diff --git a/include/ghostty/vt/render.h b/include/ghostty/vt/render.h
index 1738198ce..23f11525d 100644
--- a/include/ghostty/vt/render.h
+++ b/include/ghostty/vt/render.h
@@ -79,6 +79,13 @@ typedef struct GhosttyRenderState* GhosttyRenderState;
  */
 typedef struct GhosttyRenderStateRowIterator* GhosttyRenderStateRowIterator;
 
+/**
+ * Opaque handle to render-state row cells.
+ *
+ * @ingroup render
+ */
+typedef struct GhosttyRenderStateRowCells* GhosttyRenderStateRowCells;
+
 /**
  * Dirty state of a render state after update.
  *
@@ -138,6 +145,10 @@ typedef enum {
 
   /** The raw row value (GhosttyRow). */
   GHOSTTY_RENDER_STATE_ROW_DATA_RAW = 2,
+
+  /** Populate a pre-allocated GhosttyRenderStateRowCells with cell data for
+   *  the current row (GhosttyRenderStateRowCells). */
+  GHOSTTY_RENDER_STATE_ROW_DATA_CELLS = 3,
 } GhosttyRenderStateRowData;
 
 /**
@@ -370,6 +381,36 @@ GhosttyResult ghostty_render_state_row_set(
     GhosttyRenderStateRowOption option,
     const void* value);
 
+/**
+ * Create a new row cells instance.
+ *
+ * All fields except the allocator are left undefined until populated
+ * via ghostty_render_state_row_get() with
+ * GHOSTTY_RENDER_STATE_ROW_DATA_CELLS.
+ *
+ * You can reuse this value repeatedly with ghostty_render_state_row_get() to 
+ * avoid allocating a new cells container for every row.
+ *
+ * @param allocator Pointer to allocator, or NULL to use the default allocator
+ * @param[out] out_cells On success, receives the created row cells handle
+ * @return GHOSTTY_SUCCESS on success, GHOSTTY_OUT_OF_MEMORY on allocation
+ *         failure
+ *
+ * @ingroup render
+ */
+GhosttyResult ghostty_render_state_row_cells_new(
+    const GhosttyAllocator* allocator,
+    GhosttyRenderStateRowCells* out_cells);
+
+/**
+ * Free a row cells instance.
+ *
+ * @param cells The row cells handle to free (may be NULL)
+ *
+ * @ingroup render
+ */
+void ghostty_render_state_row_cells_free(GhosttyRenderStateRowCells cells);
+
 /** @} */
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
diff --git a/src/lib_vt.zig b/src/lib_vt.zig
index 3eb2dbec7..c6f019f76 100644
--- a/src/lib_vt.zig
+++ b/src/lib_vt.zig
@@ -197,6 +197,8 @@ comptime {
         @export(&c.render_state_row_get, .{ .name = "ghostty_render_state_row_get" });
         @export(&c.render_state_row_set, .{ .name = "ghostty_render_state_row_set" });
         @export(&c.render_state_row_iterator_free, .{ .name = "ghostty_render_state_row_iterator_free" });
+        @export(&c.render_state_row_cells_new, .{ .name = "ghostty_render_state_row_cells_new" });
+        @export(&c.render_state_row_cells_free, .{ .name = "ghostty_render_state_row_cells_free" });
         @export(&c.render_state_free, .{ .name = "ghostty_render_state_free" });
         @export(&c.terminal_new, .{ .name = "ghostty_terminal_new" });
         @export(&c.terminal_free, .{ .name = "ghostty_terminal_free" });
diff --git a/src/terminal/c/main.zig b/src/terminal/c/main.zig
index d1771928f..ba456e13d 100644
--- a/src/terminal/c/main.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/c/main.zig
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ pub const render_state_row_iterator_next = render.row_iterator_next;
 pub const render_state_row_get = render.row_get;
 pub const render_state_row_set = render.row_set;
 pub const render_state_row_iterator_free = render.row_iterator_free;
+pub const render_state_row_cells_new = render.row_cells_new;
+pub const render_state_row_cells_free = render.row_cells_free;
 
 pub const sgr_new = sgr.new;
 pub const sgr_free = sgr.free;
diff --git a/src/terminal/c/render.zig b/src/terminal/c/render.zig
index 740fcaa09..a2ecb1292 100644
--- a/src/terminal/c/render.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/c/render.zig
@@ -32,12 +32,23 @@ const RowIteratorWrapper = struct {
     dirty: []bool,
 };
 
+const RowCellsWrapper = struct {
+    alloc: std.mem.Allocator,
+    x: ?size.CellCountInt,
+    raws: []const page.Cell,
+    graphemes: []const []const u21,
+    styles: []const Style,
+};
+
 /// C: GhosttyRenderState
 pub const RenderState = ?*RenderStateWrapper;
 
 /// C: GhosttyRenderStateRowIterator
 pub const RowIterator = ?*RowIteratorWrapper;
 
+/// C: GhosttyRenderStateRowCells
+pub const RowCells = ?*RowCellsWrapper;
+
 /// C: GhosttyRenderStateDirty
 pub const Dirty = renderpkg.RenderState.Dirty;
 
@@ -253,8 +264,6 @@ pub fn colors_get(
     return .success;
 }
 
-
-
 pub fn row_iterator_new(
     alloc_: ?*const CAllocator,
     state_: RenderState,
@@ -310,11 +319,38 @@ pub fn row_iterator_next(iterator_: RowIterator) callconv(.c) bool {
     return true;
 }
 
+pub fn row_cells_new(
+    alloc_: ?*const CAllocator,
+    result: *RowCells,
+) callconv(.c) Result {
+    const alloc = lib_alloc.default(alloc_);
+    const ptr = alloc.create(RowCellsWrapper) catch {
+        result.* = null;
+        return .out_of_memory;
+    };
+    ptr.* = .{
+        .alloc = alloc,
+        .x = undefined,
+        .raws = undefined,
+        .graphemes = undefined,
+        .styles = undefined,
+    };
+    result.* = ptr;
+    return .success;
+}
+
+pub fn row_cells_free(cells_: RowCells) callconv(.c) void {
+    const cells = cells_ orelse return;
+    const alloc = cells.alloc;
+    alloc.destroy(cells);
+}
+
 /// C: GhosttyRenderStateRowData
 pub const RowData = enum(c_int) {
     invalid = 0,
     dirty = 1,
     raw = 2,
+    cells = 3,
 
     /// Output type expected for querying the data of the given kind.
     pub fn OutType(comptime self: RowData) type {
@@ -322,6 +358,7 @@ pub const RowData = enum(c_int) {
             .invalid => void,
             .dirty => bool,
             .raw => row.CRow,
+            .cells => RowCells,
         };
     }
 };
@@ -370,6 +407,17 @@ fn rowGetTyped(
         .invalid => return .invalid_value,
         .dirty => out.* = it.dirty[y],
         .raw => out.* = it.raws[y].cval(),
+        .cells => {
+            const cells = out.* orelse return .invalid_value;
+            const cell_data = it.cells[y].slice();
+            cells.* = .{
+                .alloc = cells.alloc,
+                .x = null,
+                .raws = cell_data.items(.raw),
+                .graphemes = cell_data.items(.grapheme),
+                .styles = cell_data.items(.style),
+            };
+        },
     }
 
     return .success;