diff --git a/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift b/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
index 932d546b..ac0c6705 100644
--- a/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
+++ b/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
@@ -2007,16 +2007,16 @@ final class TerminalSurface: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
 
     /// Force a full size recalculation and surface redraw.
     func forceRefresh() {
-	        let hasSurface = surface != nil
-	        let viewState: String
-	        if let view = attachedView {
-	            let inWindow = view.window != nil
-	            let bounds = view.bounds
-	            let metalOK = (view.layer as? CAMetalLayer) != nil
-	            viewState = "inWindow=\(inWindow) bounds=\(bounds) metalOK=\(metalOK) hasSurface=\(hasSurface)"
-	        } else {
-	            viewState = "NO_ATTACHED_VIEW hasSurface=\(hasSurface)"
-	        }
+        let hasSurface = surface != nil
+        let viewState: String
+        if let view = attachedView {
+            let inWindow = view.window != nil
+            let bounds = view.bounds
+            let metalOK = (view.layer as? CAMetalLayer) != nil
+            viewState = "inWindow=\(inWindow) bounds=\(bounds) metalOK=\(metalOK) hasSurface=\(hasSurface)"
+        } else {
+            viewState = "NO_ATTACHED_VIEW hasSurface=\(hasSurface)"
+        }
         #if DEBUG
         let ts = ISO8601DateFormatter().string(from: Date())
         let line = "[\(ts)] forceRefresh: \(id) \(viewState)\n"
@@ -2028,13 +2028,14 @@ final class TerminalSurface: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
         } else {
             FileManager.default.createFile(atPath: logPath, contents: line.data(using: .utf8))
         }
-	        #endif
+        #endif
         guard let view = attachedView,
               view.window != nil,
               view.bounds.width > 0,
               view.bounds.height > 0 else {
             return
         }
+        guard let currentSurface = self.surface else { return }
 
         // Re-read self.surface before each ghostty call to guard against the surface
         // being freed during wake-from-sleep geometry reconciliation (issue #432).
@@ -2044,10 +2045,9 @@ final class TerminalSurface: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
         // Reassert display id on topology churn (split close/reparent) before forcing a refresh.
         // This avoids a first-run stuck-vsync state where Ghostty believes vsync is active
         // but callbacks have not resumed for the current display.
-        if let surface = self.surface,
-           let displayID = (view.window?.screen ?? NSScreen.main)?.displayID,
+        if let displayID = (view.window?.screen ?? NSScreen.main)?.displayID,
            displayID != 0 {
-            ghostty_surface_set_display_id(surface, displayID)
+            ghostty_surface_set_display_id(currentSurface, displayID)
         }
 
         view.forceRefreshSurface()
@@ -2176,6 +2176,24 @@ final class TerminalSurface: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
         return ghostty_surface_has_selection(surface)
     }
 
+#if DEBUG
+    /// Test-only helper to deterministically simulate a released runtime surface.
+    @MainActor
+    func releaseSurfaceForTesting() {
+        let callbackContext = surfaceCallbackContext
+        surfaceCallbackContext = nil
+
+        guard let surfaceToFree = surface else {
+            callbackContext?.release()
+            return
+        }
+
+        surface = nil
+        ghostty_surface_free(surfaceToFree)
+        callbackContext?.release()
+    }
+#endif
+
     deinit {
         let callbackContext = surfaceCallbackContext
         surfaceCallbackContext = nil
diff --git a/Sources/Workspace.swift b/Sources/Workspace.swift
index 1d00b7b8..d6b4fdfe 100644
--- a/Sources/Workspace.swift
+++ b/Sources/Workspace.swift
@@ -3083,8 +3083,10 @@ final class Workspace: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
             // layout and view lifecycle changes that free surfaces (#432).
             if terminalPanel.surface.surface != nil {
                 terminalPanel.surface.forceRefresh()
-            } else if isAttached && hasUsableBounds {
+            }
+            if terminalPanel.surface.surface == nil, isAttached && hasUsableBounds {
                 terminalPanel.surface.requestBackgroundSurfaceStartIfNeeded()
+                needsFollowUpPass = true
             }
         }
 
@@ -3139,7 +3141,8 @@ final class Workspace: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
                 panel.hostedView.reconcileGeometryNow()
                 if panel.surface.surface != nil {
                     panel.surface.forceRefresh()
-                } else {
+                }
+                if panel.surface.surface == nil {
                     panel.surface.requestBackgroundSurfaceStartIfNeeded()
                 }
             }
diff --git a/cmuxTests/CmuxWebViewKeyEquivalentTests.swift b/cmuxTests/CmuxWebViewKeyEquivalentTests.swift
index bb1c2f9b..6ba31b81 100644
--- a/cmuxTests/CmuxWebViewKeyEquivalentTests.swift
+++ b/cmuxTests/CmuxWebViewKeyEquivalentTests.swift
@@ -6761,6 +6761,49 @@ final class GhosttySurfaceOverlayTests: XCTestCase {
         XCTAssertFalse(hostedView.debugHasSearchOverlay())
     }
 
+    func testForceRefreshNoopsAfterSurfaceReleaseDuringGeometryReconcile() throws {
+#if DEBUG
+        let window = NSWindow(
+            contentRect: NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 420, height: 280),
+            styleMask: [.titled, .closable],
+            backing: .buffered,
+            defer: false
+        )
+        defer { window.orderOut(nil) }
+
+        guard let contentView = window.contentView else {
+            XCTFail("Expected content view")
+            return
+        }
+
+        let surface = TerminalSurface(
+            tabId: UUID(),
+            context: GHOSTTY_SURFACE_CONTEXT_SPLIT,
+            configTemplate: nil,
+            workingDirectory: nil
+        )
+        let hostedView = surface.hostedView
+        hostedView.frame = contentView.bounds
+        hostedView.autoresizingMask = [.width, .height]
+        contentView.addSubview(hostedView)
+
+        window.makeKeyAndOrderFront(nil)
+        window.displayIfNeeded()
+        contentView.layoutSubtreeIfNeeded()
+        RunLoop.current.run(until: Date().addingTimeInterval(0.05))
+
+        hostedView.reconcileGeometryNow()
+        surface.releaseSurfaceForTesting()
+        XCTAssertNil(surface.surface, "Surface should be nil after test release helper")
+
+        hostedView.reconcileGeometryNow()
+        surface.forceRefresh()
+        XCTAssertNil(surface.surface, "Force refresh should no-op when runtime surface is nil")
+#else
+        throw XCTSkip("Debug-only regression test")
+#endif
+    }
+
     func testSearchOverlayMountDoesNotRetainTerminalSurface() {
         weak var weakSurface: TerminalSurface?