diff --git a/src/Surface.zig b/src/Surface.zig
index 23531f387..fc1e55ec5 100644
--- a/src/Surface.zig
+++ b/src/Surface.zig
@@ -803,7 +803,7 @@ pub fn deinit(self: *Surface) void {
     self.io.deinit();
 
     if (self.inspector) |v| {
-        v.deinit();
+        v.deinit(self.alloc);
         self.alloc.destroy(v);
     }
 
@@ -879,8 +879,10 @@ pub fn activateInspector(self: *Surface) !void {
     // Setup the inspector
     const ptr = try self.alloc.create(inspectorpkg.Inspector);
     errdefer self.alloc.destroy(ptr);
-    ptr.* = try inspectorpkg.Inspector.init(self);
+    ptr.* = try inspectorpkg.Inspector.init(self.alloc);
+    errdefer ptr.deinit(self.alloc);
     self.inspector = ptr;
+    errdefer self.inspector = null;
 
     // Put the inspector onto the render state
     {
@@ -912,7 +914,7 @@ pub fn deactivateInspector(self: *Surface) void {
     self.queueIo(.{ .inspector = false }, .unlocked);
 
     // Deinit the inspector
-    insp.deinit();
+    insp.deinit(self.alloc);
     self.alloc.destroy(insp);
     self.inspector = null;
 }
@@ -2635,7 +2637,7 @@ pub fn keyCallback(
             break :ev;
         };
 
-        if (insp.recordKeyEvent(ev)) {
+        if (insp.recordKeyEvent(self.alloc, ev)) {
             self.queueRender() catch {};
         } else |err| {
             log.warn("error adding key event to inspector err={}", .{err});
diff --git a/src/apprt/embedded.zig b/src/apprt/embedded.zig
index 2fbae8fdf..dcf8a6357 100644
--- a/src/apprt/embedded.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/embedded.zig
@@ -1061,7 +1061,7 @@ pub const Inspector = struct {
             render: {
                 const surface = &self.surface.core_surface;
                 const inspector = surface.inspector orelse break :render;
-                inspector.render();
+                inspector.render(surface);
             }
 
             // Render
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/class/inspector_widget.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/class/inspector_widget.zig
index 046cd2174..80ac7fc3e 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/class/inspector_widget.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/class/inspector_widget.zig
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ pub const InspectorWidget = extern struct {
         const surface = priv.surface orelse return;
         const core_surface = surface.core() orelse return;
         const inspector = core_surface.inspector orelse return;
-        inspector.render();
+        inspector.render(core_surface);
     }
 
     //---------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/inspector/Inspector.zig b/src/inspector/Inspector.zig
index 0044556a1..584d108bc 100644
--- a/src/inspector/Inspector.zig
+++ b/src/inspector/Inspector.zig
@@ -19,9 +19,6 @@ const window_cell = "Cell";
 const window_termio = "Terminal IO";
 const window_imgui_demo = "Dear ImGui Demo";
 
-/// The surface that we're inspecting.
-surface: *Surface,
-
 /// Mouse state that we track in addition to normal mouse states that
 /// Ghostty always knows about.
 mouse: widgets.surface.Mouse = .{},
@@ -121,23 +118,23 @@ pub fn setup() void {
     }
 }
 
-pub fn init(surface: *Surface) !Inspector {
-    var gui: widgets.surface.Inspector = try .init(surface.alloc);
-    errdefer gui.deinit(surface.alloc);
-
-    return .{
-        .surface = surface,
-        .gui = gui,
-    };
+pub fn init(alloc: Allocator) !Inspector {
+    var gui: widgets.surface.Inspector = try .init(alloc);
+    errdefer gui.deinit(alloc);
+    return .{ .gui = gui };
 }
 
-pub fn deinit(self: *Inspector) void {
-    self.gui.deinit(self.surface.alloc);
+pub fn deinit(self: *Inspector, alloc: Allocator) void {
+    self.gui.deinit(alloc);
     self.cell.deinit();
 }
 
 /// Record a keyboard event.
-pub fn recordKeyEvent(self: *Inspector, ev: inspector.KeyEvent) !void {
+pub fn recordKeyEvent(
+    self: *Inspector,
+    alloc: Allocator,
+    ev: inspector.KeyEvent,
+) Allocator.Error!void {
     const max_capacity = 50;
 
     const events: *widgets.key.EventRing = &self.gui.key_stream.events;
@@ -145,11 +142,11 @@ pub fn recordKeyEvent(self: *Inspector, ev: inspector.KeyEvent) !void {
         error.OutOfMemory => if (events.capacity() < max_capacity) {
             // We're out of memory, but we can allocate to our capacity.
             const new_capacity = @min(events.capacity() * 2, max_capacity);
-            try events.resize(self.surface.alloc, new_capacity);
+            try events.resize(alloc, new_capacity);
             try events.append(ev);
         } else {
             var it = events.iterator(.forward);
-            if (it.next()) |old_ev| old_ev.deinit(self.surface.alloc);
+            if (it.next()) |old_ev| old_ev.deinit(alloc);
             events.deleteOldest(1);
             try events.append(ev);
         },
@@ -177,9 +174,12 @@ pub fn recordPtyRead(
 }
 
 /// Render the frame.
-pub fn render(self: *Inspector) void {
+pub fn render(
+    self: *Inspector,
+    surface: *Surface,
+) void {
     self.gui.draw(
-        self.surface,
+        surface,
         self.mouse,
     );
 }