diff --git a/src/h264.c b/src/h264.c
index 284a2a5..a8296c2 100644
--- a/src/h264.c
+++ b/src/h264.c
@@ -827,10 +827,63 @@ int h264_set_controls(struct request_data *driver_data,
 
 	dpb_update(context, &surface->params.h264.picture);
 
+	/*
+	 * Dump the raw VAAPI fields at the libva boundary so issue #8
+	 * follow-up can disambiguate "ffmpeg-vaapi didn't populate" from
+	 * "downstream consumer (daedalus_v4l2 wire protocol) corrupted the
+	 * value". One-line; safe to leave in — costs a single printf per frame.
+	 */
+	request_log("h264_set_controls: VAProfile=%d seq_fields=0x%08x pic_fields=0x%08x num_ref_frames=%u bit_depth_luma_m8=%u bit_depth_chroma_m8=%u w_mbs_m1=%u h_mbs_m1=%u\n",
+		    (int)profile,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.seq_fields.value,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.pic_fields.value,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.num_ref_frames,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.bit_depth_luma_minus8,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.bit_depth_chroma_minus8,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.picture_width_in_mbs_minus1,
+		    surface->params.h264.picture.picture_height_in_mbs_minus1);
+
 	h264_va_picture_to_v4l2(driver_data, context, surface,
 				&surface->params.h264.picture,
 				&decode, &pps, &sps);
 
+	/*
+	 * max_num_ref_frames fallback. Some VAAPI clients (older ffmpeg-vaapi
+	 * paths, some daedalus_v4l2 consumers) leave VAPicture->num_ref_frames
+	 * at zero. Hardware decoders tolerate; libavcodec-via-daedalus enforces
+	 * sps.max_num_ref_frames strictly and rejects every frame.
+	 *
+	 * Count valid DPB entries first (the bitstream-true reference count we
+	 * can see); fall back to a per-profile spec minimum if even that is 0.
+	 * See marfrit/libva-v4l2-request-fourier issue #8.
+	 */
+	if (sps.max_num_ref_frames == 0) {
+		unsigned int valid = 0;
+		unsigned int i;
+		for (i = 0; i < 16; i++) {
+			const VAPictureH264 *ref =
+				&surface->params.h264.picture.ReferenceFrames[i];
+			if (!(ref->flags & VA_PICTURE_H264_INVALID))
+				valid++;
+		}
+		if (valid > 0) {
+			sps.max_num_ref_frames = (uint8_t)valid;
+		} else {
+			switch (profile) {
+			case VAProfileH264ConstrainedBaseline:
+				sps.max_num_ref_frames = 1;
+				break;
+			case VAProfileH264Main:
+			case VAProfileH264High:
+			case VAProfileH264MultiviewHigh:
+			case VAProfileH264StereoHigh:
+			default:
+				sps.max_num_ref_frames = 4;
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	/*
 	 * Populate the scaling matrix unconditionally: from VAAPI's
 	 * VAIQMatrixBufferH264 when the consumer sent one this frame