diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.js
index 7ab3687d6f..844b08ff79 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.js
@@ -2206,6 +2206,55 @@
     return issues;
   }
 
+  // Canvases whose WebGL context drew since the last audit; the author's own hf-seek loop decides what draws.
+  const webglDraws = (window.__hyperframesWebglDraws ??= new Set());
+  const drawGate = Symbol.for("hyperframes.webglDrawGate");
+  for (const name of ["WebGLRenderingContext", "WebGL2RenderingContext"]) {
+    const proto = window[name]?.prototype;
+    if (!proto || proto.__hyperframesDrawCount) continue;
+    proto.__hyperframesDrawCount = true;
+    for (const method of [
+      "clear",
+      "drawArrays",
+      "drawElements",
+      "drawArraysInstanced",
+      "drawElementsInstanced",
+    ]) {
+      const draw = proto[method];
+      if (typeof draw !== "function") continue;
+      proto[method] = function (...args) {
+        if (!window[drawGate]?.skip) webglDraws.add(this.canvas);
+        return draw.apply(this, args);
+      };
+    }
+  }
+
+  function inactiveWebglIssues(root, time) {
+    const drawn = [...webglDraws].filter((canvas) => canvas?.isConnected);
+    webglDraws.clear();
+    return drawn
+      .filter(
+        (canvas) => canvas.closest(RUNTIME_HIDDEN_CLIP) || canvas.checkVisibility?.() === false,
+      )
+      .map((canvas) => {
+        const scene =
+          canvas.closest("[data-composition-id]:not([data-width])") ??
+          canvas.closest("[data-composition-id]");
+        const name = scene?.getAttribute("data-composition-id") || uniqueSelectorFor(canvas);
+        return {
+          code: "webgl_draws_while_inactive",
+          severity: "warning",
+          time,
+          selector: uniqueSelectorFor(canvas),
+          containerSelector: uniqueSelectorFor(root),
+          message: `Scene "${name}" draws WebGL while it is not on screen, so every seek pays for it.`,
+          rect: toRect(canvas.getBoundingClientRect()),
+          fixHint:
+            "Draw only while the scene is active (its data-start to data-start + data-duration), or skip the draw in your hf-seek listener when the scene is hidden.",
+        };
+      });
+  }
+
   // Soft prior only — the counterfactual attach test (below) is what makes detachment a finding.
   const CONNECTOR_NAME = /\b(conn(ector)?|arrow|edge|link|flow|wire)\b/i;
   const CONNECTOR_SKIP_CONTAINERS = "defs, marker, clipPath, mask, symbol, pattern";
@@ -2631,6 +2680,7 @@
     issues.push(...escaped.issues);
     issues.push(...panelOutOfCanvasIssues(root, rootRect, time, tolerance, escaped.flagged));
     issues.push(...canvasEdgeIssues(root, rootRect, time, tolerance));
+    issues.push(...inactiveWebglIssues(root, time));
     issues.push(...connectorDetachmentIssues(root, rootRect, time));
     issues.push(...connectorOrphanIssues(root, rootRect, time));
     return issues;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.test.ts
index d0099f0d4a..7a1f7de8ac 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/layout-audit.browser.test.ts
@@ -1310,6 +1310,48 @@ describe("layout-audit.browser coordinate-frame findings", () => {
     expect(issues.find((issue) => issue.selector === "#bleed")).toMatchObject({ severity: "info" });
   });
 
+  describe("webgl_draws_while_inactive", () => {
+    function mountScenes(hidden: boolean): HTMLCanvasElement {
+      document.body.innerHTML = `
+        <div id="root" data-composition-id="main" data-width="640" data-height="360">
+          <div id="scene2" data-composition-id="scene2" data-start="4" data-duration="2" ${hidden ? "data-hf-clip-hidden" : ""}>
+            <canvas id="shader" width="640" height="360"></canvas>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      `;
+      installGeometry({
+        root: rect({ left: 0, top: 0, width: 640, height: 360 }),
+        scene2: rect({ left: 0, top: 0, width: 640, height: 360 }),
+        shader: rect({ left: 0, top: 0, width: 640, height: 360 }),
+      });
+      installAuditScript();
+      return document.getElementById("shader") as HTMLCanvasElement;
+    }
+
+    const drawn = () =>
+      (window as unknown as { __hyperframesWebglDraws: Set<Element> }).__hyperframesWebglDraws;
+
+    it("names the scene whose canvas draws while its clip is hidden", () => {
+      drawn().add(mountScenes(true));
+
+      const found = runAudit().filter((issue) => issue.code === "webgl_draws_while_inactive");
+
+      expect(found).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(found[0]).toMatchObject({ severity: "warning", selector: "#shader" });
+      expect(found[0]?.message).toContain("scene2");
+    });
+
+    it("stays quiet for a canvas drawing on screen, and reports a draw once", () => {
+      drawn().add(mountScenes(false));
+      expect(runAudit().some((issue) => issue.code === "webgl_draws_while_inactive")).toBe(false);
+
+      drawn().add(document.getElementById("shader") as HTMLCanvasElement);
+      document.getElementById("scene2")?.setAttribute("data-hf-clip-hidden", "");
+      expect(runAudit().filter((i) => i.code === "webgl_draws_while_inactive")).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(runAudit().some((issue) => issue.code === "webgl_draws_while_inactive")).toBe(false);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("canvas_content_at_edge", () => {
     // One grey RGBA pixel per entry: a 1px-thick band, read the same along every edge.
     function edgeLine(levels: number[]): Uint8ClampedArray {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/checkBrowser.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/checkBrowser.ts
index 7b840a49f3..7dba04d3da 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/checkBrowser.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/checkBrowser.ts
@@ -2189,6 +2189,7 @@ const LAYOUT_ISSUE_CODES: readonly LayoutIssueCode[] = [
   "escaped_container",
   "panel_out_of_canvas",
   "canvas_content_at_edge",
+  "webgl_draws_while_inactive",
   "connector_detached",
   "connector_orphan",
   "rotation_pivot_drift",
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/layoutAudit.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/layoutAudit.ts
index 106557ddd9..a051046c5d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/layoutAudit.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/layoutAudit.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export type LayoutIssueCode =
   | "escaped_container"
   | "panel_out_of_canvas"
   | "canvas_content_at_edge"
+  | "webgl_draws_while_inactive"
   | "connector_detached"
   | "connector_orphan"
   // Cross-sample rotation finding — a spinning element whose bbox center drifts