new` wraps the capturer's `device` as a D3D11VA hwdevice (handing FFmpeg an
         // owned AddRef of it, balanced by FFmpeg's teardown Release) and builds an owned
@@ -1402,3 +1443,193 @@ impl Encoder for FfmpegWinEncoder {
         Ok(())
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    /// Zero-copy default matrix: the operator override wins in both directions; unset resolves
+    /// AMF on (on-glass validated) and QSV off (opt-in until validated on Intel glass — the
+    /// probe-never-assume rule).
+    #[test]
+    fn zerocopy_default_is_per_vendor_and_override_wins() {
+        assert!(zerocopy_active(None, WinVendor::Amf));
+        assert!(!zerocopy_active(None, WinVendor::Qsv));
+        for vendor in [WinVendor::Amf, WinVendor::Qsv] {
+            assert!(zerocopy_active(Some(true), vendor));
+            assert!(!zerocopy_active(Some(false), vendor));
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_FFWIN_POLL_MS` grammar: default 0 (no spin), verbatim ms → µs inside the clamp,
+    /// and the clamp applies BEFORE the µs conversion — the slipped-digit value that used to be a
+    /// 27.7-hour spin resolves to the 1 s cap, not a wedged encode thread.
+    #[test]
+    fn poll_spin_cap_clamps_before_the_us_conversion() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_poll_spin_cap_us(None), 0);
+        assert_eq!(parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some("0")), 0);
+        assert_eq!(parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some("5")), 5_000);
+        assert_eq!(parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some(" 12 ")), 12_000);
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some("100000000")),
+            MAX_POLL_SPIN_MS * 1000
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some(&u64::MAX.to_string())),
+            MAX_POLL_SPIN_MS * 1000
+        );
+        assert_eq!(parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some("junk")), 0);
+        assert_eq!(parse_poll_spin_cap_us(Some("-1")), 0);
+    }
+
+    /// The swscale source map: packed RGB/BGR converts; every YUV/10-bit layout is refused (the
+    /// swscale lane is the 8-bit BGRA fallback, not a general converter — the Linux HDR formats
+    /// are listed explicitly so a `PixelFormat` addition re-breaks the match on purpose).
+    #[test]
+    fn sws_src_accepts_packed_rgb_only() {
+        assert_eq!(sws_src(PixelFormat::Bgrx).unwrap(), Pixel::BGRZ);
+        assert_eq!(sws_src(PixelFormat::Rgbx).unwrap(), Pixel::RGBZ);
+        assert_eq!(sws_src(PixelFormat::Bgra).unwrap(), Pixel::BGRA);
+        assert_eq!(sws_src(PixelFormat::Rgba).unwrap(), Pixel::RGBA);
+        assert_eq!(sws_src(PixelFormat::Rgb).unwrap(), Pixel::RGB24);
+        assert_eq!(sws_src(PixelFormat::Bgr).unwrap(), Pixel::BGR24);
+        for f in [
+            PixelFormat::Nv12,
+            PixelFormat::P010,
+            PixelFormat::Rgb10a2,
+            PixelFormat::Yuv444,
+            PixelFormat::X2Rgb10,
+            PixelFormat::X2Bgr10,
+        ] {
+            assert!(sws_src(f).is_err(), "{f:?} must be refused");
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The readback routing table, and its depth guard: NV12/P010 take the plane copy, the
+    /// video-processor fallbacks take their swscale lanes, a depth CHANGE under the encoder is
+    /// refused (in both directions), and depth-consistent routing never trips the guard.
+    #[test]
+    fn readback_routing_and_depth_guard() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            readback_route(PixelFormat::Nv12, false).unwrap(),
+            ReadbackRoute::Yuv
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            readback_route(PixelFormat::P010, true).unwrap(),
+            ReadbackRoute::Yuv
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            readback_route(PixelFormat::Bgra, false).unwrap(),
+            ReadbackRoute::Bgra
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            readback_route(PixelFormat::Bgrx, false).unwrap(),
+            ReadbackRoute::Bgra
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            readback_route(PixelFormat::Rgb10a2, true).unwrap(),
+            ReadbackRoute::Rgb10
+        );
+        // Mid-stream depth changes — the genuine error the guard exists for.
+        assert!(readback_route(PixelFormat::P010, false).is_err());
+        assert!(readback_route(PixelFormat::Rgb10a2, false).is_err());
+        assert!(readback_route(PixelFormat::Nv12, true).is_err());
+        assert!(readback_route(PixelFormat::Bgra, true).is_err());
+        // A format neither lane can read back.
+        assert!(readback_route(PixelFormat::Yuv444, false).is_err());
+    }
+
+    /// The 10-bit predicate follows the PIXELS (P010/Rgb10a2), not the negotiated depth — see
+    /// `ten_bit_input` for the forever-failing-session shape the reverse produced here.
+    #[test]
+    fn ten_bit_follows_the_pixels() {
+        assert!(is_10bit_format(PixelFormat::P010));
+        assert!(is_10bit_format(PixelFormat::Rgb10a2));
+        assert!(!is_10bit_format(PixelFormat::Nv12));
+        assert!(!is_10bit_format(PixelFormat::Bgra));
+        assert!(!is_10bit_format(PixelFormat::Bgrx));
+    }
+
+    /// The QSV low-latency contract, pinned: these five knobs are the difference between
+    /// display-remoting latency and transcode behavior — a silent regression here changes every
+    /// Intel Windows session.
+    #[test]
+    fn qsv_opts_pin_the_latency_contract() {
+        let opts = vendor_opts(WinVendor::Qsv, "ignored");
+        let get = |k: &str| {
+            opts.iter()
+                .find(|(key, _)| *key == k)
+                .map(|(_, v)| v.as_str())
+        };
+        assert_eq!(get("async_depth"), Some("1"));
+        assert_eq!(get("low_power"), Some("1"));
+        assert_eq!(get("look_ahead"), Some("0"));
+        assert_eq!(get("forced_idr"), Some("1"));
+        assert_eq!(get("scenario"), Some("displayremoting"));
+        assert_eq!(get("preset"), Some("veryfast"));
+        assert_eq!(get("usage"), None, "AMF-only knob must not leak into QSV");
+    }
+
+    /// The AMF (benchmark-comparator) contract: usage passes through, B-frames are pinned OFF
+    /// (each one is a full frame period of latency on RDNA3+), and the low-latency submission
+    /// mode + IDR header insertion are requested.
+    #[test]
+    fn amf_opts_pin_no_bframes_and_the_usage_passthrough() {
+        let opts = vendor_opts(WinVendor::Amf, "lowlatency");
+        let get = |k: &str| {
+            opts.iter()
+                .find(|(key, _)| *key == k)
+                .map(|(_, v)| v.as_str())
+        };
+        assert_eq!(get("usage"), Some("lowlatency"));
+        assert_eq!(get("bf"), Some("0"));
+        assert_eq!(get("rc"), Some("cbr"));
+        assert_eq!(get("quality"), Some("speed"));
+        assert_eq!(get("latency"), Some("true"));
+        assert_eq!(get("header_insertion_mode"), Some("idr"));
+        assert_eq!(get("preanalysis"), Some("false"));
+        assert_eq!(get("enforce_hrd"), Some("true"));
+    }
+
+    /// The zero-copy pool's bind flags per vendor — AMF's encoder-input shape vs QSV's mfx
+    /// surface shape (a wrong flag set fails `av_hwframe_ctx_init`, or worse, opens and maps
+    /// wrong).
+    #[test]
+    fn pool_bind_flags_per_vendor() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            pool_bind_flags(WinVendor::Amf),
+            (D3D11_BIND_RENDER_TARGET.0 | D3D11_BIND_SHADER_RESOURCE.0) as u32
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            pool_bind_flags(WinVendor::Qsv),
+            (D3D11_BIND_DECODER.0 | D3D11_BIND_VIDEO_ENCODER.0) as u32
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The libavcodec encoder-name dispatch (name-selected — the codec id would pick the
+    /// software encoder).
+    #[test]
+    fn encoder_names_dispatch_by_vendor() {
+        assert_eq!(WinVendor::Qsv.encoder_name(Codec::H264), "h264_qsv");
+        assert_eq!(WinVendor::Qsv.encoder_name(Codec::H265), "hevc_qsv");
+        assert_eq!(WinVendor::Qsv.encoder_name(Codec::Av1), "av1_qsv");
+        assert_eq!(WinVendor::Amf.encoder_name(Codec::H265), "hevc_amf");
+    }
+
+    /// Probe smoke: resolve the QSV probe on this machine without crashing — `false` on a box
+    /// without the Intel runtime is a valid outcome; the value is printed, not asserted. Only
+    /// compiled in the `amf-qsv`-without-`qsv` combo (the shipped combo answers via native VPL).
+    /// Run on the Windows CI runner:
+    ///   cargo test -p pf-encode --no-default-features --features amf-qsv -- --ignored ffmpeg_win
+    #[cfg(not(feature = "qsv"))]
+    #[test]
+    #[ignore = "needs a real FFmpeg runtime probe (run on the Windows CI runner, not a dev box)"]
+    fn ffmpeg_win_probe_smoke() {
+        for codec in [Codec::H264, Codec::H265, Codec::Av1] {
+            eprintln!(
+                "probe_can_encode(Qsv, {codec:?}) = {}",
+                probe_can_encode(WinVendor::Qsv, codec)
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/nvenc.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/nvenc.rs
index 94ae666d..9957f7ef 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/nvenc.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/nvenc.rs
@@ -1690,17 +1690,14 @@ impl Encoder for NvencD3d11Encoder {
     }
 
     fn caps(&self) -> EncoderCaps {
-        // RFI is probed once at open (`rfi_supported`); HDR SEI rides keyframes whenever the
-        // session is in HDR mode. Both are the real capabilities the session glue routes on.
+        // RFI is probed once at open (`rfi_supported`) — the real capability the session glue
+        // routes on. (In-band HDR SEI needs no cap: it rides keyframes on HEVC/H.264 HDR
+        // sessions — see `submit` — and every first-party client reads the grade out-of-band
+        // via the 0xCE datagram regardless.)
         EncoderCaps {
             // The Windows capture path composites the pointer; this backend never reads `frame.cursor`.
             blends_cursor: false,
             supports_rfi: self.rfi_supported,
-            // In-band mastering/CLL is attached as keyframe SEI on HEVC/H.264 only — AV1 carries
-            // it in METADATA OBUs (`HDR_MDCV`/`HDR_CLL`), which this backend doesn't emit yet
-            // (see `submit`); the grade still reaches punktfunk clients out-of-band via the 0xCE
-            // datagram. Don't claim a capability the AV1 path doesn't have.
-            supports_hdr_metadata: self.hdr && self.codec != Codec::Av1,
             // Reflects what the session actually configured (cleared in `query_caps` if the GPU lacks
             // YUV444 encode), so the glue can confirm 4:4:4 vs the negotiated request.
             chroma_444: self.chroma_444,
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/qsv.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/qsv.rs
index fd12af75..ed49a1d1 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/qsv.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/enc/windows/qsv.rs
@@ -1471,9 +1471,6 @@ impl Encoder for QsvEncoder {
             // As Windows NVENC: the capturer composites; this backend never reads `frame.cursor`.
             blends_cursor: false,
             supports_rfi: self.ltr_active,
-            // In-band mastering/CLL at IDR (HEVC prefix SEI / AV1 metadata OBU); AVC sessions
-            // are never HDR.
-            supports_hdr_metadata: self.ten_bit && self.codec != Codec::H264,
             chroma_444: false,
             intra_refresh: self.ir_active,
             // Unvalidated on-glass — the host keeps the IDR recovery path until then.
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/src/lib.rs b/crates/pf-encode/src/lib.rs
index c053dcb4..a8e41c4e 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/src/lib.rs
@@ -203,14 +203,15 @@ pub fn open_video(
         }
     };
     // The session asked for a composited pointer; say so loudly if the backend that actually opened
-    // cannot deliver one. `cursor_blend` was a REQUEST with no answer for most of this crate's life
-    // (`let _ = cursor_blend;` below), and the result was a stream with no mouse cursor and nothing
-    // in the logs — confirmed on the VAAPI dmabuf path and the libav-NVENC CUDA path.
-    //
-    // A warning is deliberately all this does. `open_video` cannot re-plan capture, so refusing here
-    // would only trade a missing pointer for a dead session; the host owns `plan.cursor_blend` and is
-    // the only layer that can fall back to capturer-side compositing. This makes the condition
-    // visible and queryable (`EncoderCaps::blends_cursor`) so that decision can be made upstream.
+    // cannot deliver one. Since the negotiation became caps-aware ([`cursor_blend_capable`] gates
+    // the cursor channel, and the session plan keeps cursor sessions off the native-NV12/RGB-direct
+    // shapes), no PLANNED path reaches this: capture negotiates embedded-cursor mode wherever the
+    // resolved backend can't blend. What remains reachable is the open-time divergence the plan
+    // cannot see — a Vulkan Video open failing back to VAAPI mid-`open_amd_intel`, and the
+    // gamescope residual (gamescope has no embedded mode, so a never-blending backend there —
+    // H.264→VAAPI, software — still streams cursorless). This is the backstop that keeps those
+    // honest in the logs; `open_video` cannot re-plan capture, so a warning is deliberately all
+    // it does.
     if cursor_blend && !inner.caps().blends_cursor {
         tracing::warn!(
             backend,
@@ -989,6 +990,87 @@ pub fn linux_native_nv12_ok(codec: Codec) -> bool {
     }
 }
 
+/// Whether the encode backend this session will resolve to composites [`CapturedFrame::cursor`]
+/// ([`EncoderCaps::blends_cursor`]) — answered BEFORE capture opens, so the host plans cursor
+/// delivery honestly instead of discovering a cursorless stream after the fact (the
+/// `blends_cursor` audit finding): a blend-capable backend takes cursor-as-metadata capture
+/// (pointer-free frames + host composite on demand — the cursor channel's contract); for
+/// anything else the host must have the compositor EMBED the pointer. The sibling verdict of
+/// [`linux_native_nv12_ok`], threaded into the same negotiation.
+///
+/// `cuda_planned` is the caller's prediction of a CUDA capture payload (NVIDIA + zero-copy — the
+/// prediction `SessionPlan` already makes); `ten_bit` the negotiated depth. Both shift the
+/// dispatch: a CPU payload keeps NVIDIA on libav NVENC (no blend), and a 10-bit HDR session
+/// skips Vulkan Video for libav VAAPI's P010/Main10 wiring (no blend).
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+pub fn cursor_blend_capable(codec: Codec, cuda_planned: bool, ten_bit: bool) -> bool {
+    // A negotiated PyroWave session routes to that backend before the pref is consulted
+    // (`open_video_backend_linux`), and its wavelet CSC composites the metadata cursor.
+    if codec == Codec::PyroWave {
+        return true;
+    }
+    let direct_nvenc = {
+        #[cfg(feature = "nvenc")]
+        {
+            nvenc_direct_enabled()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(feature = "nvenc"))]
+        {
+            false
+        }
+    };
+    let vulkan_csc = {
+        // The compute-CSC arm — the one that blends. Eligibility mirrors `open_amd_intel`;
+        // the device probe runs last (it opens a Vulkan instance, cached per GPU+codec).
+        #[cfg(feature = "vulkan-encode")]
+        {
+            matches!(codec, Codec::H265 | Codec::Av1)
+                && vulkan_encode_enabled()
+                && vulkan_encode_available(codec)
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(feature = "vulkan-encode"))]
+        {
+            false
+        }
+    };
+    let backend = resolve_linux_backend(
+        pf_host_config::config().encoder_pref.as_str(),
+        linux_auto_is_vaapi,
+        cuda_planned,
+    );
+    cursor_blend_capable_for(backend, cuda_planned, ten_bit, direct_nvenc, vulkan_csc)
+}
+
+/// The dispatch-mirroring core of [`cursor_blend_capable`], device-free for the unit tests.
+/// `direct_nvenc` = the direct-SDK NVENC path is compiled in and enabled; `vulkan_csc` = the
+/// Vulkan Video compute-CSC arm (the one that blends) is compiled in, enabled, and
+/// device-supported for the session's codec.
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+fn cursor_blend_capable_for(
+    backend: Option<LinuxBackend>,
+    cuda_planned: bool,
+    ten_bit: bool,
+    direct_nvenc: bool,
+    vulkan_csc: bool,
+) -> bool {
+    match backend {
+        // The wavelet CSC composites the metadata cursor (`linux/pyrowave.rs`).
+        Some(LinuxBackend::Pyrowave) => true,
+        // Only the direct-SDK arm blends (VkSlotBlend), and it only takes CUDA payloads —
+        // a CPU-payload session stays on libav NVENC, which cannot blend.
+        Some(LinuxBackend::Nvenc) => cuda_planned && direct_nvenc,
+        // The Vulkan Video compute-CSC path blends; a 10-bit HDR session skips it for libav
+        // VAAPI (no blend). The session plan keeps a cursor-blend session off the native-NV12
+        // and RGB-direct shapes (`SessionPlan::output_format` / `VulkanVideoEncoder::open`),
+        // so CSC eligibility IS the answer.
+        Some(LinuxBackend::AmdIntel) | Some(LinuxBackend::Vulkan) => !ten_bit && vulkan_csc,
+        // CPU frames: the capturer composites the metadata cursor inline before the encoder
+        // runs, but the ENCODER blends nothing — the cursor channel's on-demand composite
+        // contract can't be honored. Report the encoder's truth.
+        Some(LinuxBackend::Software) | None => false,
+    }
+}
+
 /// Can this GPU + driver actually open a Vulkan Video **encode** session for `codec`? Cached per
 /// (selected GPU, codec) — the [`can_encode_10bit`] idiom, with the probe run outside the lock.
 ///
@@ -1754,6 +1836,72 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(none.wire_mask(), None);
     }
 
+    /// The cursor-blend capability mirror, arm by arm — the table the caps-aware negotiation
+    /// (cursor channel grant, metadata-vs-embedded capture) stands on. Each row names the arm's
+    /// blending stage or the reason there is none.
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    #[test]
+    fn cursor_blend_capability_mirrors_the_dispatch() {
+        use LinuxBackend::*;
+        // PyroWave: the wavelet CSC composites, always.
+        assert!(cursor_blend_capable_for(
+            Some(Pyrowave),
+            false,
+            false,
+            false,
+            false
+        ));
+        // NVIDIA: only the direct-SDK arm blends (VkSlotBlend), and only for CUDA payloads.
+        assert!(cursor_blend_capable_for(
+            Some(Nvenc),
+            true,
+            false,
+            true,
+            false
+        ));
+        assert!(
+            !cursor_blend_capable_for(Some(Nvenc), false, false, true, false),
+            "a CPU payload stays on libav NVENC, which cannot blend"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            !cursor_blend_capable_for(Some(Nvenc), true, false, false, false),
+            "PUNKTFUNK_NVENC_DIRECT=0 (or a build without the feature) is the libav path"
+        );
+        // AMD/Intel: the Vulkan Video compute-CSC arm blends; VAAPI never does.
+        assert!(cursor_blend_capable_for(
+            Some(AmdIntel),
+            false,
+            false,
+            false,
+            true
+        ));
+        assert!(
+            !cursor_blend_capable_for(Some(AmdIntel), false, false, false, false),
+            "no eligible Vulkan CSC arm (H.264, PUNKTFUNK_VULKAN_ENCODE=0, unsupported \
+             device) resolves to libav VAAPI, which cannot blend"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            !cursor_blend_capable_for(Some(AmdIntel), false, true, false, true),
+            "a 10-bit HDR session skips Vulkan Video for VAAPI's P010 wiring — no blend"
+        );
+        assert!(cursor_blend_capable_for(
+            Some(Vulkan),
+            false,
+            false,
+            false,
+            true
+        ));
+        // Software / unknown pref: CPU frames; the encoder blends nothing.
+        assert!(!cursor_blend_capable_for(
+            Some(Software),
+            false,
+            false,
+            true,
+            true
+        ));
+        assert!(!cursor_blend_capable_for(None, false, false, true, true));
+    }
+
     /// WP7.7 guard (the cheap half): every `Encoder` trait method must be explicitly forwarded by
     /// `TrackedEncoder`. A defaulted trait method that isn't forwarded silently no-ops through the
     /// wrapper — the trap has bitten three times (`set_wire_chunking`'s §4.4 chunking probe,
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/capture.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/capture.rs
index 306857f4..54ee6d24 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/capture.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/capture.rs
@@ -66,8 +66,14 @@ fn zero_copy_policy(
 /// Open a live capturer for a client-sized monitor via the xdg ScreenCast portal. `want_hdr`
 /// offers the GNOME 50+ 10-bit PQ/BT.2020 formats (pass it only when the session negotiated HDR
 /// AND the mirrored monitor is in HDR mode — see [`pf_capture::gnome_hdr_monitor_active`]).
+/// `want_metadata_cursor` asks for cursor-as-metadata — pass it only when the session's encode
+/// backend composites `CapturedFrame::cursor` (`encode::cursor_blend_capable`); otherwise the
+/// portal embeds the pointer, so no backend × cursor-mode combination streams cursorless.
 #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
-pub fn open_portal_monitor(want_hdr: bool) -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>> {
+pub fn open_portal_monitor(
+    want_hdr: bool,
+    want_metadata_cursor: bool,
+) -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>> {
     // On RemoteDesktop-capable desktops (KWin/GNOME) anchor ScreenCast to a RemoteDesktop
     // session so it inherits that grant headlessly; wlroots/Sway has no RemoteDesktop portal,
     // so use a plain ScreenCast session there.
@@ -76,11 +82,19 @@ pub fn open_portal_monitor(want_hdr: bool) -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>> {
     // passthrough is virtual-output-only; the global encoder-pref lever still applies inside.
     // Native NV12 stays off too: the mirror path doesn't resolve the codec here, and the desktop
     // compositors it mirrors (GNOME/KWin) don't produce NV12 anyway.
-    pf_capture::open_portal_monitor(anchored, want_hdr, zero_copy_policy(false, false))
+    pf_capture::open_portal_monitor(
+        anchored,
+        want_hdr,
+        want_metadata_cursor,
+        zero_copy_policy(false, false),
+    )
 }
 
 #[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
-pub fn open_portal_monitor(_want_hdr: bool) -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>> {
+pub fn open_portal_monitor(
+    _want_hdr: bool,
+    _want_metadata_cursor: bool,
+) -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>> {
     anyhow::bail!("portal capture requires Linux (xdg-desktop-portal + PipeWire)")
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/stream.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/stream.rs
index 00116a66..c1af33ab 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/stream.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/stream.rs
@@ -33,10 +33,14 @@ pub struct StreamConfig {
     pub hdr: bool,
 }
 
+/// A pooled capturer plus the two PipeWire-negotiation-time properties reuse must match on —
+/// its HDR-ness and its metadata-cursor mode; a mismatch on either needs a fresh screencast
+/// session (see `AppState::video_cap`).
+pub type PooledCapturer = (Box<dyn Capturer>, bool, bool);
+
 /// Slot for the persistent screen capturer, shared with the control plane and reused across
-/// streams so a reconnect doesn't open a second (conflicting) screencast session. The `bool` is
-/// the pooled capturer's HDR-ness (see `AppState::video_cap`).
-pub type CapturerSlot = Arc<std::sync::Mutex<Option<(Box<dyn Capturer>, bool)>>>;
+/// streams so a reconnect doesn't open a second (conflicting) screencast session.
+pub type CapturerSlot = Arc<std::sync::Mutex<Option<PooledCapturer>>>;
 
 /// A pending client reference-frame-invalidation range (lost `firstFrame..=lastFrame`), set by the
 /// control plane and drained by the video thread (see [`AppState::rfi_range`](super::AppState)).
@@ -136,7 +140,7 @@ fn run(
     running: &Arc<AtomicBool>,
     force_idr: &AtomicBool,
     rfi_range: &std::sync::Mutex<Option<(i64, i64)>>,
-    video_cap: &std::sync::Mutex<Option<(Box<dyn Capturer>, bool)>>,
+    video_cap: &std::sync::Mutex<Option<PooledCapturer>>,
     // Shared stats recorder for the web-console capture/graph. Threaded into `stream_body` (the
     // encode loop); per-frame sample emission is wired by a later pass.
     stats: &Arc<crate::stats_recorder::StatsRecorder>,
@@ -250,6 +254,12 @@ fn run(
         return stream_body(
             &mut capturer,
             Some(&rebuild),
+            // The virtual-output source never selects cursor-as-metadata (`set_hw_cursor` is
+            // never called → the compositor EMBEDS the pointer where it can), so the encoder
+            // is handed nothing to composite. gamescope remains the pointerless residual —
+            // its capture carries no cursor either way (the native plane's XFixes source is
+            // not wired on this plane).
+            false,
             &sock,
             cfg,
             running,
@@ -266,13 +276,34 @@ fn run(
     // pooled capturer's HDR-ness matching this stream's negotiated `cfg.hdr` — the depth is a
     // PipeWire-negotiation-time property of the screencast session, so an HDR↔SDR change needs a
     // fresh session (same pattern as the audio capturer's channel-count gate).
+    // Cursor-as-metadata only where the encode backend this session resolves to composites
+    // `frame.cursor` (the caps-aware negotiation — mirror of the native plane's); otherwise ask
+    // the portal to EMBED the pointer so no backend × cursor-mode combination streams
+    // cursorless. Synthetic frames carry no pointer either way.
+    let metadata_cursor = {
+        #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+        {
+            // Same CUDA-payload prediction SessionPlan/`handshake::cursor_forward` make:
+            // the NVIDIA resolution plus the zero-copy master switch.
+            let cuda_planned =
+                !crate::encode::linux_zero_copy_is_vaapi() && crate::zerocopy::enabled();
+            crate::encode::cursor_blend_capable(cfg.codec, cuda_planned, cfg.hdr)
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
+        false
+    };
     let pooled = match video_cap.lock().unwrap().take() {
-        Some((c, was_hdr)) if was_hdr == cfg.hdr => Some(c),
-        Some((c, was_hdr)) => {
+        Some((c, was_hdr, was_meta)) if was_hdr == cfg.hdr && was_meta == metadata_cursor => {
+            Some(c)
+        }
+        Some((c, was_hdr, was_meta)) => {
             tracing::info!(
                 was_hdr,
                 want_hdr = cfg.hdr,
-                "video source: pooled capturer depth mismatch — opening a fresh screencast session"
+                was_metadata_cursor = was_meta,
+                want_metadata_cursor = metadata_cursor,
+                "video source: pooled capturer depth/cursor-mode mismatch — opening a fresh \
+                 screencast session"
             );
             drop(c);
             None
@@ -285,8 +316,13 @@ fn run(
             c
         }
         None if pf_host_config::config().video_source.as_deref() == Some("portal") => {
-            tracing::info!(hdr = cfg.hdr, "video source: portal desktop capture");
-            capture::open_portal_monitor(cfg.hdr).context("open portal capturer")?
+            tracing::info!(
+                hdr = cfg.hdr,
+                metadata_cursor,
+                "video source: portal desktop capture"
+            );
+            capture::open_portal_monitor(cfg.hdr, metadata_cursor)
+                .context("open portal capturer")?
         }
         None => {
             tracing::info!("video source: synthetic test pattern");
@@ -298,6 +334,7 @@ fn run(
     let result = stream_body(
         &mut capturer,
         None,
+        metadata_cursor,
         &sock,
         cfg,
         running,
@@ -314,9 +351,10 @@ fn run(
     // point — and this path has no rebuild closure (unlike the virtual-output path above), so a
     // re-admitted dead capturer wedged GameStream portal video permanently, at 10 s per reconnect
     // attempt. Dropping it instead costs one fresh screencast session on the next connect. Note
-    // `result` may already be `Err` here, which is itself that signal.
+    // `result` may already be `Err` here, which is itself that signal. (`metadata_cursor` rides
+    // along as the second reuse key, beside HDR-ness — see `PooledCapturer`.)
     if result.is_ok() && capturer.is_alive() {
-        *video_cap.lock().unwrap() = Some((capturer, cfg.hdr));
+        *video_cap.lock().unwrap() = Some((capturer, cfg.hdr, metadata_cursor));
     } else {
         tracing::info!(
             stream_failed = result.is_err(),
@@ -662,6 +700,10 @@ fn stream_body(
     // Re-open the video source on capture loss (virtual-display path → follow a Desktop<->Game switch);
     // `None` for the portal/synthetic source, which has nothing to re-detect (propagate the error).
     rebuild: Option<&dyn Fn() -> Result<Box<dyn Capturer>>>,
+    // The capture hands the encoder cursor bitmaps to composite (cursor-as-metadata negotiated
+    // because the resolved backend blends — see the callers). `false` = the pointer is embedded
+    // in the pixels (or absent), so the encoder is asked to composite nothing.
+    cursor_blend: bool,
     sock: &UdpSocket,
     cfg: StreamConfig,
     running: &Arc<AtomicBool>,
@@ -697,9 +739,9 @@ fn stream_body(
         // GameStream/Moonlight stays 4:2:0 — stock Moonlight clients can't decode 4:4:4, and the
         // Windows IDD-push capturer can't yet deliver full-chroma frames. 4:4:4 is punktfunk/1-native only.
         encode::ChromaFormat::Yuv420,
-        // Desktop monitor capture negotiates cursor-as-metadata where available — the encoder
-        // may be handed cursor bitmaps to composite.
-        true,
+        // True only when THIS session's capture negotiated cursor-as-metadata — which the
+        // callers grant only where the resolved backend composites (`cursor_blend_capable`).
+        cursor_blend,
     )
     .context("open video encoder for stream")?;
     // Tell the encoder how deep the capturer lets it pipeline. Without this an in-place backend
@@ -871,7 +913,7 @@ fn stream_body(
                     frame.is_cuda(),
                     gs_bit_depth(frame.format),
                     encode::ChromaFormat::Yuv420, // GameStream stays 4:2:0
-                    true,                         // metadata-cursor capture — see the first open
+                    cursor_blend,                 // same capture cursor mode — see the first open
                 )
                 .context("reopen encoder after rebuild")?;
                 // A rebuilt encoder starts unconfigured — same reason as the first open above.
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native.rs
index a9bb54d2..8dd2aff3 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native.rs
@@ -1012,9 +1012,10 @@ async fn serve_session(
     // just never fires then.
     let (cursor_shape_tx, cursor_shape_rx) =
         tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel::<punktfunk_core::quic::CursorShape>();
-    // Negotiated cursor forwarding: MUST match the HOST_CAP_CURSOR bit the Welcome advertised
-    // (handshake::cursor_forward is the single predicate both read).
-    let cursor_forward = handshake::cursor_forward(hello.client_caps, compositor);
+    // Negotiated cursor forwarding: the HOST_CAP_CURSOR bit the Welcome advertised, read back
+    // rather than recomputed (`handshake::cursor_forward` computed it once, with the encoder
+    // blend-capability gate — re-running it here could drift, and would re-probe).
+    let cursor_forward = welcome.host_caps & punktfunk_core::quic::HOST_CAP_CURSOR != 0;
     // Who renders the pointer RIGHT NOW (client `CursorRenderMode`, flipped live by the mouse-
     // model chord): `true` = client draws (exclude + forward), `false` = host composites (the
     // capture model). Starts true — the pre-message behavior for cap sessions. Control task
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs
index bd20f761..067d7146 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs
@@ -12,31 +12,46 @@ use super::*;
 /// the client asked ([`CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR`](punktfunk_core::quic::CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR)) AND the
 /// capture path can deliver cursor metadata separately from the frame — the Linux portal
 /// `SPA_META_Cursor` path (not gamescope, whose capture paints no cursor at all), or Windows
-/// with a proto-v5 pf-vdisplay driver (the IddCx hardware-cursor channel, M2c). THE single
-/// predicate: the Welcome's `HOST_CAP_CURSOR` bit and the session's forwarding/blend-off
-/// wiring both read it, so they can never disagree.
+/// with a proto-v5 pf-vdisplay driver (the IddCx hardware-cursor channel, M2c) — AND, on
+/// Linux, the encode backend this session resolves to can composite the pointer on demand
+/// (`encode::cursor_blend_capable`): the channel's capture-mouse flip (`CursorRenderMode`,
+/// `client_draws = false`) makes the HOST draw the pointer, and on Linux the encoder is that
+/// compositing stage — granting the channel over a backend that can't blend (libav
+/// VAAPI/NVENC, software) shipped a cursorless stream on every capture-mode flip. Denied, the
+/// session keeps the pre-channel path: the compositor EMBEDS the pointer and the client never
+/// draws — never cursorless, never doubled. THE single predicate: the Welcome's
+/// `HOST_CAP_CURSOR` bit is computed from it, and the session wiring reads that bit back.
 pub(super) fn cursor_forward(
     client_caps: u8,
     compositor: Option<crate::vdisplay::Compositor>,
+    codec: crate::encode::Codec,
+    bit_depth: u8,
 ) -> bool {
     if client_caps & punktfunk_core::quic::CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR == 0 {
         return false;
     }
     #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
     {
+        // CUDA-payload prediction — the same one `SessionPlan` makes: the NVIDIA resolution
+        // plus the zero-copy master switch. It decides direct-SDK NVENC (blends) vs libav
+        // NVENC (doesn't) inside the capability mirror.
+        let cuda_planned = !crate::encode::linux_zero_copy_is_vaapi() && crate::zerocopy::enabled();
         compositor.is_some_and(|c| c != crate::vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope)
+            && crate::encode::cursor_blend_capable(codec, cuda_planned, bit_depth == 10)
     }
     #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
     {
         // Windows (M2c): the pf-vdisplay driver must speak the v5 hardware-cursor channel —
         // DWM composites the pointer into the IDD frame otherwise, and forwarding a second
-        // copy would double it. The probe latches by opening the control device once.
-        let _ = compositor;
+        // copy would double it. The probe latches by opening the control device once. The
+        // encoder is deliberately NOT consulted: the IDD capturer itself composites on the
+        // capture-mouse flip (`set_cursor_forward`), so no Windows encode backend blends.
+        let _ = (compositor, codec, bit_depth);
         crate::vdisplay::manager::hw_cursor_capable()
     }
     #[cfg(not(any(target_os = "linux", target_os = "windows")))]
     {
-        let _ = compositor;
+        let _ = (compositor, codec, bit_depth);
         false
     }
 }
@@ -493,9 +508,10 @@ pub(super) async fn negotiate(
                 0
             }
             // Cursor channel granted (client asked + this capture path can deliver cursor
-            // metadata out of the frame) — the client turns its local renderer on ONLY when
-            // it sees this bit, and serve_session wires forwarding from the same predicate.
-            | if cursor_forward(hello.client_caps, compositor) {
+            // metadata out of the frame + the resolved encoder can composite on the
+            // capture-mouse flip) — the client turns its local renderer on ONLY when it sees
+            // this bit, and serve_session wires forwarding by reading the bit back.
+            | if cursor_forward(hello.client_caps, compositor, codec, bit_depth) {
                 punktfunk_core::quic::HOST_CAP_CURSOR
             } else {
                 0
@@ -541,9 +557,9 @@ pub(super) async fn negotiate(
             let (ctx_tx, ctx_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::sync_channel::<SessionContext>(1);
             let client_identity = endpoint::peer_fingerprint(conn);
             let client_hdr = hello.display_hdr;
-            // Same predicate the Welcome's HOST_CAP_CURSOR bit used — the prepared display and
-            // the session wiring must agree with what we just advertised.
-            let cursor_fw = cursor_forward(hello.client_caps, Some(comp));
+            // The bit the Welcome just advertised — read back rather than recomputed, so the
+            // prepared display and the session wiring cannot disagree with it.
+            let cursor_fw = welcome.host_caps & punktfunk_core::quic::HOST_CAP_CURSOR != 0;
             let (mode, shard_payload) = (hello.mode, welcome.shard_payload);
             let trace = bringup.clone();
             std::thread::Builder::new()
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs
index 90cdfeba..99fed745 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs
@@ -1022,8 +1022,13 @@ pub(super) fn virtual_stream(ctx: SessionContext, prepared: Option<PreparedDispl
         // pointer compositor-EMBEDDED (`vd.set_hw_cursor(false)` → no cursor metadata, nothing to
         // blend), keeping the zero-cost pre-channel path. gamescope is the exception (Phase C):
         // it can't embed the pointer, so the host ALWAYS composites the XFixes-sourced cursor —
-        // the blend must be built for every gamescope session.
-        ctx.compositor == pf_vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope || ctx.cursor_forward,
+        // the blend must be built for every gamescope session. (`cursor_forward` is already
+        // blend-gated: `handshake::cursor_forward` grants the channel only where
+        // `encode::cursor_blend_capable` says the resolved backend composites.)
+        crate::session_plan::cursor_blend_for(
+            ctx.cursor_forward,
+            ctx.compositor == pf_vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope,
+        ),
         ctx.cursor_forward,
     );
     // gamescope: the XFixes cursor source feeds the always-on composite (Phase C). Set after
@@ -2098,8 +2103,10 @@ pub(super) fn virtual_stream(ctx: SessionContext, prepared: Option<PreparedDispl
                                         // capture-mode channel); a switch AWAY restores the prior
                                         // gating. `plan` is `Copy` — this is the value the rebuild
                                         // (and its `build_pipeline` attach) reads.
-                                        plan.cursor_blend = plan.cursor_forward
-                                            || c == crate::vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope;
+                                        plan.cursor_blend = crate::session_plan::cursor_blend_for(
+                                            plan.cursor_forward,
+                                            c == crate::vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope,
+                                        );
                                         plan.gamescope_cursor =
                                             c == crate::vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope;
                                         gamescope_composite =
@@ -2987,7 +2994,10 @@ pub(super) fn prepare_display(
         // non-gamescope sessions get the pointer compositor-EMBEDDED, nothing to blend; the
         // mid-stream `CursorRenderMode` flip strips/keeps `frame.cursor` per tick for channel
         // sessions). gamescope (Phase C) can't embed → always composites the XFixes cursor.
-        compositor == pf_vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope || cursor_forward,
+        crate::session_plan::cursor_blend_for(
+            cursor_forward,
+            compositor == pf_vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope,
+        ),
         cursor_forward,
     );
     plan.gamescope_cursor = compositor == pf_vdisplay::Compositor::Gamescope;
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/session_plan.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/session_plan.rs
index ba9b29ed..6b5f378e 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/session_plan.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/session_plan.rs
@@ -104,9 +104,13 @@ pub struct SessionPlan {
     /// AUs stay shard-aligned across mode/bitrate/stall rebuilds. `None` for the H.26x codecs.
     pub wire_chunk: Option<usize>,
     /// The session may hand the encoder cursor bitmaps to composite (cursor-as-metadata
-    /// captures — every non-gamescope compositor; gamescope embeds the pointer itself).
-    /// Encoders whose fast path cannot blend (the Vulkan EFC RGB-direct source) stay on their
-    /// blending path when this is set, so the pointer never silently vanishes from the stream.
+    /// captures). Set via [`cursor_blend_for`] — the single platform rule — so it is `true` only
+    /// where the ENCODER is the compositing stage (Linux cursor-forward and gamescope sessions);
+    /// Windows is always `false` (the IDD capturer composites the pointer itself). Encoders
+    /// whose fast path cannot blend (the Vulkan EFC RGB-direct source, native NV12) stay off
+    /// those shapes when this is set — see [`Self::output_format`] and
+    /// `encode::cursor_blend_capable`, the pre-open mirror that gates the cursor channel — so
+    /// the pointer never silently vanishes from the stream.
     pub cursor_blend: bool,
     /// The session negotiated the cursor-forward channel (M2/M2c): the client draws the pointer
     /// locally, so `cursor_blend` is off AND (on Windows) the capturer sets the driver's
@@ -198,13 +202,15 @@ impl SessionPlan {
             // Producer-native NV12 (gamescope) is consumable only by the Linux Vulkan Video
             // backend — resolved HERE from the plan's codec so the capturer never reaches back
             // into encode (the same one-way edge as `gpu` above). BUT the native-NV12 encode path
-            // has no CSC stage to fold the cursor into (it assumes gamescope embeds its pointer,
-            // which it does NOT into the PipeWire node) — so a gamescope-cursor session (Phase C)
-            // must capture RGB instead, routing to the compute-CSC / VkSlotBlend blend that draws
-            // `frame.cursor`. Costs the RGB→NV12 CSC we'd otherwise skip; the native-NV12 cursor
-            // blend is the perf-preserving follow-up.
+            // has no CSC stage to fold the cursor into — so ANY cursor-compositing session
+            // (gamescope Phase C, whose XFixes pointer is absent from the PipeWire node, AND a
+            // cursor-forward session, whose capture-mouse flip needs the host composite on
+            // demand) must capture RGB instead, routing to the compute-CSC / VkSlotBlend blend
+            // that draws `frame.cursor`. Costs the RGB→NV12 CSC we'd otherwise skip; the
+            // native-NV12 cursor blend is the perf-preserving follow-up. (`cursor_blend`
+            // subsumes `gamescope_cursor` — see [`cursor_blend_for`].)
             #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
-            nv12_native: crate::encode::linux_native_nv12_ok(self.codec) && !self.gamescope_cursor,
+            nv12_native: crate::encode::linux_native_nv12_ok(self.codec) && !self.cursor_blend,
             #[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
             nv12_native: false,
         }
@@ -217,6 +223,26 @@ pub(crate) fn resolve_topology() -> SessionTopology {
     SessionTopology::SingleProcess
 }
 
+/// THE rule for [`SessionPlan::cursor_blend`], shared by every resolve caller (initial plan and
+/// the mid-stream compositor re-gate) so they can't drift:
+/// * **Linux**: the encoder is the compositing stage — blend for a cursor-forward session (the
+///   capture-mouse flip needs the host composite on demand) and for gamescope (its capture
+///   carries no pointer at all; the XFixes-sourced cursor must be drawn into the video).
+/// * **Windows**: never — the IDD capturer composites the pointer itself (`cursor_blend.rs` /
+///   DWM), and no Windows encode backend reads `frame.cursor`. Asking the encoder anyway made
+///   `open_video`'s blends-cursor backstop fire spuriously on every cursor-channel session.
+pub(crate) fn cursor_blend_for(cursor_forward: bool, gamescope: bool) -> bool {
+    #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
+    {
+        let _ = (cursor_forward, gamescope);
+        false
+    }
+    #[cfg(not(target_os = "windows"))]
+    {
+        cursor_forward || gamescope
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
 fn resolve_encoder() -> EncoderBackend {
     match crate::encode::windows_resolved_backend() {
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/spike.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/spike.rs
index 1fed9270..30fdc64e 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/spike.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/spike.rs
@@ -94,7 +94,9 @@ pub fn run(opts: Options) -> Result<()> {
                 want_hdr,
                 "spike source: xdg ScreenCast portal (live monitor)"
             );
-            capture::open_portal_monitor(want_hdr).context("open portal capturer")?
+            // Embedded cursor: the spike passes `cursor_blend = false` to its encoder open, so
+            // a metadata pointer would be composited by nothing.
+            capture::open_portal_monitor(want_hdr, false).context("open portal capturer")?
         }
         Source::KwinVirtual => {
             let compositor = crate::vdisplay::detect().unwrap_or(crate::vdisplay::Compositor::Kwin);