diff --git a/.emb/base.emb.yaml b/.emb/base.emb.yaml
index 85e9e45ca..3faa63e30 100644
--- a/.emb/base.emb.yaml
+++ b/.emb/base.emb.yaml
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ cross:
       BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE: 'ON'
       BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL: 'OFF'
       BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN: 'OFF'
-    headless-egl:
-      BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL: 'ON'
+    headless-software:
+      BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE: 'ON'
       BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL: 'OFF'
       BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN: 'OFF'
diff --git a/.emb/raspberry-pi.emb.yaml b/.emb/raspberry-pi.emb.yaml
index 5dd9aa5d7..81386ab1c 100644
--- a/.emb/raspberry-pi.emb.yaml
+++ b/.emb/raspberry-pi.emb.yaml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ build:
 
 cross:
   defines:
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL: 'OFF'
+    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE: 'OFF'
     DISABLE_PLUGINS: 'OFF'
     PLUGINS_DIR: '../ivi-homescreen-plugins/plugins'
 
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b9ae8713e..6b49388b3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -72,10 +72,19 @@ endif ()
 if (BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE)
     if (BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN OR
         BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR
-        BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+        BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
         message(FATAL_ERROR
                 "BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE is mutually exclusive with the "
-                "DRM/Wayland/Headless EGL/Vulkan backends — pick exactly one")
+                "DRM/Wayland/Headless Software/Vulkan backends — pick exactly one")
+    endif ()
+endif ()
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
+    if (BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN OR
+        BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR
+        BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE)
+        message(FATAL_ERROR
+                "BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE is mutually exclusive with the "
+                "DRM/Wayland/Software/Vulkan backends — pick exactly one")
     endif ()
 endif ()
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bfdc75db4..f96abcf78 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ All other parameters get assigned using the following ordering:
 
 `BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN` - Build Backed for Vulkan. Defaults to OFF
 
-`BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL` - Build Headless backend for EGL (OSMesa). Defaults to OFF
+`BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE` - Build headless backend using the kSoftware CPU renderer (no EGL or GPU required). Defaults to OFF
 
 `BUILD_COMPOSITOR` - Enable the `FlutterCompositor` backing-store API so platform-view layers can be interleaved with Flutter UI. See [Platform View Plugins](#platform-view-plugins). Defaults to OFF.
 
diff --git a/cmake/config_common.h.in b/cmake/config_common.h.in
index 6e0dac277..fdb2a03a8 100644
--- a/cmake/config_common.h.in
+++ b/cmake/config_common.h.in
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@
 #ifndef BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN
 #cmakedefine01 BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN
 #endif
-#ifndef BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-#cmakedefine01 BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#ifndef BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+#cmakedefine01 BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
 #endif
 #ifndef BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
 #cmakedefine01 BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
@@ -58,8 +58,7 @@
 // EGL is needed only by the EGL-based backends. Including <EGL/egl.h> here
 // unconditionally dragged EGL/GL headers into the DRM-Vulkan and software
 // builds, which must stay EGL/GL-free.
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
 #define IVI_HAVE_EGL 1
 #include <EGL/egl.h>
 #else
@@ -73,8 +72,7 @@
 // libwayland-cursor runtime deps. This condition MUST match the waypp build
 // gate in third_party/CMakeLists.txt: waypp's own sources include this header
 // (via logging.h), so a mismatch breaks waypp's build.
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 #include <waypp/waypp.h>
 #endif
 
diff --git a/cmake/options.cmake b/cmake/options.cmake
index 1e1301577..6717026d0 100644
--- a/cmake/options.cmake
+++ b/cmake/options.cmake
@@ -137,12 +137,17 @@ if (USE_DRM_SCENE AND NOT (BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VU
 endif ()
 
 #
-# Headless
+# Headless (software / CPU renderer — no GPU or Wayland)
 #
-option(BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL "Build Headless EGL Backend" OFF)
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
-    find_package(PkgConfig)
-    pkg_check_modules(OSMESA osmesa glesv2 egl IMPORTED_TARGET REQUIRED)
+option(BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+        "Build headless backend using kSoftware renderer — no GPU or Wayland required"
+        OFF)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
+    # Force all hardware sinks and libinput off: headless has no display
+    # device to scan out to and no /dev/input/event* to listen on.
+    set(BUILD_SOFTWARE_SINK_DRM OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(BUILD_SOFTWARE_SINK_FBDEV OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(BUILD_SOFTWARE_INPUT_LIBINPUT OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
 endif ()
 
 #
diff --git a/docs/COMPOSITOR_GOLDENS.md b/docs/COMPOSITOR_GOLDENS.md
index 296838368..214bf5b67 100644
--- a/docs/COMPOSITOR_GOLDENS.md
+++ b/docs/COMPOSITOR_GOLDENS.md
@@ -9,21 +9,9 @@ Both run against software rasterizers so they're CI-friendly.
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-### OSMesa (headless OpenGL)
+### Headless software backend
 
-Required for any EGL-side golden. The host's existing `BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL` already targets OSMesa.
-
-Fedora:
-
-```bash
-sudo dnf install mesa-compat-libOSMesa mesa-compat-libOSMesa-devel
-```
-
-Ubuntu/Debian:
-
-```bash
-sudo apt install libosmesa6 libosmesa6-dev
-```
+`BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE` uses Flutter's `kSoftware` CPU renderer — no EGL or GPU required. No additional packages are needed beyond a standard build environment.
 
 ### lavapipe (headless Vulkan)
 
@@ -73,7 +61,7 @@ Configure with both flags on, point at the bundle:
 ```bash
 cmake -S . -B build-goldens \
     -DBUILD_UNIT_TESTS=ON \
-    -DBUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL=ON \
+    -DBUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE=ON \
     -DBUILD_COMPOSITOR=ON \
     -DUNIT_TEST_APP_BUNDLE=/path/to/flutter/build/linux/x64/release/bundle \
     -DBUILD_NUMBER=1
@@ -114,11 +102,10 @@ VK_DRIVER_FILES=/usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/lvp_icd.x86_64.json \
     homescreen -b "$BUNDLE" --window-type=BG
 ```
 
-There is no native headless-Vulkan backend in this repo today (the existing `HeadlessBackend` is OSMesa/EGL only). Adding one would mean a fourth backend implementation along the lines of `WaylandVulkanBackend` but using `VK_EXT_headless_surface` + a memory-image swapchain — substantial, not on this branch. Until then, Vulkan goldens go through the weston-headless pairing above.
+There is no native headless-Vulkan backend in this repo today (the existing `HeadlessBackend` is Software-only). Adding one would mean a fourth backend implementation along the lines of `WaylandVulkanBackend` but using `VK_EXT_headless_surface` + a memory-image swapchain — substantial, not on this branch. Until then, Vulkan goldens go through the weston-headless pairing above.
 
 ## What's deferred
 
-- **HeadlessBackend compositor wiring.** `HeadlessBackend::GetCompositorConfig()` returns null callbacks today. `BUILD_COMPOSITOR=ON` with the headless backend currently falls back to direct rendering — i.e. the parity test verifies "compositor build doesn't break Flutter-only frames" but doesn't yet exercise the create/collect/present callbacks. Wiring requires either porting `GlCompositor` / `EglFboBackingStore` to desktop GL headers (OSMesa is desktop GL, not GLES) or templating those primitives over the GL header set.
 - **Native headless Vulkan backend.** See above.
 - **Multi-layer goldens.** Need a Dart bundle that emits a `PlatformViewLayer`; the renderer will then exercise `WaylandEglBackend::PresentLayers`'s general path and the new GL-texture composite step from the plugin migrations.
 
diff --git a/docs/source/modules.rst b/docs/source/modules.rst
index 35c65c7ab..d881aefa7 100644
--- a/docs/source/modules.rst
+++ b/docs/source/modules.rst
@@ -325,15 +325,6 @@ key_event_handler.h
    :private-members:
    :undoc-members:
 
-osmesa.h
---------
-
-.. doxygenclass:: OSMesaHeadless
-   :project: ivi-homescreen
-   :members:
-   :private-members:
-   :undoc-members:
-
 display.cc
 ----------
 
diff --git a/scripts/build_beagleplay.sh b/scripts/build_beagleplay.sh
index 82aff700f..e922f79c7 100755
--- a/scripts/build_beagleplay.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_beagleplay.sh
@@ -653,7 +653,6 @@ phase4_build() {
         -S "$REPO_DIR" -B "$BUILD_DIR"
         -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$BUILD_DIR/.xc-toolchain.cmake"
         -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
-        -DBUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL=OFF
         -DBUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN=OFF
     )
     case "$be" in
diff --git a/scripts/build_nitrogen8mm.sh b/scripts/build_nitrogen8mm.sh
index 0dfed2eba..ad95cee7d 100755
--- a/scripts/build_nitrogen8mm.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_nitrogen8mm.sh
@@ -286,7 +286,6 @@ phase4_build() {
     -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
     -DBUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL=OFF -DBUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN=OFF
     -DBUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL=ON  -DBUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE=OFF
-    -DBUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL=OFF
   )
   [[ "$WITH_SCENE" -eq 1 ]] && args+=(-DBUILD_COMPOSITOR=ON -DUSE_DRM_SCENE=ON)
   if [[ "$NO_PLUGINS" -eq 1 ]]; then
diff --git a/scripts/build_radxa_zero3.sh b/scripts/build_radxa_zero3.sh
index 827340370..198d12c4a 100755
--- a/scripts/build_radxa_zero3.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_radxa_zero3.sh
@@ -908,7 +908,6 @@ phase4_build() {
         -S "$REPO_DIR" -B "$BUILD_DIR"
         -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$BUILD_DIR/.xc-toolchain.cmake"
         -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
-        -DBUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL=OFF
         -DBUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN=OFF
     )
     case "$be" in
diff --git a/scripts/build_unoq.sh b/scripts/build_unoq.sh
index e357b6d1e..eb0524e77 100755
--- a/scripts/build_unoq.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_unoq.sh
@@ -890,7 +890,6 @@ phase5_build() {
         -S "$REPO_DIR" -B "$BUILD_DIR"
         -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$BUILD_DIR/.xc-toolchain.cmake"
         -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
-        -DBUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL=OFF
     )
     case "$be" in
         wayland-egl)
diff --git a/scripts/clang_tidy.sh b/scripts/clang_tidy.sh
index 48dd6a0d5..4f1e8863e 100755
--- a/scripts/clang_tidy.sh
+++ b/scripts/clang_tidy.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ echo "Using: $(command -v "${CLANG_TIDY}")"
 
 # Only lint files actually compiled in this build configuration (those
 # present in compile_commands.json). Files belonging to optional backends
-# (osmesa, vulkan, dlt, ...) or plugin-only sources are skipped when the
+# (software, vulkan, dlt, ...) or plugin-only sources are skipped when the
 # corresponding feature is off, avoiding spurious errors from unavailable
 # headers and mis-resolved compilation flags.
 #
diff --git a/shell/CMakeLists.txt b/shell/CMakeLists.txt
index f02908c09..9881c078c 100644
--- a/shell/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/shell/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -46,8 +46,7 @@ endif ()
 # #if-gated on a Wayland backend. Skipping these for non-Wayland
 # binaries drops the libwayland-client + libwayland-cursor link/runtime
 # deps; drm-kms-egl and software builds become truly Wayland-free.
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
     target_sources(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
             wayland/display.cc
             wayland/window.cc
@@ -83,22 +82,22 @@ if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL)
     endif ()
 endif ()
 
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
-    target_sources(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
-            backend/headless/headless.cc
-            backend/headless/osmesa.cc
-            backend/gl_process_resolver.cc
-    )
-endif ()
-
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE OR BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE)
     target_sources(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
             backend/software/file_sink.cc
             backend/software/sink_factory.cc
             backend/software/software_backend.cc
             backend/software/software_cursor.cc
+    )
+endif ()
+
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE OR BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE)
+    target_sources(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
             display/software_display.cc
     )
+endif ()
+
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE)
     if (BUILD_SOFTWARE_SINK_DRM)
         target_sources(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
                 backend/software/drm_dumb_sink.cc
@@ -121,10 +120,10 @@ endif ()
 # Shared libinput keyboard core (xkb translation + key-repeat) used by every
 # libinput-backed seat — SoftwareSeat and (DRM) DrmSeat — so keyboard behavior
 # is identical across backends. Depends only on libxkbcommon, which those seats
-# already link. Added once here to avoid duplicate sources in multi-backend
-# builds.
+# already link. Also compiled for headless software so platform_homescreen's
+# key event handler can resolve xkb symbols without the Wayland/waypp stack.
 if (BUILD_SOFTWARE_INPUT_LIBINPUT OR BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL OR
-    BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN)
+    BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN OR BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
     target_sources(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
             input/xkb_keyboard.cc
             input/key_repeater.cc
@@ -316,9 +315,14 @@ endif ()
 if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
     target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE vulkan_headers)
 endif ()
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
-    target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE PkgConfig::OSMESA)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
+    # xkb_keyboard.cc (compiled above) calls libxkbcommon directly; link it
+    # explicitly since neither waypp nor SW_LIBINPUT bring it in for this path.
+    find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
+    pkg_check_modules(HEADLESS_XKBCOMMON xkbcommon IMPORTED_TARGET REQUIRED)
+    target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE PkgConfig::HEADLESS_XKBCOMMON)
 endif ()
+
 if (BUILD_CRASH_HANDLER)
     target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE sentry::sentry)
 endif ()
@@ -341,8 +345,7 @@ target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
 # the wayland-gen protocol-header include dirs and the static library are both
 # needed only there. Non-Wayland binaries (DRM EGL/Vulkan, software) get
 # neither the headers nor the libwayland-client / libwayland-cursor deps.
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
     target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
             $<TARGET_PROPERTY:wayland-gen,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
     )
diff --git a/shell/app.cc b/shell/app.cc
index 1d7be35d6..d64b67eb8 100644
--- a/shell/app.cc
+++ b/shell/app.cc
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@
 #include "timer.h"
 #include "view/flutter_view.h"
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 #include "wayland/display.h"
 #include "wayland/window.h"
 #endif
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@
 #include "display/drm_display.h"
 #endif
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE || BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
 #include "backend/software/software_cursor.h"
 #include "display/software_display.h"
 #if BUILD_SOFTWARE_INPUT_LIBINPUT
@@ -42,8 +41,9 @@
 #endif
 #endif
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-#include "backend/headless/headless.h"
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+#include "backend/software/memory_sink.h"
+#include "backend/software/software_backend.h"
 #endif
 
 namespace {
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ std::shared_ptr<IDisplay> MakeDisplay(
   const bool no_seat = configs[0].view.drm_no_seat.value_or(false);
   return std::make_shared<DrmDisplay>(static_cast<int32_t>(w),
                                       static_cast<int32_t>(h), 60.0, no_seat);
-#elif BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+#elif BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE || BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
   // No compositor, no Wayland, no DRM — just an IDisplay that owns
   // (a) a refresh-rate denominator for App::Loop and (b) an optional
   // libinput-backed seat. 60 Hz default; a sink with a real vblank
@@ -118,9 +118,8 @@ App::App(const std::vector<Configuration::Config>& configs)
 // usage is meaningless on DRM / software. ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT
 // defaults ON in waypp's CMake regardless of backend, so combine
 // with a Wayland-backend gate here.
-#if ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT &&                                    \
-    (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-     BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+#if ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT && \
+    (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
   bool found_view_with_bg = false;
 #endif
 
@@ -136,9 +135,8 @@ App::App(const std::vector<Configuration::Config>& configs)
 // usage is meaningless on DRM / software. ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT
 // defaults ON in waypp's CMake regardless of backend, so combine
 // with a Wayland-backend gate here.
-#if ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT &&                                    \
-    (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-     BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+#if ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT && \
+    (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
     if (WaylandWindow::get_window_type(cfg.view.window_type) ==
         WaylandWindow::WINDOW_BG) {
       found_view_with_bg = true;
@@ -150,9 +148,8 @@ App::App(const std::vector<Configuration::Config>& configs)
 // usage is meaningless on DRM / software. ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT
 // defaults ON in waypp's CMake regardless of backend, so combine
 // with a Wayland-backend gate here.
-#if ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT &&                                    \
-    (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-     BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+#if ENABLE_AGL_SHELL_CLIENT && \
+    (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
   // check that if we had a BG type and issue a ready() request for it,
   // otherwise we're going to assume that this is a NORMAL/REGULAR application.
   if (found_view_with_bg)
@@ -233,12 +230,33 @@ int App::Loop() const {
   return 0;
 }
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
 
-GLubyte* App::getViewRenderBuf(const int i) const {
-  return reinterpret_cast<HeadlessBackend*>(
-             m_views[static_cast<unsigned long>(i)]->GetBackend())
-      ->getHeadlessBuffer();
+std::vector<uint8_t> App::getViewRenderBuf(const int i,
+                                           size_t* row_bytes,
+                                           size_t* height) const {
+  auto* sw_backend = dynamic_cast<SoftwareBackend*>(
+      m_views[static_cast<size_t>(i)]->GetBackend());
+  if (sw_backend == nullptr) {
+    if (row_bytes != nullptr)
+      *row_bytes = 0;
+    if (height != nullptr)
+      *height = 0;
+    return {};
+  }
+  // Obtain the MemorySink from the backend. The SoftwareBackend was
+  // constructed with is_headless=true so IVI_SW_SINK defaults to
+  // "memory" in headless test fixtures; callers that want pixel access
+  // must ensure IVI_SW_SINK=memory at startup.
+  auto* sink = dynamic_cast<MemorySink*>(sw_backend->GetSink());
+  if (sink == nullptr) {
+    if (row_bytes != nullptr)
+      *row_bytes = 0;
+    if (height != nullptr)
+      *height = 0;
+    return {};
+  }
+  return sink->SnapshotLatest(row_bytes, height);
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/shell/app.h b/shell/app.h
index a251edc1b..ce8c99313 100644
--- a/shell/app.h
+++ b/shell/app.h
@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
-#include <EGL/egl.h>
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <cstdint>
 #include <memory>
+#include <vector>
 
 #include "configuration/configuration.h"
 #include "view/flutter_view.h"
@@ -45,8 +47,13 @@ class App final {
    */
   [[nodiscard]] int Loop() const;
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-  uint8_t* getViewRenderBuf(int i) const;
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+  // Returns a snapshot of the most recent rendered frame from the MemorySink.
+  // row_bytes and height receive the buffer geometry; both are 0 before the
+  // first frame presents. The returned vector owns its copy of the pixels.
+  std::vector<uint8_t> getViewRenderBuf(int i,
+                                        size_t* row_bytes,
+                                        size_t* height) const;
 #endif
 
  private:
diff --git a/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.cc b/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.cc
index c9b708f5e..ba56a82a8 100644
--- a/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.cc
+++ b/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.cc
@@ -24,10 +24,6 @@
 
 #include "logging.h"
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-#include <GL/osmesa.h>
-#endif
-
 std::shared_ptr<EglProcessResolver> GlProcessResolver::sInstance = nullptr;
 
 EglProcessResolver::~EglProcessResolver() {
@@ -83,13 +79,8 @@ void* EglProcessResolver::process_resolver(const char* name) const {
       return address;
     }
   }
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-  SPDLOG_TRACE("** OSMesaGetProcAddress({})", name);
-  address = reinterpret_cast<void*>(OSMesaGetProcAddress(name));
-#else
   SPDLOG_TRACE("** eglGetProcAddress({})", name);
   address = reinterpret_cast<void*>(eglGetProcAddress(name));
-#endif
 
   if (address) {
     return address;
diff --git a/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.h b/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.h
index 286e7f12a..6f10cc565 100644
--- a/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.h
+++ b/shell/backend/gl_process_resolver.h
@@ -21,14 +21,8 @@
 
 class EglProcessResolver {
  public:
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-  static constexpr char kGlSoNames[3UL][15UL] = {{"libOSMesa.so.8"},
-                                                 {"libGLESv2.so.2"},
-                                                 {"libEGL.so.1"}};
-#else
   static constexpr char kGlSoNames[2UL][15UL] = {{"libGLESv2.so.2"},
                                                  {"libEGL.so.1"}};
-#endif
   ~EglProcessResolver();
 
   /**
diff --git a/shell/backend/headless/headless.cc b/shell/backend/headless/headless.cc
deleted file mode 100644
index bc6b57d67..000000000
--- a/shell/backend/headless/headless.cc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,139 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2021-2024 Toyota Connected North America
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-
-#include "headless.h"
-#include "engine.h"
-#include "logging/logging.h"
-#include "osmesa.h"
-#include "shell/platform/homescreen/flutter_desktop_engine_state.h"
-#include "shell/platform/homescreen/flutter_desktop_texture_registrar.h"
-
-struct FlutterDesktopEngineState;
-
-HeadlessBackend::HeadlessBackend(const uint32_t initial_width,
-                                 const uint32_t initial_height,
-                                 const bool /* debug_backend */,
-                                 const int /* buffer_size */)
-    : OSMesaHeadless(static_cast<int32_t>(initial_width),
-                     static_cast<int32_t>(initial_height)),
-      Backend(),
-      m_prev_width(initial_width),
-      m_width(initial_width),
-      m_prev_height(initial_height),
-      m_height(initial_height) {}
-
-void HeadlessBackend::Resize(size_t /* index */,
-                             Engine* flutter_engine,
-                             const int32_t width,
-                             const int32_t height) {
-  m_prev_width = m_width;
-  m_prev_height = m_height;
-  m_width = static_cast<uint32_t>(width);
-  m_height = static_cast<uint32_t>(height);
-  free_buffer();
-  m_buf = create_osmesa_buffer(static_cast<int32_t>(m_width),
-                               static_cast<int32_t>(m_height));
-  (void)MakeCurrent();
-  if (flutter_engine) {
-    if (const auto result = flutter_engine->SetWindowSize(m_height, m_width);
-        result != kSuccess) {
-      spdlog::error("Failed to set Flutter Engine Window Size");
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-void HeadlessBackend::CreateSurface(size_t /* index */,
-                                    wl_surface* /*surface*/,
-                                    int32_t /* width */,
-                                    int32_t /* height */) {}
-
-FlutterRendererConfig HeadlessBackend::GetRenderConfig() {
-  return {.type = kOpenGL,
-          .open_gl = {
-              .struct_size = sizeof(FlutterOpenGLRendererConfig),
-              .make_current = [](void* user_data) -> bool {
-                const auto state =
-                    static_cast<FlutterDesktopEngineState*>(user_data);
-                return reinterpret_cast<HeadlessBackend*>(
-                           state->view_controller->engine->GetBackend())
-                    ->MakeCurrent();
-              },
-              .clear_current = [](void* userdata) -> bool {
-                const auto state =
-                    static_cast<FlutterDesktopEngineState*>(userdata);
-                return reinterpret_cast<HeadlessBackend*>(
-                           state->view_controller->engine->GetBackend())
-                    ->ClearCurrent();
-              },
-              .present = [](void* /* userdata */) -> bool {
-                Finish();
-                return true;
-              },
-              .fbo_callback = [](void*) -> uint32_t {
-                return 0;  // FBO0
-              },
-              .make_resource_current = [](void* userdata) -> bool {
-                const auto state =
-                    static_cast<FlutterDesktopEngineState*>(userdata);
-                return reinterpret_cast<HeadlessBackend*>(
-                           state->view_controller->engine->GetBackend())
-                    ->MakeResourceCurrent();
-              },
-              .fbo_reset_after_present = false,
-              .surface_transformation = nullptr,
-              .gl_proc_resolver = [](void* /* userdata */,
-                                     const char* name) -> void* {
-                return reinterpret_cast<void*>(OSMesaGetProcAddress(name));
-              },
-              .gl_external_texture_frame_callback =
-                  [](void* userdata, const int64_t texture_id,
-                     const size_t width, const size_t height,
-                     FlutterOpenGLTexture* texture_out) -> bool {
-                const auto state =
-                    static_cast<FlutterDesktopEngineState*>(userdata);
-                return PopulateExternalGlTextureFrame(
-                    state->texture_registrar.get(), texture_id, width, height,
-                    texture_out);
-              },
-              .fbo_with_frame_info_callback = nullptr,
-              .present_with_info = nullptr,
-              .populate_existing_damage = nullptr,
-          }};
-}
-
-bool HeadlessBackend::TextureMakeCurrent() {
-  return MakeTextureCurrent();
-}
-
-bool HeadlessBackend::TextureClearCurrent() {
-  return ClearCurrent();
-}
-
-FlutterCompositor HeadlessBackend::GetCompositorConfig() {
-  return {
-      .struct_size = sizeof(FlutterCompositor),
-      .user_data = this,
-      .create_backing_store_callback = nullptr,
-      .collect_backing_store_callback = nullptr,
-      .present_layers_callback = nullptr,
-      .avoid_backing_store_cache = true,
-      .present_view_callback = nullptr,
-  };
-}
-
-GLubyte* HeadlessBackend::getHeadlessBuffer() const {
-  return m_buf;
-}
diff --git a/shell/backend/headless/headless.h b/shell/backend/headless/headless.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 0e93241e3..000000000
--- a/shell/backend/headless/headless.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,92 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2021-2024 Toyota Connected North America
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-
-#pragma once
-
-#include <cstdint>
-
-#include "../backend.h"
-#include "osmesa.h"
-
-class Backend;
-
-class Engine;
-
-class HeadlessBackend final : public OSMesaHeadless, public Backend {
- public:
-  HeadlessBackend(uint32_t initial_width,
-                  uint32_t initial_height,
-                  bool debug_backend,
-                  int buffer_size);
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Resize Flutter engine Window size
-   * @param[in] index No use
-   * @param[in] flutter_engine Pointer to Flutter engine
-   * @param[in] width Set window width
-   * @param[in] height Set window height
-   * @return void
-   * @relation
-   * wayland
-   */
-  void Resize(size_t index,
-              Engine* flutter_engine,
-              int32_t width,
-              int32_t height) override;
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Create EGL surface
-   * @param[in] index No use
-   * @param[in] surface Pointer to surface
-   * @param[in] width Set surface width
-   * @param[in] height Set surface height
-   * @return void
-   * @relation
-   * wayland
-   */
-  void CreateSurface(size_t index,
-                     wl_surface* surface,
-                     int32_t width,
-                     int32_t height) override;
-
-  bool TextureMakeCurrent() override;
-
-  bool TextureClearCurrent() override;
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Get FlutterRendererConfig
-   * @return FlutterRendererConfig
-   * @retval Pointer to FlutterRendererConfig
-   * @relation
-   * wayland
-   */
-  FlutterRendererConfig GetRenderConfig() override;
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Get FlutterCompositor
-   * @return FlutterCompositor
-   * @retval Pointer to FlutterCompositor
-   * @relation
-   * wayland
-   */
-  FlutterCompositor GetCompositorConfig() override;
-
-  GLubyte* getHeadlessBuffer() const;
-
- private:
-  uint32_t m_prev_width, m_width;
-  uint32_t m_prev_height, m_height;
-};
diff --git a/shell/backend/headless/osmesa.cc b/shell/backend/headless/osmesa.cc
deleted file mode 100644
index 7887a012d..000000000
--- a/shell/backend/headless/osmesa.cc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,121 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2021-2024 Toyota Connected North America
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-
-#include "osmesa.h"
-#include "logging/logging.h"
-
-#include <cassert>
-
-#include <GLES2/gl2.h>
-
-#include "logging.h"
-
-OSMesaHeadless::OSMesaHeadless(const int32_t initial_width,
-                               const int32_t initial_height)
-    : m_height(initial_height), m_width(initial_width) {
-  if (initial_width == 0) {
-    m_width = kDefaultViewWidth;
-  }
-  if (initial_height == 0) {
-    m_height = kDefaultViewHeight;
-  }
-
-  m_context = OSMesaCreateContextExt(OSMESA_RGBA, 16, 0, 0, nullptr);
-  assert(m_context);
-  spdlog::trace("Context Created");
-
-  m_resource_context = OSMesaCreateContextExt(OSMESA_RGBA, 16, 0, 0, m_context);
-  assert(m_resource_context);
-  spdlog::trace("Resource Context Created");
-
-  m_texture_context = OSMesaCreateContextExt(OSMESA_RGBA, 16, 0, 0, m_context);
-  assert(m_texture_context);
-  spdlog::trace("Texture Context Created");
-
-  m_buf = create_osmesa_buffer(m_width, m_height);
-
-  (void)MakeCurrent();
-}
-
-OSMesaHeadless::~OSMesaHeadless() {
-  // The original only destroyed m_context, leaking the resource and texture
-  // contexts and the malloc'd framebuffer. OSMesa contexts have no external
-  // surface binding (unlike the EGL/Wayland backend), so they can be destroyed
-  // directly; free the backing buffer last.
-  if (m_texture_context != nullptr) {
-    OSMesaDestroyContext(m_texture_context);
-    m_texture_context = nullptr;
-  }
-  if (m_resource_context != nullptr) {
-    OSMesaDestroyContext(m_resource_context);
-    m_resource_context = nullptr;
-  }
-  if (m_context != nullptr) {
-    OSMesaDestroyContext(m_context);
-    m_context = nullptr;
-  }
-  free_buffer();
-}
-
-bool OSMesaHeadless::MakeCurrent() const {
-  spdlog::trace("+MakeCurrent(), thread_id=0x{:x}", pthread_self());
-  const bool ret =
-      OSMesaMakeCurrent(m_context, m_buf, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, m_width, m_height);
-  assert(ret);
-  spdlog::trace("-MakeCurrent()");
-  return true;
-}
-
-bool OSMesaHeadless::ClearCurrent() const {
-  spdlog::trace("+ClearCurrent(), thread_id=0x{:x}", pthread_self());
-  const bool ret =
-      OSMesaMakeCurrent(nullptr, nullptr, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, m_width, m_height);
-  assert(ret);
-  spdlog::trace("-ClearCurrent()");
-  return true;
-}
-
-bool OSMesaHeadless::MakeResourceCurrent() const {
-  spdlog::trace("+MakeResourceCurrent(), thread_id=0x{:x}", pthread_self());
-  const bool ret = OSMesaMakeCurrent(m_resource_context, m_buf,
-                                     GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, m_width, m_height);
-  assert(ret);
-  spdlog::trace("-MakeResourceCurrent()");
-  return true;
-}
-
-bool OSMesaHeadless::MakeTextureCurrent() const {
-  spdlog::trace("+MakeTextureCurrent(), thread_id=0x{:x}", pthread_self());
-  const bool ret = OSMesaMakeCurrent(m_texture_context, m_buf, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE,
-                                     m_width, m_height);
-  assert(ret);
-  spdlog::trace("-MakeTextureCurrent()");
-  return true;
-}
-
-void OSMesaHeadless::Finish() {
-  glFinish();
-}
-
-GLubyte* OSMesaHeadless::create_osmesa_buffer(const int32_t width,
-                                              const int32_t height) {
-  return static_cast<GLubyte*>(
-      malloc(static_cast<unsigned long>(height * width * 4) * sizeof(GLubyte)));
-}
-
-void OSMesaHeadless::free_buffer() const {
-  free(m_buf);
-}
diff --git a/shell/backend/headless/osmesa.h b/shell/backend/headless/osmesa.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 7a8a6cc68..000000000
--- a/shell/backend/headless/osmesa.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,70 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2021-2024 Toyota Connected North America
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-
-#pragma once
-
-#include <GL/osmesa.h>
-
-class OSMesaHeadless {
- public:
-  OSMesaHeadless(int32_t initial_width, int32_t initial_height);
-
-  ~OSMesaHeadless();
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Clear an EGL rendering context
-   * @return bool
-   * @retval true Normal end
-   * @retval false Abnormal end
-   * @relation
-   * wayland
-   */
-  [[nodiscard]] bool ClearCurrent() const;
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Attach an EGL rendering context to EGL surface
-   * @return bool
-   * @retval true Normal end
-   * @retval false Abnormal end
-   * @relation
-   * wayland
-   */
-  bool MakeCurrent() const;
-  bool MakeResourceCurrent() const;
-  bool MakeTextureCurrent() const;
-
-  static void Finish();
-
-  /**
-   * @brief Create a GLUbyte buffer to bind to an OSMesa Context
-   * @param[in] width
-   * @param[in] height
-   * @return GLubyte*
-   * @retval GLUbyte buffer
-   */
-  static GLubyte* create_osmesa_buffer(int32_t width, int32_t height);
-  void free_buffer() const;
-
- protected:
-  uint8_t* m_buf{};
-
- private:
-  OSMesaContext m_context{};
-  OSMesaContext m_resource_context{};
-  OSMesaContext m_texture_context{};
-  int32_t m_height{};
-  int32_t m_width{};
-};
diff --git a/shell/backend/software/software_backend.cc b/shell/backend/software/software_backend.cc
index f0fc0e3ed..aef06f537 100644
--- a/shell/backend/software/software_backend.cc
+++ b/shell/backend/software/software_backend.cc
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 #include "backend/software/software_backend.h"
 #include "logging/logging.h"
 
+#include "backend/software/none_sink.h"
+
 #include <csignal>
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <cstring>
@@ -30,11 +32,29 @@
 
 SoftwareBackend::SoftwareBackend(const uint32_t initial_width,
                                  const uint32_t initial_height,
-                                 std::unique_ptr<ISurfaceSink> sink)
+                                 std::unique_ptr<ISurfaceSink> sink,
+                                 const bool is_headless)
     : Backend(),
+      is_headless_(is_headless),
       width_(initial_width),
       height_(initial_height),
       sink_(std::move(sink)) {
+  if (is_headless_) {
+    // In headless mode hardware sinks (DRM dumb / fbdev) are meaningless —
+    // there is no display to scan out to. If the caller passed one (e.g. via
+    // a stale IVI_SW_SINK env var), swap it for a NoneSink so the process
+    // never tries to open /dev/dri/* or /dev/fb*.
+    if (sink_ && sink_->NativeSize().has_value()) {
+      spdlog::warn(
+          "[SoftwareBackend] headless mode: hardware sink ignored; "
+          "falling back to NoneSink");
+      sink_ = std::make_unique<NoneSink>();
+    }
+    spdlog::info(
+        "[SoftwareBackend] headless mode (kSoftware renderer, no GPU/Wayland)");
+  } else {
+    spdlog::info("[SoftwareBackend] software mode");
+  }
   if (sink_) {
     // Adopt the sink's native extent (the DRM mode / fbdev virtual size) so
     // Flutter renders at the panel's resolution — the frame fills and centers,
@@ -97,6 +117,9 @@ void SoftwareBackend::CreateSurface(size_t /* index */,
                                     wl_surface* /* unused */,
                                     const int32_t width,
                                     const int32_t height) {
+  if (is_headless_) {
+    SPDLOG_TRACE("[SoftwareBackend] CreateSurface no-op (headless mode)");
+  }
   width_ = static_cast<uint32_t>(width);
   height_ = static_cast<uint32_t>(height);
   if (sink_) {
@@ -114,6 +137,11 @@ FlutterRendererConfig SoftwareBackend::GetRenderConfig() {
 }
 
 VsyncCallback SoftwareBackend::GetVsyncCallback() const {
+  // Headless mode has no display vblank source; always use the wall-clock
+  // Flutter scheduler regardless of sink or env-var setting.
+  if (is_headless_) {
+    return nullptr;
+  }
   static const bool env_disabled = []() {
     const char* env = std::getenv("IVI_SW_VSYNC");
     return env != nullptr && std::string_view(env) == "0";
diff --git a/shell/backend/software/software_backend.h b/shell/backend/software/software_backend.h
index 6331893ef..1efe307d5 100644
--- a/shell/backend/software/software_backend.h
+++ b/shell/backend/software/software_backend.h
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ class SoftwareBackend final : public Backend {
  public:
   SoftwareBackend(uint32_t initial_width,
                   uint32_t initial_height,
-                  std::unique_ptr<ISurfaceSink> sink);
+                  std::unique_ptr<ISurfaceSink> sink,
+                  bool is_headless = false);
 
   // dtor emits the IVI_SW_PROFILE session summary when the env var is
   // set. Order matters: backend destructs before the sink so the
@@ -65,13 +66,19 @@ class SoftwareBackend final : public Backend {
   [[nodiscard]] uint32_t width() const { return width_; }
   [[nodiscard]] uint32_t height() const { return height_; }
 
+  // Exposes the active sink for in-process inspection (e.g. MemorySink pixel
+  // capture in headless test fixtures). Returns nullptr when no sink is set.
+  [[nodiscard]] ISurfaceSink* GetSink() const { return sink_.get(); }
+
   // Forward the shared software cursor to the sink (the dumb sink composites
-  // it). Called by FlutterView with the SoftwareDisplay-owned cursor. No-op for
-  // headless sinks. (SoftwareCursor is forward-declared via surface_sink.h.)
+  // it). Called by FlutterView with the SoftwareDisplay-owned cursor. No-op in
+  // headless mode (no display, no cursor compositing) and for headless sinks.
+  // (SoftwareCursor is forward-declared via surface_sink.h.)
   void SetCursor(std::shared_ptr<SoftwareCursor> cursor) {
-    if (sink_) {
-      sink_->SetCursor(std::move(cursor));
+    if (is_headless_ || !sink_) {
+      return;
     }
+    sink_->SetCursor(std::move(cursor));
   }
 
   // Vsync wiring is gated on the sink advertising a real vblank source
@@ -121,6 +128,7 @@ class SoftwareBackend final : public Backend {
   // is disabled. Window log every 60 frames, session summary emitted from dtor.
   void ProfilePresent(bool ok);
 
+  const bool is_headless_;
   uint32_t width_;
   uint32_t height_;
   std::unique_ptr<ISurfaceSink> sink_;
diff --git a/shell/display/software_display.cc b/shell/display/software_display.cc
index 53ad7cc9c..a9a0bb041 100644
--- a/shell/display/software_display.cc
+++ b/shell/display/software_display.cc
@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@
 
 #include <utility>
 
-#include "backend/software/input/software_seat.h"
 #include "input/iseat.h"
+#if BUILD_SOFTWARE_INPUT_LIBINPUT
+#include "backend/software/input/software_seat.h"
+#endif
 
 SoftwareDisplay::SoftwareDisplay(const int32_t width,
                                  const int32_t height,
@@ -37,17 +39,22 @@ void SoftwareDisplay::SetViewportSize(const int32_t width,
   width_ = width;
   height_ = height;
   // SetViewport is SoftwareSeat-specific (not on ISeat), so downcast — the
-  // only seat type a SoftwareDisplay ever holds.
+  // only seat type a SoftwareDisplay ever holds. No-op when libinput is
+  // disabled (no seat is ever set in that configuration).
+#if BUILD_SOFTWARE_INPUT_LIBINPUT
   if (auto* sw_seat = dynamic_cast<homescreen::SoftwareSeat*>(seat_.get())) {
     sw_seat->SetViewport(width, height);
   }
+#endif
 }
 
 void SoftwareDisplay::SetCursor(std::shared_ptr<SoftwareCursor> cursor) {
   cursor_ = std::move(cursor);
+#if BUILD_SOFTWARE_INPUT_LIBINPUT
   if (auto* sw_seat = dynamic_cast<homescreen::SoftwareSeat*>(seat_.get())) {
     sw_seat->SetCursor(cursor_);
   }
+#endif
 }
 
 void SoftwareDisplay::StartEvents() {
diff --git a/shell/engine.cc b/shell/engine.cc
index 08c49d900..0a618a219 100644
--- a/shell/engine.cc
+++ b/shell/engine.cc
@@ -45,8 +45,7 @@
 // forward-declares WaylandWindow unconditionally so the header
 // compiles without Wayland; the .cc needs the real definition only
 // when Wayland is selected.
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 #include "wayland/window.h"
 #endif
 
@@ -682,8 +681,7 @@ bool Engine::ActivateSystemCursor(const int32_t device,
   if (!m_egl_window) {
     return true;
   }
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
   return m_egl_window->ActivateSystemCursor(device, kind);
 #else
   // Forward-declaration only on non-Wayland builds; m_egl_window is
diff --git a/shell/platform/homescreen/CMakeLists.txt b/shell/platform/homescreen/CMakeLists.txt
index 46b7f2d0d..fccf523be 100644
--- a/shell/platform/homescreen/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/shell/platform/homescreen/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@ target_link_libraries(platform_homescreen PUBLIC
 # the wayland-gen protocol-header include dirs and the static library are both
 # scoped to those builds. Non-Wayland backends get neither the headers nor the
 # libwayland-client / libwayland-cursor runtime deps.
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
     target_include_directories(platform_homescreen PUBLIC
             $<TARGET_PROPERTY:wayland-gen,INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES>
     )
diff --git a/shell/platform/homescreen/flutter_desktop.cc b/shell/platform/homescreen/flutter_desktop.cc
index 7466e78c1..b6c867b3c 100644
--- a/shell/platform/homescreen/flutter_desktop.cc
+++ b/shell/platform/homescreen/flutter_desktop.cc
@@ -448,13 +448,12 @@ void FlutterDesktopTextureRegistrarUnregisterExternalTexture(
     // in case the engine is mid-teardown.
     //
     // GLESv2 is only linked into the final binary when a GL-based backend
-    // is enabled (Wayland EGL, DRM KMS EGL, Headless EGL). Wayland Vulkan
+    // is enabled (Wayland EGL, DRM KMS EGL). Wayland Vulkan
     // builds don't link it and don't produce GL pixel-buffer textures at
     // runtime — but the linker still needs the glDeleteTextures symbol
     // unless we compile this branch out.
     if (removed->pixel_buffer_callback && removed->name != 0) {
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
       Backend* backend = nullptr;
       if (texture_registrar->engine &&
           texture_registrar->engine->view_controller &&
diff --git a/shell/platform/homescreen/mouse_cursor_handler.cc b/shell/platform/homescreen/mouse_cursor_handler.cc
index 786d9a92b..108a4ed4d 100644
--- a/shell/platform/homescreen/mouse_cursor_handler.cc
+++ b/shell/platform/homescreen/mouse_cursor_handler.cc
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@
 // window->ActivateSystemCursor() call. Forward-decl in flutter_view.h
 // is enough for everything else (GetWindow's return type, the
 // `if (!window)` null check).
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 #include "wayland/window.h"
 #endif
 
@@ -77,8 +76,7 @@ void MouseCursorHandler::HandleMethodCall(
       result->Success(flutter::EncodableValue(true));
       return;
     }
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
     auto res = window->ActivateSystemCursor(device, kind);
     result->Success(flutter::EncodableValue(res));
 #else
diff --git a/shell/platform/homescreen/public/flutter_homescreen.h b/shell/platform/homescreen/public/flutter_homescreen.h
index e9ca024b7..4d23c4a60 100644
--- a/shell/platform/homescreen/public/flutter_homescreen.h
+++ b/shell/platform/homescreen/public/flutter_homescreen.h
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ typedef struct {
 // |kFlutterDesktopGpuSurfaceTypeGlTexture2D| external textures.
 //
 // Returns false if the embedder's current backend is not EGL-based
-// (e.g. headless OSMesa, Vulkan) or the handles are not yet initialized.
+// (e.g. headless Software, Vulkan) or the handles are not yet initialized.
 FLUTTER_EXPORT bool FlutterDesktopPluginRegistrarGetEglContext(
     FlutterDesktopPluginRegistrarRef registrar,
     FlutterDesktopEglContext* out);
diff --git a/shell/view/flutter_view.cc b/shell/view/flutter_view.cc
index 135020bc6..fdefa17f2 100644
--- a/shell/view/flutter_view.cc
+++ b/shell/view/flutter_view.cc
@@ -22,8 +22,11 @@
 
 #include "app.h"
 
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-#include "backend/headless/headless.h"
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+#include "backend/software/memory_sink.h"
+#include "backend/software/none_sink.h"
+#include "backend/software/sink_factory.h"
+#include "backend/software/software_backend.h"
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
 #include "backend/drm_kms_egl/drm_backend.h"
 #include "display/drm_display.h"
@@ -60,9 +63,9 @@
 extern void PluginsApiRegisterPlugins(FlutterDesktopEngineRef engine);
 #endif
 
-#if !BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL && !BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if !BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL && !BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE && \
+    !BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 #include "wayland/display.h"
 #include "wayland/window.h"
 #endif
@@ -75,12 +78,7 @@ FlutterView::FlutterView(Configuration::Config config,
                          const size_t index,
                          const std::shared_ptr<IDisplay>& display)
     : m_display(display), m_config(std::move(config)), m_index(index) {
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-  m_backend = std::make_shared<HeadlessBackend>(
-      m_config.view.width.value_or(kDefaultViewWidth),
-      m_config.view.height.value_or(kDefaultViewHeight),
-      m_config.debug_backend.value_or(false), kEglBufferSize);
-#elif BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
   {
     auto parse_tri = [](const std::optional<std::string>& s,
                         drm_config::TriState def =
@@ -313,6 +311,17 @@ FlutterView::FlutterView(Configuration::Config config,
         m_config.view.height.value_or(kDefaultViewHeight),
         MakeSinkFromEnv(m_config.view.drm_device.value_or(std::string{})));
   }
+#elif BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+  {
+    // In headless mode the default sink is NoneSink (frames discarded).
+    // Test fixtures that need pixel access should set IVI_SW_SINK=memory
+    // at launch; MakeSinkFromEnv() will pick it up.
+    m_backend = std::make_shared<SoftwareBackend>(
+        m_config.view.width.value_or(kDefaultViewWidth),
+        m_config.view.height.value_or(kDefaultViewHeight),
+        MakeSinkFromEnv(m_config.view.drm_device.value_or(std::string{})),
+        /*is_headless=*/true);
+  }
 #endif
 
   SPDLOG_DEBUG("Width: {}, Height: {}",
@@ -320,7 +329,7 @@ FlutterView::FlutterView(Configuration::Config config,
                m_config.view.height.value_or(kDefaultViewHeight));
 
 #if !BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL && !BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN && \
-    !BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+    !BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE && !BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
   auto* wl = dynamic_cast<Display*>(display.get());
   m_wayland_window = std::make_shared<WaylandWindow>(
       m_index, std::dynamic_pointer_cast<Display>(display),
@@ -439,7 +448,7 @@ FlutterView::~FlutterView() {
 }
 
 #if !BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL && !BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN && \
-    !BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+    !BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE && !BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
 Display* FlutterView::GetDisplay() const {
   return dynamic_cast<Display*>(m_display.get());
 }
@@ -500,11 +509,12 @@ void FlutterView::Initialize() {
   // fullscreen actually gets mode dims here instead of a stale 1024x768 etc.
   const auto width = static_cast<int32_t>(m_backend->width());
   const auto height = static_cast<int32_t>(m_backend->height());
-#elif BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+#elif BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE || BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
   // The SoftwareBackend adopts the sink's native mode (DRM / fbdev) as its
   // resolved extent; render the engine at that so the frame fills + centers on
   // the panel instead of being top-left cropped from a config-sized view.
-  // Falls back to the config dims for sinks with no native size (file/memory).
+  // Falls back to the config dims for sinks with no native size
+  // (file/memory/none).
   auto* sw_backend = dynamic_cast<SoftwareBackend*>(m_backend.get());
   const auto width = static_cast<int32_t>(
       sw_backend ? sw_backend->width()
@@ -563,10 +573,19 @@ void FlutterView::Initialize() {
   // and hand the display's cursor to the sink (which composites it).
   if (auto* sw_display = dynamic_cast<SoftwareDisplay*>(m_display.get())) {
     sw_display->SetViewportSize(width, height);
-    if (auto* sw_backend = dynamic_cast<SoftwareBackend*>(m_backend.get())) {
-      sw_backend->SetCursor(sw_display->cursor());
+    if (auto* sw_backend_ptr =
+            dynamic_cast<SoftwareBackend*>(m_backend.get())) {
+      sw_backend_ptr->SetCursor(sw_display->cursor());
     }
   }
+#elif BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+  // No WaylandWindow, no SoftwareDisplay: send window metrics explicitly.
+  {
+    const auto result = m_flutter_engine->SetWindowSize(
+        static_cast<size_t>(height), static_cast<size_t>(width));
+    spdlog::info("[SoftwareBackend/headless] SendWindowMetrics {}x{} result={}",
+                 width, height, static_cast<int>(result));
+  }
 #else
   // Engine events are decoded by surface pointer
   dynamic_cast<Display*>(m_display.get())
diff --git a/shell/view/flutter_view.h b/shell/view/flutter_view.h
index 3de1ce49d..699372aa7 100644
--- a/shell/view/flutter_view.h
+++ b/shell/view/flutter_view.h
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@
 #if BUILD_ACCESSIBILITY
 #include "shell/accessibility/accessibility_tree.h"
 #endif
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN || \
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL || BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 #include "wayland/window.h"
 #endif
 
@@ -62,23 +61,21 @@ class PlatformChannel;
 namespace flutter {
 class KeyEventHandler;
 }
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-class HeadlessBackend;
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE || BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+class SoftwareBackend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
 class DrmBackend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN
 class VulkanDrmBackend;
-#elif BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
-class SoftwareBackend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL
 class WaylandEglBackend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
 class WaylandVulkanBackend;
 #else
 #error \
-    "no Flutter backend selected: define one of BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL, " \
-    "BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL, BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN, " \
-    "BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE, BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL, " \
+    "no Flutter backend selected: define one of BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE, " \
+    "BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE, BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL, " \
+    "BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN, BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL, " \
     "BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN"
 #endif
 #ifdef ENABLE_PLUGIN_COMP_SURF
@@ -263,14 +260,12 @@ class FlutterView {
   FML_DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(FlutterView);
 
  private:
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-  std::shared_ptr<HeadlessBackend> m_backend;
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE || BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
+  std::shared_ptr<SoftwareBackend> m_backend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL
   std::shared_ptr<DrmBackend> m_backend{};
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_VULKAN
   std::shared_ptr<VulkanDrmBackend> m_backend{};
-#elif BUILD_BACKEND_SOFTWARE
-  std::shared_ptr<SoftwareBackend> m_backend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL
   std::shared_ptr<WaylandEglBackend> m_backend;
 #elif BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN
diff --git a/test/unit_test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/unit_test/CMakeLists.txt
index fb4ef6a74..4d805e0e3 100644
--- a/test/unit_test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/unit_test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_SOURCES ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/test/unit_test/unit_test_
 # When tweaking TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS in CMakeLists.txt for each test case, it is better to always set TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS the same.
 # Therefore, TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS is set one by one without including options.cmake and plugins.cmake.
 list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS ENABLE_XDG_CLIENT)
-list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
 list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS ENABLE_EGL)
 list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS BUILD_EXAMPLES)
 list(APPEND TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS HAVE_STRCHRNUL)
diff --git a/test/unit_test/README.md b/test/unit_test/README.md
index 923a5d414..253642132 100644
--- a/test/unit_test/README.md
+++ b/test/unit_test/README.md
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ build$ firefox lcovHtml/index.html
 
 # Writing tests
 ## Headless Backend
-Testing requires BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL compile option, which uses OSMesa to render to an offscreen buffer.  This buffer can then be written to a file for comparison to a known-good result.
+Testing requires BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE compile option, which uses the kSoftware (CPU) renderer with a MemorySink to capture frames to an in-process buffer.  This buffer can then be written to a file for comparison to a known-good result.
 
 ## Flutter App 
 For unit tests that generate/compare images, a flutter app bundle must be provided via the UNIT_TEST_APP_BUNDLE option.  
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ or `-DSANITIZE_THREAD=ON` for TSan. All three drivers are sanitizer-clean.
 Full golden-frame tests for the compositor path (single-layer parity vs. the non-compositor baseline, two-layer interleave on EGL and Vulkan, Filament plugin composition) require:
 
 - A Flutter bundle that produces a `PlatformViewLayer` in its frame graph.
-- A headless EGL or Vulkan context (OSMesa or `lavapipe`) to run without a display.
+- No GPU or display required: BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE uses the kSoftware CPU renderer (no Mesa, no EGL).
 
 The groundwork — `ImageType`, `utils_write_targa`, `utils_images_are_equal`, `UNIT_TEST_SAVE_GOLDENS` — is in place, but the compositor tests aren't written yet. They land when the headless-compositor harness does.
 
diff --git a/test/unit_test/app-headless-test/test_case_app_headless.cc b/test/unit_test/app-headless-test/test_case_app_headless.cc
index 5fa901bc1..13eb796c3 100644
--- a/test/unit_test/app-headless-test/test_case_app_headless.cc
+++ b/test/unit_test/app-headless-test/test_case_app_headless.cc
@@ -4,10 +4,9 @@
 #include <cassert>
 #include <stdexcept>
 
-#include <EGL/egl.h>
-
 #include "app.h"
-#include "backend/headless/headless.h"
+#include "backend/software/memory_sink.h"
+#include "backend/software/software_backend.h"
 #include "configuration/configuration.h"
 #include "logging.h"
 #include "unit_test_utils.h"
@@ -39,20 +38,18 @@ TEST(HomescreenAppHeadless, Lv1Normal001) {
   const auto test_filename = utils_get_image_filename(TEST, "1");
   const auto golden_filename = utils_get_image_filename(GOLDEN, "1");
 
+#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE
+  size_t row_bytes = 0;
+  size_t frame_height = 0;
+  const auto buf = app.getViewRenderBuf(0, &row_bytes, &frame_height);
+  const auto w = static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.width.value_or(1920));
+  const auto h = static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.height.value_or(1080));
 #if SAVE_IMAGE_FOR_COMPARISON
-  utils_write_targa(app.getViewRenderBuf(0), golden_filename,
-                    static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.width.value_or(1920)),
-                    static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.height.value_or(1080)));
+  utils_write_targa(buf.data(), golden_filename, w, h);
 #endif
-#if BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL
-  utils_write_targa(app.getViewRenderBuf(0), test_filename,
-                    static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.width.value_or(1920)),
-                    static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.height.value_or(1080)));
-  const int images_are_equal = utils_images_are_equal(
-      test_filename, golden_filename,
-      static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.width.value_or(1920)),
-      static_cast<int>(configs[0].view.height.value_or(1080)));
-
+  utils_write_targa(buf.data(), test_filename, w, h);
+  const int images_are_equal =
+      utils_images_are_equal(test_filename, golden_filename, w, h);
   EXPECT_EQ(images_are_equal, 1);
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/CMakeLists.txt
index e6983c933..7314ae5da 100644
--- a/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-# Compositor-mode parity gate against the OSMesa headless backend.
+# Compositor-mode parity gate against the headless software backend.
 # Builds only when both flags are on; the existing test infrastructure
-# already requires BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL.
+# already requires BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE.
 if (NOT BUILD_COMPOSITOR)
     return()
 endif ()
-if (NOT BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+if (NOT BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE)
     return()
 endif ()
 
diff --git a/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/test_case_compositor_headless_golden.cc b/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/test_case_compositor_headless_golden.cc
index 997ee7d0a..62cfb607e 100644
--- a/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/test_case_compositor_headless_golden.cc
+++ b/test/unit_test/compositor_headless_golden-test/test_case_compositor_headless_golden.cc
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-// Compositor-mode golden frame test running against the OSMesa headless
+// Compositor-mode golden frame test running against the headless software
 // backend. Same harness as test_case_app_headless.cc but compiled with
 // BUILD_COMPOSITOR on. Establishes a parity gate: the single-layer fast
 // path through the compositor must produce the same pixels as the
diff --git a/test/unit_test/configuration-test-case/CMakeLists.txt b/test/unit_test/configuration-test-case/CMakeLists.txt
index a8f310934..83cd26bd8 100644
--- a/test/unit_test/configuration-test-case/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/unit_test/configuration-test-case/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ set(TESTCASE_CC test_case_configuration.cc;
                 test_case_configuration_getCliOverrides.cc;
                 test_case_configuration_PrintConfig.cc;)
 list(REMOVE_ITEM TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS "ENABLE_PLUGIN_URL_LAUNCHER")
-list(REMOVE_ITEM TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS "BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL")
+list(REMOVE_ITEM TYPICAL_TEST_DEFINITIONS "BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_SOFTWARE")
 
 # Basically, the following statements need not be modified
 add_executable(
diff --git a/third_party/CMakeLists.txt b/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
index 477c993fa..6435cf2f1 100644
--- a/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -70,8 +70,7 @@ add_subdirectory(flutter)
 # backends would drag Wayland headers + libwayland into builds that must stay
 # Wayland-free, so gate the whole subproject.
 #
-if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN OR
-    BUILD_BACKEND_HEADLESS_EGL)
+if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL OR BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_VULKAN)
     if (BUILD_BACKEND_WAYLAND_EGL)
         set(ENABLE_EGL ON)
     else ()