diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3764eab..22b935f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -55,8 +55,9 @@ current native/local edit, selection, focus, and (on native controls) input
 method composition. Use `set_text` for an explicit imperative replacement.
 
 The custom renderer is demand driven: it builds on demand and reuses its tree
-while idle, and `ui2.WindowOptions{refresh: .continuous}` restores the
-historical per-vsync rebuild loop. See
+while idle, `ui2.WindowOptions{refresh: .continuous}` restores the historical
+per-vsync rebuild loop, and `refresh: .manual` suppresses all drawing between
+explicit asks. See
 [render scheduling](docs/render-scheduling.md) for invalidation, worker
 delivery, window lifecycle and the acceptance fixture.
 
diff --git a/docs/render-scheduling.md b/docs/render-scheduling.md
index ceecf5c..1796168 100644
--- a/docs/render-scheduling.md
+++ b/docs/render-scheduling.md
@@ -5,14 +5,16 @@ tree and then updates it when application work invalidates the window, and a
 static window reuses its retained tree. Input, model actions, resize, worker
 deliveries and animations request the work they need. Requests raised during a
 frame are kept for the next frame. `.continuous` restores the historical
-per-vsync rebuild loop:
+per-vsync rebuild loop, and `.manual` goes further: the frame callback stays
+suppressed between explicit `refresh`/`request_refresh` asks, with deadlines
+and running animations waking their own continuation:
 
 ```v
 ui2.run_window_with_options(ui2.WindowOptions{
 	title:   'App'
 	width:   640
 	height:  480
-	refresh: .continuous
+	refresh: .manual
 }, build, event)
 ```
 
diff --git a/ui/frame_scheduler.v b/ui/frame_scheduler.v
index ceccdcd..a820f48 100644
--- a/ui/frame_scheduler.v
+++ b/ui/frame_scheduler.v
@@ -68,6 +68,11 @@ mut:
 	suspended             bool
 	closed                bool
 	tasks                 []FrameTask
+	// wake_fn is the loop wake for fully manual refresh modes: invalidate,
+	// deadlines and animation continuation call it so a suppressed frame
+	// callback still runs. It must only touch the platform loop's own
+	// synchronization; it runs under the coordinator mutex.
+	wake_fn fn ()
 }
 
 fn new_frame_coordinator() &FrameCoordinator {
@@ -99,15 +104,27 @@ fn (mut coordinator FrameCoordinator) invalidate_locked(reason RenderReason) {
 	}
 	coordinator.requests++
 	coordinator.generation++
-	if coordinator.pending_reasons.len > 0 {
-		coordinator.coalesced++
-	}
 	if reason !in coordinator.pending_reasons {
 		coordinator.pending_reasons << reason
+		// New work the loop may not know about: in fully manual refresh modes
+		// the frame callback stays suppressed between asks, so new pending work
+		// must wake it. Under platform-controlled loops the wake is a cheap
+		// redundant flag flip.
+		if coordinator.wake_fn != unsafe { nil } {
+			coordinator.wake_fn()
+		}
+	} else {
+		coordinator.coalesced++
 	}
 }
 
-// begin_frame takes a generation snapshot and detaches its reasons. Requests
+// set_wake_fn installs the loop wake used by manual refresh modes. Pass nil to
+// detach it.
+pub fn (mut coordinator FrameCoordinator) set_wake_fn(wake fn ()) {
+	coordinator.mutex.lock()
+	defer { coordinator.mutex.unlock() }
+	coordinator.wake_fn = wake
+}
 // arriving while the caller works therefore belong to the following frame.
 // now and deadlines use the same caller-supplied monotonic millisecond clock.
 fn (mut coordinator FrameCoordinator) begin_frame(now i64) ?FrameWork {
@@ -192,6 +209,12 @@ fn (mut coordinator FrameCoordinator) set_animation_active(active bool) {
 	defer { coordinator.mutex.unlock() }
 	if !coordinator.closed {
 		coordinator.animation_active = active
+		// A running animation expects its next frame: in fully manual refresh
+		// modes the loop stays suppressed between asks, so continuation must
+		// wake it.
+		if active && coordinator.wake_fn != unsafe { nil } {
+			coordinator.wake_fn()
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/ui/gl_surface.v b/ui/gl_surface.v
index 433e14a..1a86114 100644
--- a/ui/gl_surface.v
+++ b/ui/gl_surface.v
@@ -43,4 +43,10 @@ pub fn set_gl_surface_texture(id string, gl_texture u32, width int, height int)
 		width:      width
 		height:     height
 	}
+	// The producer usually runs on its own thread, so without this ask the new
+	// texture would wait for unrelated work: on GL/D3D the loop re-presents the
+	// retained tree each vsync and would pick it up anyway, but on Metal an
+	// idle window draws nothing and the update would never reach the screen.
+	// The scheduler's queue is mutex guarded, so this is safe off the UI thread.
+	request_refresh()
 }
diff --git a/ui/ui_immediate.c.v b/ui/ui_immediate.c.v
index ab6f582..f482715 100644
--- a/ui/ui_immediate.c.v
+++ b/ui/ui_immediate.c.v
@@ -368,9 +368,16 @@ $if (android || linux || ((macos || windows) && ui2_custom_rendering ?)) && !ui2
 // continuous cost. An application whose frames come from outside the window —
 // a video surface fed by a player, for example — calls request_refresh from
 // the player thread whenever new content is ready.
+//
+// manual suppresses the frame callback between explicit asks, like on_demand
+// did before the frame scheduler took over: refresh and request_refresh wake
+// the loop for exactly one coalesced frame, deadlines and running animations
+// wake their own continuation, and nothing else draws — no per-vsync present,
+// no keep-alive redraw.
 	pub enum RefreshMode {
 	continuous
 	on_demand
+	manual
 	}
 
 // WindowOptions carries the window creation knobs run_window_with_options
@@ -400,6 +407,10 @@ $if (android || linux || ((macos || windows) && ui2_custom_rendering ?)) && !ui2
 			g_gg_app = &GgApp{}
 		}
 		g_refresh_mode = opts.refresh
+		// In manual mode gg suppresses the frame callback between asks, so the
+		// scheduler's wake hook revives it whenever new work, a running
+		// animation or an expired deadline needs a frame.
+		g_gg_app.scheduler.set_wake_fn(wake_ui_loop)
 		g_build_screen = build_fn
 		g_event_handler = event_fn
 		// In on_demand mode the loop sleeps between asks, so a running
@@ -424,15 +435,16 @@ $if (android || linux || ((macos || windows) && ui2_custom_rendering ?)) && !ui2
 			min_width: opts.min_width
 			min_height: opts.min_height
 			sample_count: opts.sample_count
-			ui_mode: opts.refresh == .on_demand
+			// Manual mode suppresses the frame callback between asks; the
+			// scheduler's wake hook revives it. The other modes keep the
+			// callback flowing and gate builds/draws in the coordinator —
+			// gg's ui_mode would suppress it before it can drain worker
+			// messages or deadlines, and refresh_ui is not thread safe.
+			ui_mode: opts.refresh == .manual
 			create_window: true
 			window_title: opts.title
 			user_data: unsafe { voidptr(g_gg_app) }
 			init_fn: on_init
-			// gg's ui_mode suppresses this callback before it can drain worker
-			// messages or deadlines, and refresh_ui is not thread safe. Keep the
-			// presentation callback and gate builds/draws in our coordinator (1A).
-			ui_mode: false
 			cleanup_fn: on_cleanup
 			frame_fn: on_frame
 			event_fn: on_event
@@ -478,6 +490,17 @@ $if (android || linux || ((macos || windows) && ui2_custom_rendering ?)) && !ui2
 		return UiDispatcher{coordinator: g_gg_app.scheduler}
 	}
 
+// wake_ui_loop hands gg's context a redraw ask. refresh_ui flips a boolean the
+// frame thread reads, so calling it off the UI thread is deliberate and safe;
+// libmpv's update callback, the scheduler's wake hook and the timer threads
+// land here.
+	fn wake_ui_loop() {
+		if g_gg_app.ctx == unsafe { nil } {
+			return
+		}
+		g_gg_app.ctx.refresh_ui()
+	}
+
 // refresh asks for a rebuild over whatever the application changed outside a
 // frame. In on_demand mode the scheduler turns the ask into exactly one
 // coalesced frame; the continuous loop was already drawing regardless.
@@ -944,6 +967,16 @@ $if (android || linux || ((macos || windows) && ui2_custom_rendering ?)) && !ui2
 		work := app.scheduler.begin_frame(now) or { return }
 		defer { app.scheduler.finish_frame(work) }
 		ensure_symbol_fallbacks(ctx)
+		// Manual mode suppresses the frame callback between asks, so a pending
+		// visual deadline needs its own wake: schedule one one-shot timer that
+		// lands on the deadline. The other modes re-check the deadline from the
+		// flowing frame callback, and only long-press and tooltip rests set
+		// deadlines, so this stays rare.
+		if g_refresh_mode == .manual {
+			if deadline := app.scheduler.stats().next_deadline; deadline >= 0 {
+				after(f64(deadline-now) / 1000.0, fn () {})
+			}
+		}
 		if !text_measurement_exact() && ctx.font_inited {
 			// Text is measured from the first frame with fonts and their symbol
 			// fallbacks in place; measured earlier, a glyph only a fallback face