diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyGraphics.java b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyGraphics.java
index ec99535..5861d0d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyGraphics.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyGraphics.java
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public final class KittyGraphics {
                     iterator.getU32(GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_GRAPHICS_PLACEMENT_DATA_COLUMNS),
                     iterator.getU32(GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_GRAPHICS_PLACEMENT_DATA_ROWS),
                     iterator.getI32(GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_GRAPHICS_PLACEMENT_DATA_Z),
-                    image.map(KittyImage::snapshot),
+                    image,
                     Optional.ofNullable(renderInfo)
                 ));
             }
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyImage.java b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyImage.java
index da2192a..c3677ff 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyImage.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyImage.java
@@ -13,16 +13,46 @@ public final class KittyImage {
         this.handle = handle;
     }
 
+    // Cheap metadata accessors: a single native field read each, no pixel-buffer copy. Use these
+    // to build cache keys; only call data() once you've decided you actually need the bytes.
+
+    public long id() {
+        return library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_ID);
+    }
+
+    public long number() {
+        return library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_NUMBER);
+    }
+
+    public long width() {
+        return library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_WIDTH);
+    }
+
+    public long height() {
+        return library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_HEIGHT);
+    }
+
+    public KittyImageFormat format() {
+        return KittyImageFormat.fromNative(library.kittyImageGetI32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_FORMAT));
+    }
+
+    public KittyImageCompression compression() {
+        return KittyImageCompression.fromNative(library.kittyImageGetI32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_COMPRESSION));
+    }
+
+    // Byte length of the pixel buffer, read without copying it.
+    public long dataLength() {
+        return library.kittyImageDataLength(handle);
+    }
+
+    // Copies the pixel buffer out of native memory. Expensive for large images; call only when
+    // the decoded image isn't already cached.
+    public byte[] data() {
+        return library.kittyImageData(handle);
+    }
+
     public KittyImageSnapshot snapshot() {
-        return new KittyImageSnapshot(
-            library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_ID),
-            library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_NUMBER),
-            library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_WIDTH),
-            library.kittyImageGetU32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_HEIGHT),
-            KittyImageFormat.fromNative(library.kittyImageGetI32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_FORMAT)),
-            KittyImageCompression.fromNative(library.kittyImageGetI32(handle, GhosttyLibrary.KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_COMPRESSION)),
-            library.kittyImageData(handle)
-        );
+        return new KittyImageSnapshot(id(), number(), width(), height(), format(), compression(), data());
     }
 
     MemorySegment handle() {
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyPlacement.java b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyPlacement.java
index 708e344..51eb94d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyPlacement.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/KittyPlacement.java
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ public record KittyPlacement(
     long columns,
     long rows,
     int z,
-    Optional<KittyImageSnapshot> image,
+    Optional<KittyImage> image,
     Optional<KittyRenderInfo> renderInfo
 ) {
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/internal/GhosttyLibrary.java b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/internal/GhosttyLibrary.java
index a2f10a9..9dbc52c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/internal/GhosttyLibrary.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/jlibghostty/internal/GhosttyLibrary.java
@@ -1434,6 +1434,19 @@ public final class GhosttyLibrary {
         }
     }
 
+    // Length of the image's pixel buffer without copying it out of native memory. Lets callers
+    // build a cache key cheaply and only pull the bytes (kittyImageData) on a cache miss.
+    public long kittyImageDataLength(MemorySegment image) {
+        try (Arena arena = Arena.ofConfined()) {
+            MemorySegment outLen = arena.allocate(C_SIZE_T);
+            int result = (int) kittyGraphicsImageGet.invoke(image, KITTY_IMAGE_DATA_DATA_LEN, outLen);
+            checkResult("ghostty_kitty_graphics_image_get", result);
+            return outLen.get(C_SIZE_T, 0);
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            return rethrow(t);
+        }
+    }
+
     public MemorySegment kittyPlacementIteratorNew() {
         try (Arena arena = Arena.ofConfined()) {
             MemorySegment out = arena.allocate(C_POINTER);