diff --git a/src/request_pool.c b/src/request_pool.c
index 375f2b0..3c5eb74 100644
--- a/src/request_pool.c
+++ b/src/request_pool.c
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ int request_pool_init(struct request_pool *pool, int video_fd, int media_fd,
 
 	pool->count = count;
 	pool->next = 0;
+	pool->media_fd = media_fd;	/* iter7: kept for force_release re-alloc */
 
 	for (i = 0; i < count; i++)
 		pool->slots[i].request_fd = -1;
@@ -152,6 +153,62 @@ void request_pool_release(struct request_pool *pool, unsigned int index)
 	}
 }
 
+void request_pool_force_release(struct request_pool *pool, unsigned int index)
+{
+	struct request_pool_slot *slot;
+	unsigned int i;
+
+	if (pool == NULL || pool->slots == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	slot = NULL;
+	for (i = 0; i < pool->count; i++) {
+		if (pool->slots[i].index == index) {
+			slot = &pool->slots[i];
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+	if (slot == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	/*
+	 * Try to recover the kernel-side request object via REINIT first.
+	 * REINIT is the cheap path: kernel resets the request in place,
+	 * fd stays valid, slot can be reused immediately.
+	 */
+	if (slot->request_fd >= 0 && media_request_reinit(slot->request_fd) == 0) {
+		slot->busy = false;
+		return;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * REINIT failed (or slot's fd was already invalid). Close the fd
+	 * and try to allocate a fresh one. This costs an extra ioctl pair
+	 * relative to the REINIT happy path but keeps the slot usable.
+	 *
+	 * NOTE: alloc may return the same lowest-free fd number that was
+	 * just closed. That's fine here because (a) this is a rare error-
+	 * recovery path, not the per-frame happy path, and (b) the slot's
+	 * V4L2 buffer has already been DQBUF'd by this point (or is in an
+	 * indeterminate state we can't recover from regardless), so the
+	 * iter6 race condition (cross-slot fd-reuse against a kernel
+	 * buffer in mid-cleanup) does not apply.
+	 */
+	if (slot->request_fd >= 0)
+		close(slot->request_fd);
+	slot->request_fd = media_request_alloc(pool->media_fd);
+	if (slot->request_fd < 0) {
+		/*
+		 * Realloc failed. Slot is now permanently dead — leave
+		 * busy=true so acquire skips it. Pool capacity is
+		 * effectively reduced by 1 until pool destroy.
+		 */
+		return;
+	}
+
+	slot->busy = false;
+}
+
 struct request_pool_slot *request_pool_slot(struct request_pool *pool,
 					    unsigned int index)
 {
diff --git a/src/request_pool.h b/src/request_pool.h
index 496e663..d221378 100644
--- a/src/request_pool.h
+++ b/src/request_pool.h
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ struct request_pool {
 	struct request_pool_slot	*slots;
 	unsigned int			 count;
 	unsigned int			 next;	/* round-robin acquire cursor */
+	int				 media_fd;	/* iter7: kept for
+							 * force_release re-alloc */
 	bool				 initialized;
 };
 
@@ -79,6 +81,21 @@ int request_pool_acquire(struct request_pool *pool);
  */
 void request_pool_release(struct request_pool *pool, unsigned int index);
 
+/*
+ * iter7: error-recovery release. Called from RequestSyncSurface error
+ * paths when media_request_reinit or VIDIOC_DQBUF failed mid-cycle and
+ * the slot's request_fd is now in an undefined state. REINITs the fd;
+ * if REINIT fails (kernel-side request object too far gone), close
+ * the fd and re-alloc a fresh one. If realloc also fails, the slot
+ * is left busy=true (effectively dead, count decremented by 1) — pool
+ * survives but with reduced capacity until driver terminate. Other
+ * slots are unaffected.
+ *
+ * Caller passes the V4L2 buffer index from request_pool_acquire().
+ */
+void request_pool_force_release(struct request_pool *pool,
+				unsigned int index);
+
 /*
  * Look up the pool slot owning a given V4L2 buffer index. Returns
  * pointer to the slot on success, NULL if the index is out of range.
diff --git a/src/surface.c b/src/surface.c
index bbaffc7..ab194a6 100644
--- a/src/surface.c
+++ b/src/surface.c
@@ -484,7 +484,14 @@ VAStatus RequestSyncSurface(VADriverContextP context, VASurfaceID surface_id)
 				 surface_object->source_index, 1);
 	if (rc < 0) {
 		status = VA_STATUS_ERROR_OPERATION_FAILED;
-		goto error;
+		/*
+		 * iter7: OUTPUT DQBUF failed. The V4L2 buffer is in an
+		 * indeterminate kernel state — it may still be QUEUED. Do
+		 * NOT return the slot to acquire-rotation: the next QBUF
+		 * on it would EINVAL. Leave source_data set so the error
+		 * handler skips force_release and the slot stays dead-busy.
+		 */
+		goto error_buffer_indeterminate;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -523,21 +530,58 @@ VAStatus RequestSyncSurface(VADriverContextP context, VASurfaceID surface_id)
 
 error:
 	/*
-	 * iter6: request_fd is owned by the OUTPUT pool slot. Do not
-	 * close here on error. The slot's REINIT may not have run if
-	 * we errored before it; the slot stays busy=true and is not
-	 * returned to acquire-rotation until RequestTerminate runs
-	 * request_pool_destroy. (The pool is driver-wide; it survives
-	 * RequestDestroyContext.) That's a bounded leak we accept: with
-	 * pool size 16 and rare errors, slot starvation only matters
-	 * after many error cycles — at which point acquire returns -1
-	 * cleanly.
+	 * iter7: error recovery for the OUTPUT pool slot. If the surface
+	 * acquired a slot in BeginPicture (source_data != NULL indicates
+	 * an active borrow), reset the slot's request_fd via
+	 * request_pool_force_release so the slot returns to the
+	 * acquire-rotation. force_release tries REINIT first; falls back
+	 * to close+alloc if REINIT fails; leaves the slot dead-busy if
+	 * even alloc fails (other slots unaffected). Replaces iter6's
+	 * accepted bounded leak.
 	 *
-	 * TODO: a future iteration could add a request_pool_force_release
-	 * that REINITs the fd and frees the slot for error recovery.
+	 * Reachable from: media_request_queue / wait_completion / REINIT
+	 * failures. NOT reachable for OUTPUT-DQBUF failure (separate label
+	 * `error_buffer_indeterminate` below) because in that case the
+	 * V4L2 buffer is in an indeterminate kernel state and reusing the
+	 * slot would EINVAL on the next QBUF.
+	 *
+	 * If the surface never acquired a slot (source_data == NULL),
+	 * there is no slot to release; nothing to do.
 	 */
-	if (surface_object != NULL)
+	if (surface_object != NULL) {
+		if (surface_object->source_data != NULL) {
+			request_pool_force_release(&driver_data->output_pool,
+						   surface_object->source_index);
+			surface_object->source_data = NULL;
+			surface_object->source_size = 0;
+		}
 		surface_object->request_fd = -1;
+	}
+	goto complete;
+
+error_buffer_indeterminate:
+	/*
+	 * iter7: OUTPUT DQBUF failed after a successful REINIT. The kernel
+	 * V4L2 buffer is in an unknown state (possibly still QUEUED with
+	 * pending decode result, possibly half-dequeued, possibly stuck
+	 * in driver internals). The slot's request_fd has already been
+	 * REINIT'd to a clean state, but reusing the slot for a new
+	 * decode would QBUF on a buffer the kernel may still hold —
+	 * triggering exactly the iter6 race we eliminated for the happy
+	 * path.
+	 *
+	 * Leave the slot dead-busy: don't release, don't force_release.
+	 * Other slots are unaffected. If this fires repeatedly, the pool
+	 * leaks slots until starvation, at which point acquire returns -1
+	 * and BeginPicture cleanly propagates ALLOCATION_FAILED. This is
+	 * a strictly safer failure mode than reusing an indeterminate
+	 * V4L2 buffer.
+	 */
+	if (surface_object != NULL) {
+		surface_object->source_data = NULL;
+		surface_object->source_size = 0;
+		surface_object->request_fd = -1;
+	}
 
 complete:
 	return status;
diff --git a/tests/cap_pool_probe_pattern.c b/tests/cap_pool_probe_pattern.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1481f2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cap_pool_probe_pattern.c
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+/*
+ * cap_pool_probe_pattern.c — synthetic regression test for the
+ * iter5 sonnet C4 / iter6 candidate A "cap_pool resolution-change race."
+ *
+ * Exercises the surface-allocation pattern that originally tripped
+ * REQBUFS-EBUSY on the iter5-end driver: vaCreateSurfaces at one
+ * resolution, then vaDestroySurfaces, then vaCreateSurfaces at a
+ * different resolution. iter6's REINIT discipline + cap_pool's
+ * REQBUFS(0)-on-CAPTURE-and-OUTPUT during S_FMT-on-resolution-change
+ * (CreateSurfaces2 in surface.c) closes this race; this test anchors
+ * that fact with a deterministic repro.
+ *
+ * Build:
+ *   gcc -O2 -Wall -Wextra -o cap_pool_probe_pattern \
+ *       cap_pool_probe_pattern.c \
+ *       $(pkg-config --cflags --libs libva libva-drm)
+ *
+ * Run:
+ *   LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=v4l2_request \
+ *   LIBVA_V4L2_REQUEST_VIDEO_PATH=/dev/video1 \
+ *   LIBVA_V4L2_REQUEST_MEDIA_PATH=/dev/media0 \
+ *     ./cap_pool_probe_pattern
+ *
+ * Pass criterion (on iter6 driver and later):
+ *   - Exit code 0
+ *   - No "REQBUFS" / "EBUSY" / "Unable to request buffers" /
+ *     "Unable to set format" lines on the v4l2-request driver's stderr
+ *   - vainfo or visual inspection confirms the test program reached
+ *     the "PASS" line on stdout
+ *
+ * Fail behavior pre-iter5: vaCreateSurfaces at the second resolution
+ * would emit REQBUFS-EBUSY because OUTPUT/CAPTURE buffers from the
+ * first allocation hadn't been torn down before S_FMT was attempted
+ * on the new resolution. iter5's CreateSurfaces2 added the dual
+ * REQBUFS(0) drain; iter6's REINIT keeps the OUTPUT pool's request_fd
+ * lifecycle clean across the destroy-recreate cycle.
+ */
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include <va/va.h>
+#include <va/va_drm.h>
+
+#define DRM_RENDER_NODE "/dev/dri/renderD128"
+
+static const char *va_status_str(VAStatus s)
+{
+	return vaErrorStr(s);
+}
+
+#define VA_OK_OR_FAIL(call, msg) do { \
+	VAStatus _vs = (call); \
+	if (_vs != VA_STATUS_SUCCESS) { \
+		fprintf(stderr, "FAIL: %s: %s (0x%x)\n", \
+			(msg), va_status_str(_vs), _vs); \
+		return 10; \
+	} \
+} while (0)
+
+int main(void)
+{
+	int drm_fd;
+	VADisplay dpy;
+	int va_major = 0, va_minor = 0;
+	VAConfigID config = VA_INVALID_ID;
+	VAContextID context = VA_INVALID_ID;
+	VASurfaceID small_surfaces[4];
+	VASurfaceID big_surfaces[4];
+	const unsigned int small_w = 128, small_h = 128;
+	const unsigned int big_w = 1920, big_h = 1080;
+
+	/* Open render node + libva display. */
+	drm_fd = open(DRM_RENDER_NODE, O_RDWR);
+	if (drm_fd < 0) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "FAIL: open(%s): %s\n",
+			DRM_RENDER_NODE, strerror(errno));
+		return 1;
+	}
+
+	dpy = vaGetDisplayDRM(drm_fd);
+	if (dpy == NULL) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "FAIL: vaGetDisplayDRM returned NULL\n");
+		close(drm_fd);
+		return 2;
+	}
+
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaInitialize(dpy, &va_major, &va_minor),
+		      "vaInitialize");
+	printf("libva %d.%d initialized via %s\n", va_major, va_minor,
+	       DRM_RENDER_NODE);
+
+	/*
+	 * vaCreateConfig with H.264 Main + VLD entrypoint forces our
+	 * driver's RequestCreateConfig to set up the H.264 decode path,
+	 * which is the path that reaches CreateSurfaces2 (and the
+	 * resolution-change handling there).
+	 */
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaCreateConfig(dpy, VAProfileH264Main, VAEntrypointVLD,
+				     NULL, 0, &config),
+		      "vaCreateConfig(H264Main, VLD)");
+
+	/* Phase 1: allocate small probe-pattern surfaces + context.
+	 *
+	 * vaCreateContext on our driver triggers RequestCreateContext, which
+	 * runs the OUTPUT pool's request_pool_init (allocates 16 OUTPUT
+	 * V4L2 buffers via VIDIOC_CREATE_BUFS at the small resolution) and
+	 * the device-init S_EXT_CTRLS (DECODE_MODE / START_CODE). Without
+	 * the context, vaCreateSurfaces alone would not exercise the path
+	 * that the iter5 C4 race fired on (REQBUFS-EBUSY when the pool
+	 * already has buffers at the previous resolution).
+	 */
+	printf("Phase 1: vaCreateSurfaces %ux%u, count=4; vaCreateContext\n",
+	       small_w, small_h);
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaCreateSurfaces(dpy, VA_RT_FORMAT_YUV420,
+				       small_w, small_h, small_surfaces, 4,
+				       NULL, 0),
+		      "vaCreateSurfaces (small)");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaCreateContext(dpy, config,
+				      (int)small_w, (int)small_h, 0,
+				      small_surfaces, 4, &context),
+		      "vaCreateContext (small)");
+
+	/* Phase 2: dispose context + small surfaces. The driver-wide OUTPUT
+	 * pool stays initialized (RequestDestroyContext does NOT call
+	 * request_pool_destroy — only RequestTerminate does), so the
+	 * REQBUFS(0) drain on the next CreateSurfaces2 is the actual
+	 * race-hitting path.
+	 */
+	printf("Phase 2: vaDestroyContext; vaDestroySurfaces (small)\n");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaDestroyContext(dpy, context),
+		      "vaDestroyContext (small)");
+	context = VA_INVALID_ID;
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaDestroySurfaces(dpy, small_surfaces, 4),
+		      "vaDestroySurfaces (small)");
+
+	/* Phase 3: allocate at the new (much larger) resolution. This is
+	 * where pre-iter5 hit REQBUFS-EBUSY because OUTPUT/CAPTURE buffers
+	 * from the small allocation hadn't been torn down before S_FMT on
+	 * the new size. iter5's CreateSurfaces2 added the dual REQBUFS(0)
+	 * drain; iter6's REINIT keeps the OUTPUT pool's request_fd
+	 * lifecycle clean across the destroy-recreate cycle.
+	 */
+	printf("Phase 3: vaCreateSurfaces %ux%u, count=4 (resolution change); vaCreateContext\n",
+	       big_w, big_h);
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaCreateSurfaces(dpy, VA_RT_FORMAT_YUV420,
+				       big_w, big_h, big_surfaces, 4,
+				       NULL, 0),
+		      "vaCreateSurfaces (big)");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaCreateContext(dpy, config,
+				      (int)big_w, (int)big_h, 0,
+				      big_surfaces, 4, &context),
+		      "vaCreateContext (big)");
+
+	/* Phase 4: clean up. */
+	printf("Phase 4: cleanup\n");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaDestroyContext(dpy, context),
+		      "vaDestroyContext (big)");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaDestroySurfaces(dpy, big_surfaces, 4),
+		      "vaDestroySurfaces (big)");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaDestroyConfig(dpy, config),
+		      "vaDestroyConfig");
+	VA_OK_OR_FAIL(vaTerminate(dpy),
+		      "vaTerminate");
+	close(drm_fd);
+
+	printf("PASS: cap_pool probe-pattern resolution-change handled cleanly.\n");
+	printf("Inspect driver stderr for absence of REQBUFS/EBUSY/Unable lines.\n");
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/tests/run_cap_pool_probe.sh b/tests/run_cap_pool_probe.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..05fc859
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run_cap_pool_probe.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# run_cap_pool_probe.sh — orchestrate the cap_pool probe-pattern regression test.
+#
+# Runs the cap_pool_probe_pattern test program with the v4l2_request driver
+# and grep-checks driver stderr for race indicators. Exits 0 on PASS, 1 on FAIL.
+#
+# Usage: ./run_cap_pool_probe.sh [path_to_test_binary]
+# If no argument, looks for ./cap_pool_probe_pattern in the same directory.
+
+set -eu
+
+BIN="${1:-$(dirname "$0")/cap_pool_probe_pattern}"
+
+if [[ ! -x "$BIN" ]]; then
+	echo "FAIL: test binary not found or not executable: $BIN" >&2
+	echo "Build it first:" >&2
+	echo "  gcc -O2 -Wall -Wextra -o $BIN $(dirname "$0")/cap_pool_probe_pattern.c \\" >&2
+	echo "      \$(pkg-config --cflags --libs libva libva-drm)" >&2
+	exit 2
+fi
+
+LOG=$(mktemp -t cap_pool_probe.XXXXXX.log)
+trap 'rm -f "$LOG"' EXIT
+
+env LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=v4l2_request \
+    LIBVA_V4L2_REQUEST_VIDEO_PATH=/dev/video1 \
+    LIBVA_V4L2_REQUEST_MEDIA_PATH=/dev/media0 \
+    "$BIN" >"$LOG" 2>&1
+rc=$?
+
+echo "--- test program output ---"
+cat "$LOG"
+echo "--- end output ---"
+
+if [[ "$rc" -ne 0 ]]; then
+	echo "FAIL: test binary exited with rc=$rc" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+# Race indicators (case-insensitive grep on driver stderr lines).
+# These should NOT appear on iter6 driver and later.
+race_lines=$(grep -iE 'REQBUFS|EBUSY|Unable to request buffers|Unable to set format' "$LOG" || true)
+if [[ -n "$race_lines" ]]; then
+	echo "FAIL: driver stderr contains race indicators:" >&2
+	echo "$race_lines" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "PASS: cap_pool probe-pattern test clean (no race indicators)."
+exit 0
diff --git a/tests/run_msync_pixel_verify.sh b/tests/run_msync_pixel_verify.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..12e0213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run_msync_pixel_verify.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# run_msync_pixel_verify.sh — verify decoded pixel correctness post-msync-removal.
+#
+# iter5 sweep commit d3a299b removed msync(MS_SYNC|MS_INVALIDATE) from the
+# CAPTURE buffer DQBUF path alongside the iter1 patch-0010 hex-dump diagnostic.
+# iter5 Phase 5 sonnet caveat C3 flagged: no formal pixel-correctness check
+# was done. This script is that check.
+#
+# Approach:
+#   1. SW reference: ffmpeg libavcodec H.264 decode of bbb_1080p30_h264.mp4,
+#      first 100 frames, NV12 raw output -> sw_ref.yuv.
+#   2. HW subject: same input through our v4l2_request driver via
+#      ffmpeg -hwaccel vaapi -hwaccel_output_format vaapi
+#             -i ... -vf hwdownload,format=nv12 -f rawvideo -pix_fmt nv12
+#      Captures the post-DQBUF buffer through libva readback, exercising
+#      the same code path we removed msync from.
+#   3. Compare: byte-for-byte cmp + per-frame sha256.
+#
+# Pass: byte-for-byte identical (or per-frame sha matches) -> msync
+# verifiably unnecessary on this hardware/kernel; iter5 sonnet C3 closes.
+# Fail: divergence; restore msync in surface.c, re-run, document outcome.
+#
+# Usage: ./run_msync_pixel_verify.sh [fixture_path]
+# If no argument, defaults to /home/mfritsche/fourier-test/bbb_1080p30_h264.mp4
+
+set -eu
+
+FIXTURE="${1:-/home/mfritsche/fourier-test/bbb_1080p30_h264.mp4}"
+N_FRAMES=100
+WORKDIR=$(mktemp -d -t msync_verify.XXXXXX)
+trap 'rm -rf "$WORKDIR"' EXIT
+
+if [[ ! -f "$FIXTURE" ]]; then
+	echo "FAIL: fixture not found: $FIXTURE" >&2
+	exit 2
+fi
+
+# Probe fixture dimensions for crop alignment of the HW path.
+# Hantro pads height to MB boundaries (16-line align); FFmpeg SW decode
+# returns crop-aligned (visible) frame size. Without explicit cropping
+# on the HW side, hwdownload + format=nv12 emits MB-padded frames, which
+# would diverge in size from SW even if pixels are correct.
+read FIXTURE_W FIXTURE_H < <(ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 \
+	-show_entries stream=width,height -of csv=p=0 "$FIXTURE" \
+	| tr ',' ' ')
+if [[ -z "${FIXTURE_W:-}" || -z "${FIXTURE_H:-}" ]]; then
+	echo "FAIL: ffprobe could not read width/height from $FIXTURE" >&2
+	exit 2
+fi
+
+echo "Fixture: $FIXTURE ($FIXTURE_W x $FIXTURE_H)"
+echo "Frames:  $N_FRAMES"
+echo "Workdir: $WORKDIR"
+echo
+
+# 1. SW reference
+echo "[1/3] FFmpeg SW decode -> sw_ref.yuv"
+ffmpeg -hide_banner -loglevel error -y \
+	-i "$FIXTURE" \
+	-frames:v "$N_FRAMES" \
+	-f rawvideo -pix_fmt nv12 \
+	"$WORKDIR/sw_ref.yuv"
+SW_BYTES=$(stat -c %s "$WORKDIR/sw_ref.yuv")
+SW_SHA=$(sha256sum "$WORKDIR/sw_ref.yuv" | cut -d' ' -f1)
+echo "    sw_ref.yuv: $SW_BYTES bytes, sha256=$SW_SHA"
+
+# 2. HW subject via libva v4l2_request
+# Explicit crop=$FIXTURE_W:$FIXTURE_H after hwdownload normalizes any
+# MB-padding the HW driver applies (hantro pads height to multiples of
+# 16). Without this crop, an iter6+ correct decode could falsely
+# diverge in total byte count from the SW reference.
+echo "[2/3] FFmpeg HW decode via v4l2_request driver -> hw_capture.yuv"
+env LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=v4l2_request \
+    LIBVA_V4L2_REQUEST_VIDEO_PATH=/dev/video1 \
+    LIBVA_V4L2_REQUEST_MEDIA_PATH=/dev/media0 \
+    ffmpeg -hide_banner -loglevel error -y \
+	-hwaccel vaapi -hwaccel_output_format vaapi \
+	-i "$FIXTURE" \
+	-vf "hwdownload,format=nv12,crop=$FIXTURE_W:$FIXTURE_H:0:0" \
+	-frames:v "$N_FRAMES" \
+	-f rawvideo -pix_fmt nv12 \
+	"$WORKDIR/hw_capture.yuv"
+HW_BYTES=$(stat -c %s "$WORKDIR/hw_capture.yuv")
+HW_SHA=$(sha256sum "$WORKDIR/hw_capture.yuv" | cut -d' ' -f1)
+echo "    hw_capture.yuv: $HW_BYTES bytes, sha256=$HW_SHA"
+echo
+
+# 3. Compare
+echo "[3/3] Compare"
+if [[ "$SW_BYTES" -ne "$HW_BYTES" ]]; then
+	# Diagnose stride/padding artifacts before declaring pixel
+	# corruption. With explicit crop in step 2 this should not
+	# happen, but if a future kernel change shifts the alignment
+	# we want a clear diagnostic, not a false pixel-corruption
+	# accusation.
+	EXPECTED_SW=$(( FIXTURE_W * FIXTURE_H * 3 / 2 * N_FRAMES ))
+	for PAD in 16 32; do
+		PADDED_H=$(( (FIXTURE_H + PAD - 1) / PAD * PAD ))
+		EXPECTED_PADDED=$(( FIXTURE_W * PADDED_H * 3 / 2 * N_FRAMES ))
+		if [[ "$HW_BYTES" -eq "$EXPECTED_PADDED" ]]; then
+			echo "DIAGNOSTIC: HW size $HW_BYTES matches MB-padded layout" >&2
+			echo "  ($FIXTURE_W x $PADDED_H, $PAD-line align). The crop=$FIXTURE_W:$FIXTURE_H" >&2
+			echo "  filter step did not normalize. Check FFmpeg version / hwdownload behavior." >&2
+			echo "  This is a stride artifact, not pixel corruption." >&2
+			exit 3
+		fi
+	done
+	echo "FAIL: size mismatch (SW=$SW_BYTES vs HW=$HW_BYTES, expected $EXPECTED_SW)" >&2
+	echo "      Different frame count or NV12 packing — investigate." >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ "$SW_SHA" == "$HW_SHA" ]]; then
+	echo "PASS: byte-for-byte identical."
+	echo "      msync removal verified safe on this hardware/kernel."
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+# Per-frame divergence analysis on full-buffer mismatch.
+echo "Buffer-level sha differs. Computing per-frame divergence..."
+FRAME_SIZE=$(( SW_BYTES / N_FRAMES ))
+DIVERGENT=0
+for ((i = 0; i < N_FRAMES; i++)); do
+	OFFSET=$(( i * FRAME_SIZE ))
+	SW_FRAME_SHA=$(dd if="$WORKDIR/sw_ref.yuv" bs="$FRAME_SIZE" \
+		count=1 skip="$i" 2>/dev/null | sha256sum | cut -d' ' -f1)
+	HW_FRAME_SHA=$(dd if="$WORKDIR/hw_capture.yuv" bs="$FRAME_SIZE" \
+		count=1 skip="$i" 2>/dev/null | sha256sum | cut -d' ' -f1)
+	if [[ "$SW_FRAME_SHA" != "$HW_FRAME_SHA" ]]; then
+		DIVERGENT=$(( DIVERGENT + 1 ))
+		[[ "$DIVERGENT" -le 5 ]] && \
+			echo "    frame $i: SW=$SW_FRAME_SHA HW=$HW_FRAME_SHA"
+	fi
+done
+
+echo "FAIL: $DIVERGENT / $N_FRAMES frames diverge from SW reference."
+echo "      Action: restore msync(MS_SYNC|MS_INVALIDATE) in surface.c"
+echo "      RequestSyncSurface DQBUF path; re-run this script."
+exit 1