diff --git a/Apps/Playground/Scripts/config.json b/Apps/Playground/Scripts/config.json
index f6d345f30..b005578d5 100644
--- a/Apps/Playground/Scripts/config.json
+++ b/Apps/Playground/Scripts/config.json
@@ -793,6 +793,7 @@
             "title": "Gaussian Splatting Loading",
             "playgroundId": "#CID4NN#204",
             "renderCount": 15,
+            "renderReadinessPump": true,
             "referenceImage": "gsplat-loading.png"
         },
         {
@@ -808,6 +809,7 @@
         {
             "title": "needDepthPrePass",
             "playgroundId": "#7A66KI#1",
+            "renderReadinessPump": true,
             "referenceImage": "needDepthPrePass.png"
         },
         {
@@ -1348,11 +1350,13 @@
         {
             "title": "GLTF Serializer Skinning and Animation",
             "playgroundId": "#DMZBX1#1",
+            "renderReadinessPump": true,
             "referenceImage": "gltfSerializerSkinningAndAnimation.png"
         },
         {
             "title": "GLTF Serializer Skinning and Animation (Right Handed)",
             "playgroundId": "#DMZBX1#2",
+            "renderReadinessPump": true,
             "referenceImage": "gltfSerializerSkinningAndAnimation.png"
         },
         {
diff --git a/Apps/Playground/Scripts/validation_native.js b/Apps/Playground/Scripts/validation_native.js
index 1553ce29a..1d86a2a8a 100644
--- a/Apps/Playground/Scripts/validation_native.js
+++ b/Apps/Playground/Scripts/validation_native.js
@@ -93,6 +93,81 @@
         return getExclusionReason(t);
     }
 
+    function shouldUseRenderReadinessPump(test) {
+        if (test && typeof test.renderReadinessPump === "boolean") {
+            return test.renderReadinessPump;
+        }
+        return globalThis.__nativeValidationRenderReadinessPump === true;
+    }
+
+    function formatReadinessError(error) {
+        if (error && error.stack) {
+            return error.stack;
+        }
+        if (error && error.message) {
+            return error.message;
+        }
+        return String(error);
+    }
+
+    function startSceneReadinessRenderPump(scene) {
+        let stopped = false;
+        let frameCount = 0;
+        let errorCount = 0;
+        let firstError = null;
+        let lastError = null;
+
+        const pump = function () {
+            let nextPumpDelay = 100;
+            if (stopped) {
+                return;
+            }
+            if (!scene || scene.isDisposed === true || (typeof scene.isDisposed === "function" && scene.isDisposed())) {
+                stopped = true;
+                return;
+            }
+
+            try {
+                if (scene.activeCamera && typeof scene.render === "function") {
+                    nextPumpDelay = 16;
+                    // Readiness renders are only for material/effect compilation.
+                    // Preserve the screenshot test's animation frame count.
+                    scene.render(true, true);
+                    frameCount++;
+                }
+            } catch (e) {
+                errorCount++;
+                if (errorCount === 1) {
+                    firstError = e;
+                    console.warn("Readiness render pump encountered a transient error; continuing to poll scene readiness:\n" +
+                        formatReadinessError(e));
+                }
+                lastError = e;
+            }
+
+            setTimeout(pump, nextPumpDelay);
+        };
+
+        setTimeout(pump, 0);
+        return {
+            stop: function () {
+                stopped = true;
+            },
+            getFrameCount: function () {
+                return frameCount;
+            },
+            getErrorCount: function () {
+                return errorCount;
+            },
+            getFirstError: function () {
+                return firstError;
+            },
+            getLastError: function () {
+                return lastError;
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
     function logRunSummary() {
         console.log("Run complete. ran=" + ranCount +
                     " passed=" + passedCount +
@@ -263,11 +338,33 @@
         let stopped = false;
         let pendingScreenshot = null;
         let evaluated = false;
+        let readinessPump = null;
+
+        const stopReadinessPump = function (logFrameCount) {
+            if (readinessPump === null) {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            const pump = readinessPump;
+            readinessPump = null;
+            const summary = {
+                frameCount: pump.getFrameCount(),
+                errorCount: pump.getErrorCount(),
+                firstError: pump.getFirstError(),
+                lastError: pump.getLastError()
+            };
+            pump.stop();
+            if (logFrameCount && summary.frameCount > 0) {
+                console.log("Readiness render pump rendered " + summary.frameCount + " frame(s) before validation frame counting for " + (test.title || "(unnamed)") + ".");
+            }
+            return summary;
+        };
 
         const runEvaluation = function (screenshot) {
             if (evaluated) {
                 return;
             }
+            stopReadinessPump(false);
             evaluated = true;
             evaluateScreenshot(test, screenshot, renderImage, done, compareFunction);
         };
@@ -283,12 +380,34 @@
         // never-ready scene into a fast test failure instead of a silent hang.
         currentScene.onReadyTimeoutDuration = 10 * 60 * 1000;
         currentScene.onReadyTimeoutObservable.addOnce(function () {
+            let readinessErrorDetails = "";
+            const readinessSummary = stopReadinessPump(false);
+            if (readinessSummary !== null && readinessSummary.errorCount > 0) {
+                readinessErrorDetails = "\nReadiness render pump observed " + readinessSummary.errorCount + " exception(s).\nFirst error:\n" +
+                    formatReadinessError(readinessSummary.firstError);
+                if (readinessSummary.lastError !== readinessSummary.firstError) {
+                    readinessErrorDetails += "\nLast error:\n" + formatReadinessError(readinessSummary.lastError);
+                }
+            }
+            evaluated = true;
+            stopped = true;
             console.error("Scene '" + (test.title || "?") + "' did not become ready within " +
-                (currentScene.onReadyTimeoutDuration / 1000) + "s.");
+                (currentScene.onReadyTimeoutDuration / 1000) + "s." + readinessErrorDetails);
             failTest(done);
         });
 
+        if (shouldUseRenderReadinessPump(test)) {
+            readinessPump = startSceneReadinessRenderPump(currentScene);
+        }
+
         currentScene.executeWhenReady(function () {
+            if (evaluated) {
+                return;
+            }
+            const readinessSummary = stopReadinessPump(true);
+            if (readinessSummary !== null && readinessSummary.errorCount > 0) {
+                console.warn("Readiness render pump recovered from " + readinessSummary.errorCount + " transient exception(s) before " + (test.title || "(unnamed)") + " became ready.");
+            }
             if (currentScene.activeCamera && currentScene.activeCamera.useAutoRotationBehavior) {
                 currentScene.activeCamera.useAutoRotationBehavior = false;
             }
@@ -328,6 +447,9 @@
                     }
                 }
                 catch (e) {
+                    stopReadinessPump(false);
+                    evaluated = true;
+                    stopped = true;
                     console.error(e);
                     failTest(done);
                 }
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d37aac35e..9e3370fea 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -91,6 +91,18 @@ elseif(IOS)
     set(DEPLOYMENT_TARGET "13" CACHE STRING "")
 endif()
 
+if(CMAKE_HOST_APPLE
+   AND CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR STREQUAL CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR
+   AND NOT CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE
+   AND NOT IOS
+   AND NOT VISIONOS
+   AND NOT CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT)
+    # Use one coherent Xcode SDK for headers and frameworks. Leaving this empty
+    # can mix Command Line Tools headers with frameworks from the selected
+    # Xcode, which turns SDK-only diagnostics into warnings-as-errors.
+    set(CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT macosx CACHE STRING "macOS SDK" FORCE)
+endif()
+
 project(BabylonNative)
 
 set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY USE_FOLDERS ON)
diff --git a/Dependencies/CMakeLists.txt b/Dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
index 49b360250..8db2a2d69 100644
--- a/Dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -191,6 +191,16 @@ endif()
 # --------------------------------------------------
 FetchContent_MakeAvailable_With_Message(JsRuntimeHost)
 
+if(APPLE AND NAPI_JAVASCRIPT_ENGINE STREQUAL "JavaScriptCore" AND TARGET napi)
+    # find_library adds the SDK framework directory with -F, which does not
+    # classify framework headers as system headers. JsRuntimeHost uses
+    # -pedantic -Werror, so make that classification explicit for napi and all
+    # consumers while preserving warnings-as-errors for project sources.
+    get_filename_component(_JAVASCRIPTCORE_FRAMEWORKS_DIR "${JAVASCRIPTCORE_LIBRARY}" DIRECTORY)
+    target_compile_options(napi PUBLIC "SHELL:-iframework ${_JAVASCRIPTCORE_FRAMEWORKS_DIR}")
+    unset(_JAVASCRIPTCORE_FRAMEWORKS_DIR)
+endif()
+
 # --------------------------------------------------
 # metal-cpp
 # --------------------------------------------------