diff --git a/src/lib/input.c b/src/lib/input.c
index 41872c52a..83936eba4 100644
--- a/src/lib/input.c
+++ b/src/lib/input.c
@@ -1051,7 +1051,7 @@ pump_control_read(init_state* inits, unsigned char c){
       break;
     case STATE_SIXEL_HEIGHT:
       if(c == 'S'){
-        inits->tcache->sixel_maxy = inits->numeric;
+        inits->tcache->sixel_maxy_pristine = inits->numeric;
         inits->state = STATE_NULL;
       }else if(ruts_numeric(&inits->numeric, c)){
         return -1;
diff --git a/src/lib/internal.h b/src/lib/internal.h
index f0d84fc3d..3768d8491 100644
--- a/src/lib/internal.h
+++ b/src/lib/internal.h
@@ -944,6 +944,7 @@ clamp_to_sixelmax(const tinfo* t, int* y, int* x, int* outy, ncscale_e scaling){
   *outy = *y;
   if(*outy % t->sprixel_scale_height){
     *outy += t->sprixel_scale_height - (*outy % t->sprixel_scale_height);
+    // FIXME use closed form
     while(t->sixel_maxy && *outy > t->sixel_maxy){
       *outy -= t->sprixel_scale_height;
     }
diff --git a/src/lib/render.c b/src/lib/render.c
index 8842fde36..7166a23cd 100644
--- a/src/lib/render.c
+++ b/src/lib/render.c
@@ -30,6 +30,16 @@ notcurses_resize_internal(ncplane* pp, int* restrict rows, int* restrict cols){
   if(*rows <= 0){
     *rows = 1;
   }
+  if(n->tcache.sixel_maxy_pristine){
+    n->tcache.sixel_maxy = n->tcache.sixel_maxy_pristine;
+    int sixelrows = *rows - 1;
+    // if the bottom margin is at least one row, we can draw into the last
+    // row of our visible area. we must leave the true bottom row alone.
+    if(n->margin_b){
+      ++sixelrows;
+    }
+    n->tcache.sixel_maxy = sixelrows * n->tcache.cellpixy;
+  }
   *cols -= n->margin_l + n->margin_r;
   if(*cols <= 0){
     *cols = 1;
diff --git a/src/lib/termdesc.c b/src/lib/termdesc.c
index 89ac4bdcd..9b54376f5 100644
--- a/src/lib/termdesc.c
+++ b/src/lib/termdesc.c
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ setup_kitty_bitmaps(tinfo* ti, int fd){
   ti->sprixel_scale_height = 1;
   ti->pixel_rebuild = kitty_rebuild;
   ti->pixel_clear_all = kitty_clear_all;
-  ti->bitmap_lowest_line = true;
   set_pixel_blitter(kitty_blit);
   sprite_init(ti, fd);
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/termdesc.h b/src/lib/termdesc.h
index 38a88cb70..8ea3005f0 100644
--- a/src/lib/termdesc.h
+++ b/src/lib/termdesc.h
@@ -117,7 +117,15 @@ typedef struct tinfo {
   // on TERM heuristics. otherwise, we attempt to detect sixel support, and
   // query the details of the implementation.
   int color_registers; // sixel color registers (post pixel_query_done)
-  int sixel_maxx, sixel_maxy; // sixel size maxima (post pixel_query_done)
+  int sixel_maxx;      // maximum theoretical sixel width
+  // in sixel, we can't render to the bottom row, lest we force a one-line
+  // scroll. we thus clamp sixel_maxy_pristine to the minimum of
+  // sixel_maxy_pristine (the reported sixel_maxy), and the number of rows
+  // less one times the cell height. sixel_maxy is thus recomputed whenever
+  // we get a resize event. it is only defined if we have sixel_maxy_pristine,
+  // so kitty graphics (which don't force a scroll) never deal with this.
+  int sixel_maxy;          // maximum working sixel height
+  int sixel_maxy_pristine; // maximum theoretical sixel height, as queried
   int (*pixel_destroy)(const struct notcurses* nc, const struct ncpile* p, FILE* out, struct sprixel* s);
   // wipe out a cell's worth of pixels from within a sprixel. for sixel, this
   // means leaving out the pixels (and likely resizes the string). for kitty,
@@ -135,7 +143,6 @@ typedef struct tinfo {
   struct termios tpreserved; // terminal state upon entry
   ncinputlayer input;       // input layer
   bool bitmap_supported;    // do we support bitmaps (post pixel_query_done)?
-  bool bitmap_lowest_line;  // can we render pixels to the bottom row?
   bool BCEflag;   // "BCE" flag for erases with background color
   bool AMflag;    // "AM" flag for automatic movement to next line
 
diff --git a/src/lib/visual.c b/src/lib/visual.c
index 7b6caf907..3c4e1c81d 100644
--- a/src/lib/visual.c
+++ b/src/lib/visual.c
@@ -770,11 +770,9 @@ make_sprixel_plane(notcurses* nc, ncplane* parent, ncvisual* ncv,
                    uint64_t flags, int* outy, int* placey, int* placex){
   if(scaling != NCSCALE_NONE && scaling != NCSCALE_NONE_HIRES){
     ncplane_dim_yx(parent, disppixy, disppixx);
+    // FIXME why do we clamp only vertical, not horizontal, here?
     if(*placey + *disppixy >= ncplane_dim_y(notcurses_stdplane_const(nc))){
       *disppixy = ncplane_dim_y(notcurses_stdplane_const(nc)) - *placey;
-      if(!nc->tcache.bitmap_lowest_line){
-        --*disppixy;
-      }
     }
     if(!(flags & NCVISUAL_OPTION_VERALIGNED)){
       *disppixy -= *placey;
@@ -845,7 +843,6 @@ ncplane* ncvisual_render_pixels(notcurses* nc, ncvisual* ncv, const struct blits
   }
   int disppixy = 0, disppixx = 0, outy = 0;
   ncplane* createdn = NULL;
-//fprintf(stderr, "INPUT N: %p rows: %d cols: %d 0x%016lx\n", n ? n : NULL, disppixy, disppixx, flags);
   if(n == NULL || (flags & NCVISUAL_OPTION_CHILDPLANE)){ // create plane
     if(n == NULL){
       n = notcurses_stdplane(nc);