diff --git a/crates/clipbin-probe/src/main.rs b/crates/clipbin-probe/src/main.rs
index 3982218..77aa9fb 100644
--- a/crates/clipbin-probe/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/clipbin-probe/src/main.rs
@@ -324,6 +324,7 @@ fn record(options: &Options) -> Result<bool, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         Duration::from_secs(options.segment_seconds as u64),
     );
     let mut status = RecordingStatus::Starting;
+    let mut recorded = false;
     println!("t={} status={}", elapsed(), status.label());
 
     let stop_at = started + Duration::from_secs(options.seconds);
@@ -349,6 +350,7 @@ fn record(options: &Options) -> Result<bool, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
                 health.written_bytes
             );
             report_status(&mut status, tracker.sample(&health, now), &elapsed());
+            recorded |= status == RecordingStatus::Recording;
         }
         if !stopping && (now >= stop_at || matches!(status, RecordingStatus::Failed { .. })) {
             stopping = true;
@@ -382,7 +384,10 @@ fn record(options: &Options) -> Result<bool, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     if let Some(token) = recording.restore_token() {
         println!("restore_token={token}");
     }
-    Ok(outcome == Some(StopReason::Success) && !matches!(status, RecordingStatus::Failed { .. }))
+    println!("recorded={recorded}");
+    Ok(recorded
+        && outcome == Some(StopReason::Success)
+        && !matches!(status, RecordingStatus::Failed { .. }))
 }
 
 fn report_status(shown: &mut RecordingStatus, current: &RecordingStatus, elapsed: &str) {
diff --git a/scripts/validate/linux-rig.sh b/scripts/validate/linux-rig.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..70c3a73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/validate/linux-rig.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Runs the recording validation scenarios in the headless rig and reports
+# PASS/FAIL for each. Needs the Linux OBS runtime (scripts/obs/build-linux.sh),
+# a VA-API or NVENC capable GPU, and the rig packages listed in
+# docs/validation.md.
+#
+#   scripts/validate/linux-rig.sh [output-dir]
+set -uo pipefail
+
+repo="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+out="${1:-${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/clipbin-validation}"
+rig="${repo}/scripts/rig/headless.sh"
+probe="${repo}/target/debug/clipbin-probe"
+rm -rf "${out}" && mkdir -p "${out}"
+
+cargo build --locked -p clipbin-probe --manifest-path "${repo}/Cargo.toml" || exit 1
+
+failures=0
+result() {
+    local name="$1" ok="$2" detail="${3:-}"
+    if [[ "${ok}" == 0 ]]; then
+        echo "PASS ${name} ${detail}"
+    else
+        echo "FAIL ${name} ${detail} (log: ${out}/${name}.log)"
+        failures=$((failures + 1))
+    fi
+}
+# has <log> <pattern>: the probe printed a line matching pattern.
+has() { grep -qE "$2" "$1"; }
+
+# 1. Hardware encoders: H.264 must be usable; HEVC and AV1 are reported.
+log="${out}/encoders.log"
+"${rig}" "${probe}" encoders --verify --out "${out}/encoders" > "${log}" 2> "${out}/encoders.obs.log"
+result encoders "$?" "$(grep -E '^usable\.' "${log}" | tr '\n' ' ')"
+
+# 2. Wayland monitor capture through the portal: segments, remux, audio.
+for codec in h264 hevc; do
+    if has "${log}" "^usable\.${codec}=none"; then
+        echo "SKIP wayland-${codec} (no ${codec} hardware encoder)"
+        continue
+    fi
+    name="wayland-${codec}"
+    dir="${out}/${name}"
+    "${rig}" "${probe}" record --codec "${codec}" --seconds 9 --out "${dir}" > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1 \
+        && "${probe}" check --codec "${codec}" --out "${dir}" >> "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+    ok=$?
+    volume="$(ffmpeg -v info -i "${dir}/session/segment-000001.mkv" -map 0:a -af volumedetect -f null - 2>&1 \
+        | awk '/max_volume/ { print $5 }')"
+    if [[ "${ok}" == 0 ]] && awk -v v="${volume:--999}" 'BEGIN { exit !(v > -40) }'; then ok=0; else ok=1; fi
+    result "${name}" "${ok}" "audio_max_volume=${volume:-none}dB"
+done
+
+# 3. X11 window capture through Xcomposite (Xwayland in the rig).
+name=x11-window
+"${rig}" --x11 bash -c "'${probe}' record --target window --window \"\${CLIPBIN_RIG_GAME_WINDOW}\" --seconds 9 --out '${out}/${name}'" \
+    > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1 \
+    && "${probe}" check --out "${out}/${name}" >> "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+result "${name}" "$?"
+
+# expect_failure <name> <reason pattern>: recording started, then failed honestly.
+expect_failure() {
+    local name="$1" reason="$2" log="${out}/$1.log"
+    if [[ "${probe_exit}" != 0 ]] && has "${log}" "status=Recording" && has "${log}" "status=failed reason=${reason}"; then
+        result "${name}" 0 "$(grep -m1 -o 'status=failed reason=.*' "${log}")"
+    else
+        result "${name}" 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# 4. The PipeWire stream ends mid-recording (portal backend exits).
+name=wayland-source-lost
+"${rig}" bash -c "'${probe}' record --seconds 15 --out '${out}/${name}' & p=\$!; sleep 5; kill \$(cat \"\${CLIPBIN_RIG_DIR}/xdpw.pid\"); wait \$p" \
+    > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+probe_exit=$?
+expect_failure "${name}" "the capture source stopped"
+
+# 5. The captured X11 window closes mid-recording.
+name=x11-window-closed
+"${rig}" --x11 bash -c "'${probe}' record --target window --window \"\${CLIPBIN_RIG_GAME_WINDOW}\" --seconds 15 --out '${out}/${name}' & p=\$!; sleep 5; kill \$(cat \"\${CLIPBIN_RIG_DIR}/game.pid\"); wait \$p" \
+    > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+probe_exit=$?
+expect_failure "${name}" "the capture source stopped"
+
+# 6. Segments can no longer be written (directory made read-only).
+name=write-failure
+"${rig}" bash -c "'${probe}' record --seconds 20 --out '${out}/${name}' & p=\$!; sleep 4; chmod 500 '${out}/${name}/session'; wait \$p" \
+    > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+probe_exit=$?
+chmod 700 "${out}/${name}/session" 2>/dev/null
+expect_failure "${name}" "(no footage was written|Error)"
+
+# 7. Free space falls below the safety margin.
+name=low-disk-space
+"${rig}" bash -c "'${probe}' record --seconds 10 --out '${out}/${name}' --min-free-mb \$(( \$(df --output=avail -B 1000000 '${out}' | tail -1) + 1 ))" \
+    > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+probe_exit=$?
+if [[ "${probe_exit}" != 0 ]] && has "${out}/${name}.log" "status=failed reason=not enough disk space" \
+    && ! has "${out}/${name}.log" "status=Recording"; then
+    result "${name}" 0 "$(grep -m1 -o 'status=failed reason=.*' "${out}/${name}.log")"
+else
+    result "${name}" 1
+fi
+
+# 8. The portal grants nothing usable: recording never starts or claims to.
+name=portal-no-source
+CLIPBIN_RIG_PORTAL_OUTPUT=NO-SUCH-OUTPUT "${rig}" "${probe}" record --seconds 8 --out "${out}/${name}" \
+    > "${out}/${name}.log" 2>&1
+probe_exit=$?
+if [[ "${probe_exit}" != 0 ]] && ! has "${out}/${name}.log" "status=Recording"; then
+    result "${name}" 0 "$(grep 'status=' "${out}/${name}.log" | tail -1)"
+else
+    result "${name}" 1
+fi
+
+echo
+if [[ "${failures}" == 0 ]]; then
+    echo "All scenarios passed. Logs in ${out}"
+else
+    echo "${failures} scenario(s) failed. Logs in ${out}"
+fi
+exit $(( failures > 0 ))