diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/class/surface.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/class/surface.zig
index 25ee1f94f..c26d0c1ef 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/class/surface.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/class/surface.zig
@@ -496,6 +496,9 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
         /// if this is true, then it means the terminal is non-functional.
         @"error": bool = false,
 
+        /// The source that handles setting our child property.
+        idle_rechild: ?c_uint = null,
+
         /// A weak reference to an inspector window.
         inspector: ?*InspectorWindow = null,
 
@@ -504,6 +507,8 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
         context_menu: *gtk.PopoverMenu,
         drop_target: *gtk.DropTarget,
         progress_bar_overlay: *gtk.ProgressBar,
+        error_page: *adw.StatusPage,
+        terminal_page: *gtk.Overlay,
 
         pub var offset: c_int = 0;
     };
@@ -595,17 +600,6 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
         return @intFromBool(config.@"bell-features".border);
     }
 
-    fn closureStackChildName(
-        _: *Self,
-        error_: c_int,
-    ) callconv(.c) ?[*:0]const u8 {
-        const err = error_ != 0;
-        return if (err)
-            glib.ext.dupeZ(u8, "error")
-        else
-            glib.ext.dupeZ(u8, "terminal");
-    }
-
     pub fn toggleFullscreen(self: *Self) void {
         signals.@"toggle-fullscreen".impl.emit(
             self,
@@ -1370,6 +1364,19 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
             priv.progress_bar_timer = null;
         }
 
+        if (priv.idle_rechild) |v| {
+            if (glib.Source.remove(v) == 0) {
+                log.warn("unable to remove idle source", .{});
+            }
+            priv.idle_rechild = null;
+        }
+
+        // This works around a GTK double-free bug where if you bind
+        // to a top-level template child, it frees twice if the widget is
+        // also the root child of the template. By unsetting the child here,
+        // we avoid the double-free.
+        self.as(adw.Bin).setChild(null);
+
         gtk.Widget.disposeTemplate(
             self.as(gtk.Widget),
             getGObjectType(),
@@ -1651,8 +1658,26 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
             self.as(gtk.Widget).removeCssClass("background");
         }
 
-        // Note above: in both cases setting our error view is handled by
-        // a Gtk.Stack visible-child-name binding.
+        // We need to set our child property on an idle tick, because the
+        // error property can be triggered by signals that are in the middle
+        // of widget mapping and changing our child during that time
+        // results in a hard gtk crash.
+        if (priv.idle_rechild == null) priv.idle_rechild = glib.idleAdd(
+            onIdleRechild,
+            self,
+        );
+    }
+
+    fn onIdleRechild(ud: ?*anyopaque) callconv(.c) c_int {
+        const self: *Self = @ptrCast(@alignCast(ud orelse return 0));
+        const priv = self.private();
+        priv.idle_rechild = null;
+        if (priv.@"error") {
+            self.as(adw.Bin).setChild(priv.error_page.as(gtk.Widget));
+        } else {
+            self.as(adw.Bin).setChild(priv.terminal_page.as(gtk.Widget));
+        }
+        return 0;
     }
 
     fn propMouseHoverUrl(
@@ -2699,8 +2724,10 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("url_right", .{});
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("child_exited_overlay", .{});
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("context_menu", .{});
+            class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("error_page", .{});
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("progress_bar_overlay", .{});
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("resize_overlay", .{});
+            class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("terminal_page", .{});
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("drop_target", .{});
             class.bindTemplateChildPrivate("im_context", .{});
 
@@ -2736,7 +2763,6 @@ pub const Surface = extern struct {
             class.bindTemplateCallback("notify_mouse_shape", &propMouseShape);
             class.bindTemplateCallback("notify_bell_ringing", &propBellRinging);
             class.bindTemplateCallback("should_border_be_shown", &closureShouldBorderBeShown);
-            class.bindTemplateCallback("stack_child_name", &closureStackChildName);
 
             // Properties
             gobject.ext.registerProperties(class, &.{
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/ui/1.2/surface.blp b/src/apprt/gtk/ui/1.2/surface.blp
index 39c88ff33..f22f2c09a 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/ui/1.2/surface.blp
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/ui/1.2/surface.blp
@@ -1,6 +1,155 @@
 using Gtk 4.0;
 using Adw 1;
 
+Adw.StatusPage error_page {
+  icon-name: "computer-fail-symbolic";
+  title: _("Oh, no.");
+  description: _("Unable to acquire an OpenGL context for rendering.");
+
+  child: LinkButton {
+    label: "https://ghostty.org/docs/help/gtk-opengl-context";
+    uri: "https://ghostty.org/docs/help/gtk-opengl-context";
+  };
+}
+
+Overlay terminal_page {
+  focusable: false;
+  focus-on-click: false;
+
+  child: Box {
+    hexpand: true;
+    vexpand: true;
+
+    GLArea gl_area {
+      realize => $gl_realize();
+      unrealize => $gl_unrealize();
+      render => $gl_render();
+      resize => $gl_resize();
+      hexpand: true;
+      vexpand: true;
+      focusable: true;
+      focus-on-click: true;
+      has-stencil-buffer: false;
+      has-depth-buffer: false;
+      allowed-apis: gl;
+    }
+
+    PopoverMenu context_menu {
+      closed => $context_menu_closed();
+      menu-model: context_menu_model;
+      flags: nested;
+      halign: start;
+      has-arrow: false;
+    }
+  };
+
+  [overlay]
+  ProgressBar progress_bar_overlay {
+    styles [
+      "osd",
+    ]
+
+    visible: false;
+    halign: fill;
+    valign: start;
+  }
+
+  [overlay]
+  // The "border" bell feature is implemented here as an overlay rather than
+  // just adding a border to the GLArea or other widget for two reasons.
+  // First, adding a border to an existing widget causes a resize of the
+  // widget which undesirable side effects. Second, we can make it reactive
+  // here in the blueprint with relatively little code.
+  Revealer {
+    reveal-child: bind $should_border_be_shown(template.config, template.bell-ringing) as <bool>;
+    transition-type: crossfade;
+    transition-duration: 500;
+
+    Box bell_overlay {
+      styles [
+        "bell-overlay",
+      ]
+
+      halign: fill;
+      valign: fill;
+    }
+  }
+
+  [overlay]
+  $GhosttySurfaceChildExited child_exited_overlay {
+    visible: bind template.child-exited;
+    close-request => $child_exited_close();
+  }
+
+  [overlay]
+  $GhosttyResizeOverlay resize_overlay {}
+
+  [overlay]
+  Label url_left {
+    styles [
+      "background",
+      "url-overlay",
+    ]
+
+    visible: false;
+    halign: start;
+    valign: end;
+    label: bind template.mouse-hover-url;
+
+    EventControllerMotion url_ec_motion {
+      enter => $url_mouse_enter();
+      leave => $url_mouse_leave();
+    }
+  }
+
+  [overlay]
+  Label url_right {
+    styles [
+      "background",
+      "url-overlay",
+    ]
+
+    visible: false;
+    halign: end;
+    valign: end;
+    label: bind template.mouse-hover-url;
+  }
+
+  // Event controllers for interactivity
+  EventControllerFocus {
+    enter => $focus_enter();
+    leave => $focus_leave();
+  }
+
+  EventControllerKey {
+    key-pressed => $key_pressed();
+    key-released => $key_released();
+  }
+
+  EventControllerMotion {
+    motion => $mouse_motion();
+    leave => $mouse_leave();
+  }
+
+  EventControllerScroll {
+    scroll => $scroll();
+    scroll-begin => $scroll_begin();
+    scroll-end => $scroll_end();
+    flags: both_axes;
+  }
+
+  GestureClick {
+    pressed => $mouse_down();
+    released => $mouse_up();
+    button: 0;
+  }
+
+  DropTarget drop_target {
+    drop => $drop();
+    actions: copy;
+  }
+}
+
 template $GhosttySurface: Adw.Bin {
   styles [
     "surface",
@@ -12,169 +161,14 @@ template $GhosttySurface: Adw.Bin {
   notify::mouse-hover-url => $notify_mouse_hover_url();
   notify::mouse-hidden => $notify_mouse_hidden();
   notify::mouse-shape => $notify_mouse_shape();
-
-  Stack {
-    StackPage {
-      name: "terminal";
-
-      child: Overlay {
-        focusable: false;
-        focus-on-click: false;
-
-        child: Box {
-          hexpand: true;
-          vexpand: true;
-
-          GLArea gl_area {
-            realize => $gl_realize();
-            unrealize => $gl_unrealize();
-            render => $gl_render();
-            resize => $gl_resize();
-            hexpand: true;
-            vexpand: true;
-            focusable: true;
-            focus-on-click: true;
-            has-stencil-buffer: false;
-            has-depth-buffer: false;
-            allowed-apis: gl;
-          }
-
-          PopoverMenu context_menu {
-            closed => $context_menu_closed();
-            menu-model: context_menu_model;
-            flags: nested;
-            halign: start;
-            has-arrow: false;
-          }
-        };
-
-        [overlay]
-        ProgressBar progress_bar_overlay {
-          styles [
-            "osd",
-          ]
-
-          visible: false;
-          halign: fill;
-          valign: start;
-        }
-
-        [overlay]
-        // The "border" bell feature is implemented here as an overlay rather than
-        // just adding a border to the GLArea or other widget for two reasons.
-        // First, adding a border to an existing widget causes a resize of the
-        // widget which undesirable side effects. Second, we can make it reactive
-        // here in the blueprint with relatively little code.
-        Revealer {
-          reveal-child: bind $should_border_be_shown(template.config, template.bell-ringing) as <bool>;
-          transition-type: crossfade;
-          transition-duration: 500;
-
-          Box bell_overlay {
-            styles [
-              "bell-overlay",
-            ]
-
-            halign: fill;
-            valign: fill;
-          }
-        }
-
-        [overlay]
-        $GhosttySurfaceChildExited child_exited_overlay {
-          visible: bind template.child-exited;
-          close-request => $child_exited_close();
-        }
-
-        [overlay]
-        $GhosttyResizeOverlay resize_overlay {}
-
-        [overlay]
-        Label url_left {
-          styles [
-            "background",
-            "url-overlay",
-          ]
-
-          visible: false;
-          halign: start;
-          valign: end;
-          label: bind template.mouse-hover-url;
-
-          EventControllerMotion url_ec_motion {
-            enter => $url_mouse_enter();
-            leave => $url_mouse_leave();
-          }
-        }
-
-        [overlay]
-        Label url_right {
-          styles [
-            "background",
-            "url-overlay",
-          ]
-
-          visible: false;
-          halign: end;
-          valign: end;
-          label: bind template.mouse-hover-url;
-        }
-
-        // Event controllers for interactivity
-        EventControllerFocus {
-          enter => $focus_enter();
-          leave => $focus_leave();
-        }
-
-        EventControllerKey {
-          key-pressed => $key_pressed();
-          key-released => $key_released();
-        }
-
-        EventControllerMotion {
-          motion => $mouse_motion();
-          leave => $mouse_leave();
-        }
-
-        EventControllerScroll {
-          scroll => $scroll();
-          scroll-begin => $scroll_begin();
-          scroll-end => $scroll_end();
-          flags: both_axes;
-        }
-
-        GestureClick {
-          pressed => $mouse_down();
-          released => $mouse_up();
-          button: 0;
-        }
-
-        DropTarget drop_target {
-          drop => $drop();
-          actions: copy;
-        }
-      };
-    }
-
-    StackPage {
-      name: "error";
-
-      child: Adw.StatusPage {
-        icon-name: "computer-fail-symbolic";
-        title: _("Oh, no.");
-        description: _("Unable to acquire an OpenGL context for rendering.");
-
-        child: LinkButton {
-          label: "https://ghostty.org/docs/help/gtk-opengl-context";
-          uri: "https://ghostty.org/docs/help/gtk-opengl-context";
-        };
-      };
-    }
-
-    // The order matters here: we can only set this after the stack
-    // pages above have been created.
-    visible-child-name: bind $stack_child_name(template.error) as <string>;
-  }
+  // Some history: we used to use a Stack here and swap between the
+  // terminal and error pages as needed. But a Stack doesn't play nice
+  // with our SplitTree and Gtk.Paned usage[^1]. Replacing this with
+  // a manual programmatic child swap fixed this. So if you ever change
+  // this, be sure to test many splits!
+  //
+  // [^1]: https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty/issues/8533
+  child: terminal_page;
 }
 
 IMMulticontext im_context {