diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index d108664ae9..6a0f41d52f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -121,6 +121,23 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check that diagrams resolve their colours from tokens
         run: node scripts/check-diagram-tokens.mjs
 
+  orphaned-images:
+    timeout-minutes: 5
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout 🛎️
+        uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1  # v7.0.1
+
+      - name: Setup Node 🔧
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020  # v7.0.0
+        with:
+          node-version-file: .node-version
+
+      # No dependencies needed: the scanner is plain Node. Its own unit tests
+      # run in the `test` job.
+      - name: Check for orphaned images
+        run: node scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs
+
   build:
     timeout-minutes: 20
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
diff --git a/.mergify.yml b/.mergify.yml
index e5e0d77175..b426fd36f9 100644
--- a/.mergify.yml
+++ b/.mergify.yml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ merge_protections:
           - check-success = test
           - check-success = diagram-tokens
           - check-success = test-broken-links
+          - check-success = orphaned-images
           - or:
               - check-success=Cloudflare Pages
               # fork can't have the preview build
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 3fa440d0d6..e7420e94b2 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ pnpm test              # Run Vitest unit tests
 # Safety
 pnpm check:internal-leaks  # Scan docs for leaked internal information
 pnpm check:diagram-tokens  # Scan diagrams for hardcoded colors
+pnpm check:orphaned-images  # Scan for images nothing references
 ```
 
 ## Key Directories
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bf446e2fcb..f61f9102cb 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     "check:config-examples": "node scripts/validate-config-examples.mjs",
     "check:diagram-tokens": "node scripts/check-diagram-tokens.mjs",
     "check:internal-leaks": "node scripts/check-internal-leaks.mjs",
+    "check:orphaned-images": "node scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs",
     "check:links": "linkinator / enterprise/ --server-root dist --config linkinator.config.mjs"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs b/scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..709eb66d61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * Scan `src/content/` for images nothing references.
+ *
+ * Prose moves — a page is rewritten, an example is cut, a page is deleted
+ * outright — and the image it imported is easy to leave behind, because
+ * removing a page never fails a build the way removing a component does.
+ * docs#12728 is the case that prompted this: it dropped a billing example's
+ * two `<Image>` uses and both `import` lines, and the PNGs stayed on disk
+ * with nothing pointing at them.
+ *
+ * A page imports an image by a relative path that always contains
+ * `/images/<path from the nearest ancestor directory literally named
+ * "images">` — `../../images/billing/plan.png`, `./images/hero.jpg`, three
+ * levels up, one level up, it does not matter, that suffix is constant. So
+ * for every image file that sits under some `images/` directory anywhere in
+ * `src/content/`, this checks whether that exact suffix appears anywhere in
+ * the docs source. No suffix found anywhere means nothing imports the file,
+ * under any relative path. The leading `/` matters: it is what stops an
+ * unrelated string like `cdn-images/billing/plan.png` from reading as a
+ * reference to `images/billing/plan.png` just because one contains the
+ * other.
+ *
+ * This deliberately does NOT match by basename alone: two images in
+ * different directories can share a filename (`config-editor.png` exists
+ * under both `configuration/` and, until it was deleted as part of this same
+ * change, the removed `workflow/writing-your-first-rule/` page), and a
+ * basename-only sweep reads the orphan as referenced because a same-named
+ * file elsewhere genuinely is. That false negative is exactly how
+ * `workflow/writing-your-first-rule/config-editor.png` survived a first,
+ * basename-only pass.
+ *
+ * Nor does it assume images only live under `src/content/images/` — most do,
+ * but `src/content/docs/images/merge-queue-hero.jpg` is a real, referenced
+ * counterexample sitting right next to the page that imports it. Any
+ * `images/` directory under `src/content/` counts.
+ *
+ * What it cannot see: an image loaded through `import.meta.glob` or any
+ * other pattern that does not spell out the path literally. Nothing in the
+ * docs does that today; if it starts, add the path to ALLOWLIST below rather
+ * than trying to make the regex understand glob patterns.
+ *
+ * Two images under different `images/` roots can share the same suffix
+ * (same subpath after the nearest `images/` ancestor) and so need the same
+ * needle. `findOrphans` cannot tell which one an import actually resolves
+ * to, so it reports every image in a colliding group rather than guessing.
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ *   node scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs
+ *   node scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs --json
+ */
+
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url), '..', '..');
+const CONTENT_DIR = 'src/content';
+const SEARCH_DIRS = ['src', 'integrations', 'plugins'];
+const IMAGES_DIRNAME = 'images';
+const SEARCH_EXTENSIONS = ['.mdx', '.md', '.astro', '.ts', '.tsx', '.js', '.mjs'];
+const IMAGE_EXTENSIONS = ['.png', '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.gif', '.svg', '.webp', '.avif'];
+
+/**
+ * Paths relative to the repo root that are known to be unreferenced on
+ * purpose, each with why. Empty today — a legitimate entry should be rare,
+ * since an image that nothing renders belongs in an asset host, not the
+ * docs source tree.
+ */
+export const ALLOWLIST = new Set([]);
+
+function* walk(dir) {
+  for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+    const full = path.join(dir, entry.name);
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) yield* walk(full);
+    else yield full;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Image files under any `images/` directory within `src/content/`, as paths
+ * relative to the repo root (posix separators). A file with no `images/`
+ * ancestor is outside this checker's scope: nothing imports an image by a
+ * path containing `/images/` unless it sits under a directory named that.
+ */
+export function findImages(contentDir = path.join(ROOT, CONTENT_DIR)) {
+  const found = [];
+  for (const full of walk(contentDir)) {
+    if (!IMAGE_EXTENSIONS.includes(path.extname(full).toLowerCase())) continue;
+    const parts = path.relative(ROOT, full).split(path.sep);
+    if (parts.includes(IMAGES_DIRNAME)) found.push(parts.join('/'));
+  }
+  return found.sort();
+}
+
+/**
+ * The substring a relative import of `imagePath` (repo-relative, posix) must
+ * contain: `/images/` through the rest of the path, taken from the nearest
+ * `images` segment. Anchored on the leading slash so an unrelated
+ * `cdn-images/...` cannot satisfy it by accident.
+ */
+export function needleFor(imagePath) {
+  const parts = imagePath.split('/');
+  const idx = parts.lastIndexOf(IMAGES_DIRNAME);
+  return `/${parts.slice(idx).join('/')}`;
+}
+
+/** Concatenated text of every scanned source file under SEARCH_DIRS. */
+export function buildCorpus(root = ROOT, dirs = SEARCH_DIRS) {
+  let corpus = '';
+  for (const dir of dirs) {
+    const abs = path.join(root, dir);
+    if (!fs.existsSync(abs)) continue;
+    for (const full of walk(abs)) {
+      if (SEARCH_EXTENSIONS.includes(path.extname(full).toLowerCase())) {
+        corpus += fs.readFileSync(full, 'utf8');
+        corpus += '\n';
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return corpus;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Images (repo-relative paths) that `corpus` never mentions, plus any image
+ * whose needle collides with another image's — two images living under
+ * different `images/` roots can end up with the identical suffix (e.g.
+ * `src/content/images/billing/hero.png` and
+ * `src/content/docs/images/billing/hero.png` both need `/images/billing/hero.png`),
+ * and a single import of either would otherwise clear both regardless of
+ * which one it actually references. Fail closed: a colliding pair is always
+ * reported, even when the needle is present, so a human resolves the
+ * ambiguity instead of the checker silently guessing.
+ */
+export function findOrphans(corpus, images = findImages(), allowlist = ALLOWLIST) {
+  const needleCounts = new Map();
+  for (const img of images) {
+    const needle = needleFor(img);
+    needleCounts.set(needle, (needleCounts.get(needle) ?? 0) + 1);
+  }
+  return images.filter((img) => {
+    if (allowlist.has(img)) return false;
+    const needle = needleFor(img);
+    if (needleCounts.get(needle) > 1) return true;
+    return !corpus.includes(needle);
+  });
+}
+
+function main(argv) {
+  const jsonMode = argv.includes('--json');
+
+  const images = findImages();
+  const corpus = buildCorpus();
+  const orphans = findOrphans(corpus, images);
+
+  if (jsonMode) {
+    process.stdout.write(`${JSON.stringify(orphans, null, 2)}\n`);
+    return orphans.length === 0 ? 0 : 1;
+  }
+
+  console.log(`Scanned ${images.length} image(s) under ${CONTENT_DIR}/**/${IMAGES_DIRNAME}/.`);
+  if (orphans.length === 0) {
+    console.log('No orphaned images found.');
+    return 0;
+  }
+  console.error(`\n${orphans.length} orphaned image(s) — nothing imports them:\n`);
+  for (const o of orphans) {
+    console.error(`  ${o}`);
+  }
+  console.error(
+    '\nDelete the file, or if the page that used it still needs it, restore the\n' +
+      '`import` and `<Image>` that reference it. If it is genuinely unreferenced\n' +
+      'on purpose, add it to ALLOWLIST in scripts/check-orphaned-images.mjs with why.'
+  );
+  return 1;
+}
+
+// Run as a CLI only when invoked directly, so tests can import the helpers.
+if (process.argv[1] && path.resolve(process.argv[1]) === fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)) {
+  process.exit(main(process.argv.slice(2)));
+}
diff --git a/scripts/check-orphaned-images.test.mjs b/scripts/check-orphaned-images.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a0c31a7b03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-orphaned-images.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { buildCorpus, findImages, findOrphans, needleFor } from './check-orphaned-images.mjs';
+
+describe('needleFor', () => {
+  it('anchors on the nearest images/ ancestor, leading slash included', () => {
+    expect(needleFor('src/content/images/billing/plan.png')).toBe('/images/billing/plan.png');
+    expect(needleFor('src/content/docs/images/hero.jpg')).toBe('/images/hero.jpg');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('findOrphans', () => {
+  it('reports an image no import mentions', () => {
+    const corpus = 'import hero from "../../images/other/hero.png"\n';
+    expect(
+      findOrphans(corpus, [
+        'src/content/images/billing/plan.png',
+        'src/content/images/other/hero.png',
+      ])
+    ).toEqual(['src/content/images/billing/plan.png']);
+  });
+
+  it('matches any relative import depth, not just one style', () => {
+    const corpus = [
+      'import a from "../../images/billing/plan.png"',
+      'import b from "../../../images/ci-insights/token.png"',
+      'import c from "./images/merge-queue-hero.jpg"',
+    ].join('\n');
+    expect(
+      findOrphans(corpus, [
+        'src/content/images/billing/plan.png',
+        'src/content/images/ci-insights/token.png',
+        'src/content/docs/images/merge-queue-hero.jpg',
+      ])
+    ).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('finds images outside src/content/images/, under any images/ directory', () => {
+    // src/content/docs/images/merge-queue-hero.jpg is the real counterexample:
+    // an image colocated with the page that imports it rather than living
+    // under the shared src/content/images/ tree.
+    const corpus = 'import hero from "./images/merge-queue-hero.jpg"\n';
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, ['src/content/docs/images/merge-queue-hero.jpg'])).toEqual([]);
+    expect(findOrphans('', ['src/content/docs/images/merge-queue-hero.jpg'])).toEqual([
+      'src/content/docs/images/merge-queue-hero.jpg',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('does not let a same-named file elsewhere hide a real orphan', () => {
+    // Two images share a basename in different directories; only one is
+    // imported. A basename-only check would call both referenced — this is
+    // the false negative that let workflow/writing-your-first-rule/
+    // config-editor.png survive a first, basename-only sweep.
+    const corpus = 'import x from "../../images/configuration/config-editor.png"\n';
+    const images = [
+      'src/content/images/configuration/config-editor.png',
+      'src/content/images/workflow/first-rule/config-editor.png',
+    ];
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, images)).toEqual([
+      'src/content/images/workflow/first-rule/config-editor.png',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('does not let a directory-prefix collision produce a false reference', () => {
+    // "/images/a/logo.png" must not read as referenced by an import of
+    // "images/prefix-a/logo.png" just because the shorter string is a
+    // substring of the longer one everywhere except at the images/ anchor.
+    const corpus = 'import x from "../../images/prefix-a/logo.png"\n';
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, ['src/content/images/a/logo.png'])).toEqual([
+      'src/content/images/a/logo.png',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('does not let an unrelated cdn-images/ path satisfy the reference', () => {
+    // Before the leading-slash anchor, "cdn-images/billing/plan.png" (no
+    // slash before "images") would have contained "images/billing/plan.png"
+    // as a plain substring and wrongly cleared the file.
+    const corpus = 'See https://cdn-images/billing/plan.png for the source asset.\n';
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, ['src/content/images/billing/plan.png'])).toEqual([
+      'src/content/images/billing/plan.png',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('honors the allowlist', () => {
+    const corpus = '';
+    const images = ['src/content/images/billing/plan.png'];
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, images, new Set(images))).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('reports an unreferenced .avif file', () => {
+    const corpus = 'import hero from "../../images/other/hero.png"\n';
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, ['src/content/images/billing/plan.avif'])).toEqual([
+      'src/content/images/billing/plan.avif',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('fails closed when two images share a needle, even if it is present', () => {
+    // Same subpath after the nearest images/ ancestor, different roots — a
+    // single import of either satisfies both needles, so which one is truly
+    // referenced is ambiguous. Report both rather than clearing either.
+    const corpus = 'import hero from "../../images/billing/hero.png"\n';
+    const images = [
+      'src/content/images/billing/hero.png',
+      'src/content/docs/images/billing/hero.png',
+    ];
+    expect(findOrphans(corpus, images)).toEqual(images);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('published docs', () => {
+  it('contain no orphaned images', () => {
+    const images = findImages();
+    const corpus = buildCorpus();
+    const orphans = findOrphans(corpus, images);
+    if (orphans.length) {
+      throw new Error(`Orphaned image(s) — nothing imports them:\n${orphans.join('\n')}`);
+    }
+    // Sanity: the scan actually walked the images tree.
+    expect(images.length).toBeGreaterThan(50);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/content/images/billing/plan.png b/src/content/images/billing/plan.png
deleted file mode 100644
index ae62be9e36..0000000000
Binary files a/src/content/images/billing/plan.png and /dev/null differ