diff --git a/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/gpu_widget.py b/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/gpu_widget.py
index ca671f43..0d3e155d 100644
--- a/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/gpu_widget.py
+++ b/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/gpu_widget.py
@@ -184,6 +184,17 @@ def _upload_display_lut(self) -> None:
             address_mode_w=wgpu.AddressMode.clamp_to_edge,
         )
 
+    def presents_to_screen(self) -> bool:
+        """True when the frame goes to a native surface of its own, which the overlay
+        must punch an alpha hole to reveal.
+
+        rendercanvas picks a *bitmap* present on Qt: the frame is blitted into the
+        shared backing store by the widget's own paintEvent, and a hole punched over
+        it erases the frame instead of revealing anything.
+        """
+        sub = getattr(self.canvas, "_subwidget", self.canvas)
+        return bool(getattr(sub, "_present_to_screen", False))
+
     def set_transform(self, zoom: float, px: float, py: float) -> None:
         self.zoom = zoom
         self.pan_x = px
diff --git a/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/overlay.py b/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/overlay.py
index 60a9aa5f..3d0b5640 100644
--- a/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/overlay.py
+++ b/negpy/desktop/view/canvas/overlay.py
@@ -571,15 +571,20 @@ def paintEvent(self, event) -> None:
         painter = QPainter(self)
 
         parent_bg = getattr(self.parent(), "_bg_color", QColor("#050505"))
-        if not getattr(self.parent(), "gpu_widget", None) or not self.parent().gpu_widget.isVisible():
+        gpu = getattr(self.parent(), "gpu_widget", None)
+        gpu_live = bool(gpu is not None and gpu.isVisible())
+        if not gpu_live:
             painter.fillRect(event.rect(), parent_bg)
 
         if sys.platform in ("darwin", "win32"):
             painter.setCompositionMode(QPainter.CompositionMode.CompositionMode_Source)
-            if getattr(self.parent(), "gpu_widget", None) and self.parent().gpu_widget.isVisible():
-                painter.fillRect(event.rect(), Qt.GlobalColor.transparent)
-            else:
+            if not gpu_live:
                 painter.fillRect(event.rect(), parent_bg)
+            elif gpu.presents_to_screen():
+                # Only a native surface underneath is revealed by the hole. Under a
+                # bitmap present the frame is in this very backing store, and the
+                # fill wipes it (issue: white canvas on macOS, black on Windows).
+                painter.fillRect(event.rect(), Qt.GlobalColor.transparent)
             painter.setCompositionMode(QPainter.CompositionMode.CompositionMode_SourceOver)
 
         painter.setRenderHint(QPainter.RenderHint.Antialiasing)
diff --git a/tests/test_overlay_gpu_compositing.py b/tests/test_overlay_gpu_compositing.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1ca951b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_overlay_gpu_compositing.py
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+"""The overlay must not erase the frame the GPU canvas painted underneath it.
+
+rendercanvas presents through a bitmap on Qt: the canvas blits its frame into the
+shared backing store. The alpha hole the overlay punches on macOS/Windows was written
+for a native surface underneath; over a bitmap present it wipes the frame, and the
+canvas shows the bare window background (white on macOS, black on Windows).
+"""
+
+import sys
+
+import pytest
+from PyQt6.QtGui import QColor, QImage
+from PyQt6.QtWidgets import QWidget
+
+from negpy.desktop.session import AppState
+from negpy.desktop.view.canvas.overlay import CanvasOverlay
+
+W, H = 60, 40
+FRAME = QColor(20, 160, 90)
+
+
+class _FakeGPUWidget:
+    def __init__(self, visible: bool, to_screen: bool):
+        self._visible, self._to_screen = visible, to_screen
+
+    def isVisible(self) -> bool:
+        return self._visible
+
+    def presents_to_screen(self) -> bool:
+        return self._to_screen
+
+
+class _FakeCanvas(QWidget):
+    """Stands in for ImageCanvas: owns the background colour and the GPU widget."""
+
+    def __init__(self, gpu):
+        super().__init__()
+        self._bg_color = QColor("#050505")
+        self.gpu_widget = gpu
+
+
+def _paint_over_frame(gpu) -> QImage:
+    """Paint the overlay onto a surface that already holds a rendered frame."""
+    canvas = _FakeCanvas(gpu)
+    overlay = CanvasOverlay(AppState(), canvas)
+    overlay.resize(W, H)
+
+    surface = QImage(W, H, QImage.Format.Format_ARGB32_Premultiplied)
+    surface.fill(FRAME)
+    overlay.render(surface)
+    return surface
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform not in ("darwin", "win32"), reason="the alpha hole is macOS/Windows only")
+def test_bitmap_present_frame_survives_the_overlay():
+    surface = _paint_over_frame(_FakeGPUWidget(visible=True, to_screen=False))
+
+    assert QColor(surface.pixel(W // 2, H // 2)) == FRAME
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform not in ("darwin", "win32"), reason="the alpha hole is macOS/Windows only")
+def test_screen_present_still_gets_its_hole():
+    surface = _paint_over_frame(_FakeGPUWidget(visible=True, to_screen=True))
+
+    assert QColor.fromRgba(surface.pixel(W // 2, H // 2)).alpha() == 0
+
+
+def test_hidden_gpu_widget_gets_the_canvas_background():
+    surface = _paint_over_frame(_FakeGPUWidget(visible=False, to_screen=False))
+
+    assert QColor(surface.pixel(W // 2, H // 2)) == QColor("#050505")
+
+
+def test_presents_to_screen_reads_the_canvas_present_method():
+    from negpy.desktop.view.canvas.gpu_widget import GPUCanvasWidget
+
+    widget = GPUCanvasWidget.__new__(GPUCanvasWidget)
+
+    class _Sub:
+        _present_to_screen = False
+
+    class _Canvas:
+        _subwidget = _Sub()
+
+    widget.canvas = _Canvas()
+    assert widget.presents_to_screen() is False
+
+    _Sub._present_to_screen = True
+    assert widget.presents_to_screen() is True
+
+    # Before get_context() the method is unresolved; no hole until it is known.
+    _Sub._present_to_screen = None
+    assert widget.presents_to_screen() is False