diff --git a/src/lib/enum.zig b/src/lib/enum.zig
index 8a1bbb1fb..3c7a3a412 100644
--- a/src/lib/enum.zig
+++ b/src/lib/enum.zig
@@ -5,18 +5,16 @@ const Target = @import("target.zig").Target;
 /// if we're targeting C, otherwise a Zig enum with smallest possible
 /// backing type.
 ///
-/// In all cases, the enum keys will be created in the order given.
-/// For C ABI, this means that the order MUST NOT be changed in order
-/// to preserve ABI compatibility. You can set a key to null to
-/// remove it from the Zig enum while keeping the "hole" in the C enum
-/// to preserve ABI compatibility.
+/// In all cases, each enum value is its index in `keys`. The order MUST NOT
+/// be changed when the integer values are part of an ABI or serialized format.
+/// A null key removes that field while preserving its integer hole.
 ///
 /// C detection is up to the caller, since there are multiple ways
 /// to do that. We rely on the `target` parameter to determine whether we
 /// should create a C compatible enum or a Zig enum.
 ///
-/// For the Zig enum, the enum value is not guaranteed to be stable, so
-/// it shouldn't be relied for things like serialization.
+/// C enums use `c_int`. Zig enums use the smallest unsigned integer that can
+/// represent every key index, including holes.
 pub fn Enum(
     target: Target,
     keys: []const ?[:0]const u8,
@@ -24,14 +22,12 @@ pub fn Enum(
     var names_raw: [keys.len][]const u8 = undefined;
     var values_raw: [keys.len]comptime_int = undefined;
     const names_actual, const values_actual = kv: {
-        // Remove any holes in the input (null values). As mentioned in the
-        // function docs, in the event of the C ABI, we need to preserve the
-        // original value, so we account for that.
+        // Remove null fields while preserving their positions as integer holes.
         var to: comptime_int = 0;
         for (0..keys.len) |from| {
             if (keys[from]) |key| {
                 names_raw[to] = key;
-                values_raw[to] = if (target == .c) from else to;
+                values_raw[to] = from;
                 to += 1;
             }
         }
@@ -41,7 +37,7 @@ pub fn Enum(
 
     const TagInt = switch (target) {
         .c => c_int,
-        .zig => std.math.IntFittingRange(0, names_actual.len - 1),
+        .zig => std.math.IntFittingRange(0, keys.len - 1),
     };
 
     return @Enum(TagInt, .exhaustive, names_actual, &(values: {
@@ -69,7 +65,7 @@ test "c" {
     try testing.expectEqual(c_int, info.tag_type);
 }
 
-test "abi by removing a key" {
+test "stable values when removing a key" {
     const testing = std.testing;
     // C
     {
@@ -84,10 +80,28 @@ test "abi by removing a key" {
         const T = Enum(.zig, &.{ "a", "b", null, "d" });
         const info = @typeInfo(T).@"enum";
         try testing.expectEqual(u2, info.tag_type);
-        try testing.expectEqual(2, @intFromEnum(T.d));
+        try testing.expectEqual(3, @intFromEnum(T.d));
     }
 }
 
+test "zig backing integer includes trailing holes" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+    const T = Enum(.zig, &.{ "a", null, null, null, null });
+    const info = @typeInfo(T).@"enum";
+    try testing.expectEqual(u3, info.tag_type);
+    try testing.expectEqual(0, @intFromEnum(T.a));
+}
+
+test "zig values remain stable across multiple holes" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+    const T = Enum(.zig, &.{ null, "b", null, "d", null, "f" });
+    const info = @typeInfo(T).@"enum";
+    try testing.expectEqual(u3, info.tag_type);
+    try testing.expectEqual(1, @intFromEnum(T.b));
+    try testing.expectEqual(3, @intFromEnum(T.d));
+    try testing.expectEqual(5, @intFromEnum(T.f));
+}
+
 /// Verify that for every key in enum T, there is a matching declaration in
 /// `ghostty.h` with the correct value. This should only ever be called inside a `test`
 /// because the `ghostty.h` module is only available then.
diff --git a/src/terminal/PageList.zig b/src/terminal/PageList.zig
index 5c4c7ac13..b8149544c 100644
--- a/src/terminal/PageList.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/PageList.zig
@@ -3866,6 +3866,125 @@ pub fn increaseCapacity(
     return new_node;
 }
 
+/// Allocate a new page using the PageList's memory pools.
+///
+/// The page is detached: it doesn't contribute to the memory limits or
+/// row counts or anything in the PageList. The caller must call `finalize`
+/// to add it to the PageList at the appropriate place, or `deinit` to
+/// throw it away.
+pub fn allocatePage(
+    self: *PageList,
+    capacity: Capacity,
+) Allocator.Error!PageAllocation {
+    return .{
+        .destination = self,
+        .node = try createPageExt(
+            &self.pool,
+            .{ .cap = capacity },
+            &self.page_serial,
+            null,
+        ),
+    };
+}
+
+/// One PageList-pooled page which has not yet joined the live page sequence.
+pub const PageAllocation = struct {
+    destination: *PageList,
+    node: ?*List.Node,
+
+    /// Return the fresh page storage for the caller to populate.
+    pub fn page(self: *PageAllocation) *Page {
+        return self.node.?.pageAssumeResident();
+    }
+
+    /// Release an uncommitted page back to its PageList's pools.
+    ///
+    /// This is safe to call after `finalize` succeeds, so callers can defer
+    /// it unconditionally.
+    pub fn deinit(self: *PageAllocation) void {
+        const node = self.node orelse return;
+        destroyNodeExt(
+            &self.destination.pool,
+            node,
+            null,
+        );
+        self.node = null;
+    }
+
+    pub const Location = union(enum) {
+        /// Prepend the page to the start of the list (oldest history).
+        prepend,
+    };
+
+    /// Finalize this complete page and transfer its ownership to the PageList.
+    /// The parameter determines where it goes into the PageList.
+    ///
+    /// Existing pages and tracked pins keep their identity. A pinned viewport
+    /// keeps showing the same content while its cached absolute row offset
+    /// moves down by the number of newly inserted rows.
+    pub fn finalize(self: *PageAllocation, location: Location) FinalizeError!void {
+        switch (location) {
+            .prepend => return try self.prepend(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub const FinalizeError = error{
+        InvalidPageDimensions,
+        RowCountOverflow,
+        PageSizeOverflow,
+        MaxSizeExceeded,
+        MaxLinesExceeded,
+    };
+
+    fn prepend(self: *PageAllocation) FinalizeError!void {
+        const destination = self.destination;
+        const node = self.node.?;
+
+        // Validate the populated page and all resulting accounting before
+        // publishing the detached node into the live list.
+        if (node.cols() == 0 or node.rows() == 0) return error.InvalidPageDimensions;
+        const total_rows = std.math.add(
+            usize,
+            destination.total_rows,
+            node.rows(),
+        ) catch return error.RowCountOverflow;
+        const node_size: usize = switch (node.owned) {
+            .pool => PagePool.item_size,
+            .heap => node.pageAssumeResident().memory.len,
+        };
+        const page_size = std.math.add(
+            usize,
+            destination.page_size,
+            node_size,
+        ) catch return error.PageSizeOverflow;
+
+        // Restored history is exact data, so reject a page which cannot
+        // coexist with the receiving PageList's configured limits.
+        if (page_size > destination.limits.max(.bytes)) {
+            return error.MaxSizeExceeded;
+        }
+        if (total_rows - destination.rows > destination.limits.max(.lines)) {
+            return error.MaxLinesExceeded;
+        }
+
+        // No fallible work remains. Publish the page and update every cached
+        // quantity affected by inserting rows above the existing first page.
+        errdefer comptime unreachable;
+        destination.pages.prepend(node);
+        destination.page_size = page_size;
+        destination.total_rows = total_rows;
+        if (destination.viewport == .pin) {
+            if (destination.viewport_pin_row_offset) |*offset| {
+                offset.* += node.rows();
+            }
+        }
+        destination.page_compression.markActivity();
+
+        destination.assertIntegrity();
+        self.node = null;
+    }
+};
+
 /// Options for createPage and createPageExt.
 const CreatePage = struct {
     /// The capacity to allocate the page with.
@@ -6829,6 +6948,513 @@ pub const Pin = struct {
     }
 };
 
+/// Build up a PageList manually from a set of Pages.
+///
+/// This data structure is transactional: `deinit` releases every page
+/// until `finish` is called. This keeps the ownership clear: a complete
+/// PageList either owns all its pages or doesn't.
+///
+/// This was specifically built to help facilitate snapshot decoding
+/// which transfers pages directly, but could be generally useful
+/// for other purposes as well.
+pub const Builder = struct {
+    pool: MemoryPool,
+    pages: List = .{},
+    page_serial: u64 = 0,
+    page_size: usize = 0,
+    options: Options,
+    finished: bool = false,
+
+    /// Initialize an empty builder. The options are the final state
+    /// of the PageList and some validation is done on the finish call
+    /// to ensure you built up a proper PageList according to those options.
+    pub fn init(
+        alloc: Allocator,
+        options: Options,
+    ) Allocator.Error!Builder {
+        return .{
+            .pool = try MemoryPool.init(
+                alloc,
+                pageAllocator(),
+                page_preheat,
+            ),
+            .options = options,
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// Release all pages when restoration does not finish.
+    ///
+    /// This is safe to call after `finish` succeeds, so callers can defer it
+    /// unconditionally.
+    pub fn deinit(self: *Builder) void {
+        if (self.finished) return;
+
+        // Free all our in-progress pages
+        while (self.pages.popFirst()) |node| destroyNodeExt(
+            &self.pool,
+            node,
+            &self.page_size,
+        );
+        // Free memory pool
+        self.pool.deinit();
+        self.* = undefined;
+    }
+
+    /// Allocate a new page into the PageList with the given capacity.
+    ///
+    /// The caller can then take this page and populate it. When `finish`
+    /// is called, ownership is transferred to the resulting PageList.
+    /// Until then, this Builder owns the page.
+    pub fn allocatePage(
+        self: *Builder,
+        capacity: Capacity,
+    ) Allocator.Error!*Page {
+        const node = try createPageExt(
+            &self.pool,
+            .{ .cap = capacity },
+            &self.page_serial,
+            &self.page_size,
+        );
+        self.pages.append(node);
+        return node.pageAssumeResident();
+    }
+
+    pub const FinishError = Allocator.Error || error{
+        InvalidDimensions,
+        InvalidPageDimensions,
+        NoPages,
+        InsufficientRows,
+    };
+
+    /// Validate the decoded pages and transfer them into a live PageList.
+    /// After this succeeds, `deinit` is a no-op because all resources have
+    /// transferred to the PageList.
+    pub fn finish(self: *Builder) FinishError!PageList {
+        // These are basic validations but they're cheap to do and
+        // we want to be careful we don't let corruption from untrusted
+        // sources into our PageList which asserts this.
+        if (self.options.cols == 0 or self.options.rows == 0) {
+            return error.InvalidDimensions;
+        }
+        if (self.pages.first == null) return error.NoPages;
+
+        // Manually count our total rows at this point which we'll
+        // need for our PageList cache as well as a safety check.
+        const total_rows: usize = total_rows: {
+            var total_rows: usize = 0;
+            var node = self.pages.first;
+            while (node) |current| : (node = current.next) {
+                if (current.cols() == 0 or current.rows() == 0) {
+                    return error.InvalidPageDimensions;
+                }
+                total_rows += current.rows();
+            }
+            if (total_rows < self.options.rows) return error.InsufficientRows;
+            break :total_rows total_rows;
+        };
+
+        // Get our active pin
+        const active_top: Pin = active_top: {
+            var rem = self.options.rows;
+            var node = self.pages.last;
+            while (node) |current| : (node = current.prev) {
+                if (rem <= current.rows()) break :active_top .{
+                    .node = current,
+                    .y = current.rows() - rem,
+                };
+                rem -= current.rows();
+            } else unreachable;
+        };
+
+        // Set our viewport up to the active
+        const viewport_pin = try self.pool.pins.create();
+        errdefer self.pool.pins.destroy(viewport_pin);
+        viewport_pin.* = active_top;
+
+        // Setup our one viewport tracked pin
+        var tracked_pins: PinSet = .{};
+        errdefer tracked_pins.deinit(self.pool.alloc);
+        try tracked_pins.putNoClobber(self.pool.alloc, viewport_pin, {});
+
+        // Initialize limits
+        var limits: Limits = .init(self.options.cols, self.options.rows);
+        limits.set(.bytes, self.options.max_size);
+        limits.set(.lines, self.options.max_lines);
+
+        const result: PageList = .{
+            .cols = self.options.cols,
+            .rows = self.options.rows,
+            .pool = self.pool,
+            .pages = self.pages,
+            .page_serial = self.page_serial,
+            .page_serial_epoch = 0,
+            .page_size = self.page_size,
+            .limits = limits,
+            .total_rows = total_rows,
+            .tracked_pins = tracked_pins,
+            .viewport = .{ .active = {} },
+            .viewport_pin = viewport_pin,
+            .viewport_pin_row_offset = null,
+        };
+        result.assertIntegrity();
+        self.finished = true;
+        return result;
+    }
+};
+
+test "PageList Builder transfers mixed-width pages" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    // Build two populated pages whose widths differ from each other and from
+    // the final active-area width. The first page also includes one row of
+    // incidental history above the three-row active area.
+    var result: PageList = result: {
+        var builder = try Builder.init(testing.allocator, .{
+            .cols = 4,
+            .rows = 3,
+            .max_size = null,
+            .max_lines = null,
+        });
+        defer builder.deinit();
+
+        const first = try builder.allocatePage(.{
+            .cols = 2,
+            .rows = 2,
+        });
+        first.size.rows = 2;
+        first.getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.* = .init('A');
+
+        const second = try builder.allocatePage(.{
+            .cols = 4,
+            .rows = 2,
+        });
+        second.size.rows = 2;
+        second.getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.* = .init('B');
+
+        break :result try builder.finish();
+    };
+    defer result.deinit();
+
+    // Successful finish transfers ownership and initializes the PageList's
+    // desired geometry, viewport, and required tracked viewport pin.
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(size.CellCountInt, 4), result.cols);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(size.CellCountInt, 3), result.rows);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 2), result.totalPages());
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 1), result.countTrackedPins());
+    try testing.expectEqual(Viewport.active, result.viewport);
+
+    // Complete pages and their contents are preserved in insertion order,
+    // including widths which have not yet been reflowed.
+    const screen_top = result.getTopLeft(.screen);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(size.CellCountInt, 2), screen_top.node.cols());
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(u21, 'A'), screen_top
+        .node.page().getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.codepoint());
+
+    // The active area is calculated backward from the newest page, so it
+    // begins at row one of the oldest page and leaves row zero as history.
+    const active_top = result.getTopLeft(.active);
+    try testing.expectEqual(screen_top.node, active_top.node);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(size.CellCountInt, 1), active_top.y);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(size.CellCountInt, 4), active_top
+        .node.next.?.cols());
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(u21, 'B'), active_top
+        .node.next.?.page().getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.codepoint());
+
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+}
+
+test "PageList Builder validates the finished list" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    // The desired PageList geometry must describe a non-empty screen.
+    {
+        var builder = try Builder.init(testing.allocator, .{
+            .cols = 0,
+            .rows = 1,
+        });
+        defer builder.deinit();
+        try testing.expectError(error.InvalidDimensions, builder.finish());
+    }
+
+    // A PageList cannot be finished without any backing pages.
+    {
+        var builder = try Builder.init(testing.allocator, .{
+            .cols = 1,
+            .rows = 1,
+        });
+        defer builder.deinit();
+        try testing.expectError(error.NoPages, builder.finish());
+    }
+
+    // Allocated capacity alone is insufficient: callers must populate a
+    // nonzero logical page size before transferring ownership.
+    {
+        var builder = try Builder.init(testing.allocator, .{
+            .cols = 1,
+            .rows = 1,
+        });
+        defer builder.deinit();
+        const page = try builder.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+        page.size.rows = 0;
+        try testing.expectError(
+            error.InvalidPageDimensions,
+            builder.finish(),
+        );
+    }
+
+    // The populated pages must contain enough rows to cover the active area.
+    {
+        var builder = try Builder.init(testing.allocator, .{
+            .cols = 1,
+            .rows = 2,
+        });
+        defer builder.deinit();
+        const page = try builder.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+        page.size.rows = 1;
+        try testing.expectError(error.InsufficientRows, builder.finish());
+    }
+}
+
+test "PageList Builder finish is transactional on allocation failure" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    // Construct a valid builder so finish reaches its fallible bookkeeping
+    // allocations after all page and geometry validation succeeds.
+    var failing = testing.FailingAllocator.init(testing.allocator, .{});
+    var builder = try Builder.init(failing.allocator(), .{
+        .cols = 1,
+        .rows = 1,
+    });
+    defer builder.deinit();
+    const page = try builder.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+    page.size.rows = 1;
+
+    // The pools are preheated, so the next general allocation is the tracked
+    // viewport pin map created by finish.
+    failing.fail_index = failing.alloc_index;
+    try testing.expectError(error.OutOfMemory, builder.finish());
+    try testing.expect(failing.has_induced_failure);
+
+    // Failed finish leaves page ownership with the builder so its normal
+    // deinit path can release the still-linked page.
+    try testing.expect(builder.pages.first != null);
+    try testing.expectEqual(builder.pages.first, builder.pages.last);
+}
+
+test "PageList PageAllocation finalizes pages and preserves live state" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    // Build an existing list with history, a two-row active area, an external
+    // active pin, and a pinned viewport whose absolute offset is cached.
+    var result: PageList = result: {
+        var builder = try Builder.init(testing.allocator, .{
+            .cols = 4,
+            .rows = 2,
+            .max_size = null,
+            .max_lines = null,
+        });
+        defer builder.deinit();
+
+        const first = try builder.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 3, .rows = 2 });
+        first.size.rows = 2;
+        first.getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.* = .init('C');
+
+        const second = try builder.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 4, .rows = 2 });
+        second.size.rows = 2;
+        second.getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.* = .init('D');
+
+        break :result try builder.finish();
+    };
+    defer result.deinit();
+
+    const old_first = result.pages.first.?;
+    const old_last = result.pages.last.?;
+    const active_top = result.getTopLeft(.active);
+    const tracked_active = try result.trackPin(active_top);
+    result.scroll(.{ .row = 1 });
+    try testing.expectEqual(Viewport.pin, result.viewport);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 1), result.scrollbar().offset);
+
+    // Prepend differently sized historical pages newest-first. Each page is
+    // populated while detached and joins the live list only on success.
+    {
+        var allocation = try result.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 4, .rows = 1 });
+        defer allocation.deinit();
+        const page = allocation.page();
+        page.size.rows = 1;
+        page.getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.* = .init('B');
+        try allocation.finalize(.prepend);
+    }
+    {
+        var allocation = try result.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 2, .rows = 2 });
+        defer allocation.deinit();
+        const page = allocation.page();
+        page.size.rows = 2;
+        page.getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.* = .init('A');
+        try allocation.finalize(.prepend);
+    }
+
+    // Repeated prepends reconstruct oldest-to-newest order without replacing
+    // any existing nodes or tracked pins.
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 4), result.totalPages());
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 7), result.total_rows);
+    try testing.expectEqual(old_last, result.pages.last.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(old_first, result.pages.first.?.next.?.next.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(
+        @as(u21, 'A'),
+        result.pages.first.?.page().getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.codepoint(),
+    );
+    try testing.expectEqual(
+        @as(u21, 'B'),
+        result.pages.first.?.next.?
+            .page().getRowAndCell(0, 0).cell.codepoint(),
+    );
+    try testing.expect(active_top.eql(result.getTopLeft(.active)));
+    try testing.expect(active_top.eql(tracked_active.*));
+
+    // The viewport remains pinned to the same content, while its cached row
+    // offset and the scrollbar total include the three new historical rows.
+    try testing.expectEqual(Viewport.pin, result.viewport);
+    try testing.expectEqual(old_first, result.viewport_pin.node);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(size.CellCountInt, 1), result.viewport_pin.y);
+    const scrollbar_state = result.scrollbar();
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 7), scrollbar_state.total);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 4), scrollbar_state.offset);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 2), scrollbar_state.len);
+
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+}
+
+test "PageList PageAllocation stays detached until finalize" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    var result = try init(testing.allocator, .{
+        .cols = 1,
+        .rows = 1,
+        .max_size = null,
+        .max_lines = null,
+    });
+    defer result.deinit();
+
+    const initial_first = result.pages.first.?;
+    const initial_last = result.pages.last.?;
+    const initial_total_rows = result.total_rows;
+    const initial_page_size = result.page_size;
+
+    // Allocating and populating a detached page does not alter any live list
+    // links or accounting. Deinit returns it to the same PageList pools.
+    var detached = try result.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+    detached.page().size.rows = 1;
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_first, result.pages.first.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_last, result.pages.last.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_total_rows, result.total_rows);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_page_size, result.page_size);
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+    detached.deinit();
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+
+    // Invalid populated dimensions leave ownership with the allocation so it
+    // can still be released normally.
+    var invalid = try result.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+    defer invalid.deinit();
+    try testing.expectError(
+        error.InvalidPageDimensions,
+        invalid.finalize(.prepend),
+    );
+
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_first, result.pages.first.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_last, result.pages.last.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_total_rows, result.total_rows);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_page_size, result.page_size);
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+}
+
+test "PageList PageAllocation rejects limits before modifying the destination" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    var result = try init(testing.allocator, .{
+        .cols = 1,
+        .rows = 1,
+        .max_size = 0,
+        .max_lines = null,
+    });
+    defer result.deinit();
+
+    // The effective minimum permits one complete page beyond the active page.
+    // Fill that allowance so the following allocation exceeds the byte limit.
+    {
+        var allocation = try result.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+        defer allocation.deinit();
+        allocation.page().size.rows = 1;
+        try allocation.finalize(.prepend);
+    }
+
+    const before_first = result.pages.first.?;
+    const before_total_rows = result.total_rows;
+    const before_page_size = result.page_size;
+
+    var allocation = try result.allocatePage(.{ .cols = 1, .rows = 1 });
+    defer allocation.deinit();
+    allocation.page().size.rows = 1;
+    try testing.expectError(
+        error.MaxSizeExceeded,
+        allocation.finalize(.prepend),
+    );
+
+    try testing.expectEqual(before_first, result.pages.first.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(before_total_rows, result.total_rows);
+    try testing.expectEqual(before_page_size, result.page_size);
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+}
+
+test "PageList PageAllocation allocation failure leaves list unchanged" {
+    const testing = std.testing;
+
+    var failing = testing.FailingAllocator.init(testing.allocator, .{});
+    var result = try init(failing.allocator(), .{
+        .cols = 1,
+        .rows = 1,
+        .max_size = null,
+        .max_lines = null,
+    });
+    defer result.deinit();
+
+    const initial_first = result.pages.first.?;
+    const initial_total_rows = result.total_rows;
+    const initial_page_size = result.page_size;
+
+    // Existing pool capacity is deliberately an implementation detail. Allow
+    // preheated slots to succeed until allocation reaches node-pool growth.
+    failing.fail_index = failing.alloc_index;
+    var allocations: [64]PageAllocation = undefined;
+    var allocation_count: usize = 0;
+    defer for (allocations[0..allocation_count]) |*allocation| {
+        allocation.deinit();
+    };
+
+    var failed = false;
+    for (0..64) |_| {
+        allocations[allocation_count] = result.allocatePage(.{
+            .cols = 1,
+            .rows = 1,
+        }) catch |err| {
+            try testing.expectEqual(error.OutOfMemory, err);
+            failed = true;
+            break;
+        };
+        allocation_count += 1;
+    }
+    try testing.expect(failed);
+    try testing.expect(failing.has_induced_failure);
+
+    // Detached allocations and failed pool growth never publish into the live
+    // list; the deferred cleanup returns every successful allocation.
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_first, result.pages.first.?);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_total_rows, result.total_rows);
+    try testing.expectEqual(initial_page_size, result.page_size);
+    result.assertIntegrity();
+}
+
 fn mixedWidthPinListForTest(alloc: Allocator) !PageList {
     var result = try init(alloc, .{ .cols = 2, .rows = 1 });
     errdefer result.deinit();
diff --git a/src/terminal/ref_counted_set.zig b/src/terminal/ref_counted_set.zig
index dd76079f4..97fa87088 100644
--- a/src/terminal/ref_counted_set.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/ref_counted_set.zig
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const assert = @import("../quirks.zig").inlineAssert;
+const testing = std.testing;
 
 const size = @import("size.zig");
 const Offset = size.Offset;
@@ -447,6 +448,47 @@ pub fn RefCountedSet(
             return self.living;
         }
 
+        /// A live entry returned by `Iterator`.
+        pub const Entry = struct {
+            id: Id,
+            value_ptr: *T,
+        };
+
+        /// Iterates live entries in ascending ID order.
+        ///
+        /// Released entries whose reference count reached zero are skipped.
+        /// Any mutation of the set invalidates the iterator.
+        pub const Iterator = struct {
+            items: [*]Item,
+            id: Id = 1,
+            end: Id,
+
+            pub fn next(self: *Iterator) ?Entry {
+                while (self.id < self.end) {
+                    const id = self.id;
+                    self.id += 1;
+
+                    const item = &self.items[id];
+                    if (item.meta.ref == 0) continue;
+
+                    return .{
+                        .id = id,
+                        .value_ptr = &item.value,
+                    };
+                }
+
+                return null;
+            }
+        };
+
+        /// Return an iterator over the live entries in this set.
+        pub fn iterator(self: *const Self, base: anytype) Iterator {
+            return .{
+                .items = self.items.ptr(base),
+                .end = self.next_id,
+            };
+        }
+
         /// Delete an item, removing any references from
         /// the table, and freeing its ID to be reused.
         fn deleteItem(self: *Self, base: anytype, id: Id, ctx: Context) void {
@@ -721,3 +763,48 @@ pub fn RefCountedSet(
         }
     };
 }
+
+test "iterator visits live entries in ID order" {
+    const alloc = testing.allocator;
+    const TestSet = RefCountedSet(
+        u32,
+        u16,
+        u16,
+        struct {
+            pub fn hash(_: *const @This(), value: u32) u64 {
+                return std.hash.int(value);
+            }
+
+            pub fn eql(_: *const @This(), a: u32, b: u32) bool {
+                return a == b;
+            }
+        },
+    );
+
+    const layout: TestSet.Layout = .init(8);
+    const buf = try alloc.alignedAlloc(
+        u8,
+        TestSet.base_align,
+        layout.total_size,
+    );
+    defer alloc.free(buf);
+
+    var set: TestSet = .init(.init(buf), layout, .{});
+    const first = try set.add(buf, 11);
+    const released = try set.add(buf, 22);
+    const last = try set.add(buf, 33);
+    _ = try set.add(buf, 11);
+    set.release(buf, released);
+
+    var it = set.iterator(buf);
+
+    const first_entry = it.next().?;
+    try testing.expectEqual(first, first_entry.id);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(u32, 11), first_entry.value_ptr.*);
+
+    const last_entry = it.next().?;
+    try testing.expectEqual(last, last_entry.id);
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(u32, 33), last_entry.value_ptr.*);
+
+    try testing.expect(it.next() == null);
+}