diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml b/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml
index 9fc8ce3..e7e8878 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-# Checks the dataflow against the typed contract in dora-node.yml. This runs no
-# node, so it needs neither a camera nor the ZED SDK.
+# Checks both dataflows against the typed contract in dora-node.yml. This runs
+# no node, so it needs neither a camera nor the ZED SDK.
 name: validate
 
 on: [push, pull_request]
@@ -26,7 +26,11 @@ jobs:
 
       - run: dora --version
 
-      # strict_types: true in dataflow.yml turns a type warning into a non-zero
-      # exit, so a mismatched annotation fails here rather than at runtime.
-      - name: Validate the dataflow
-        run: dora validate dataflow.yml
+      # strict_types: true in each dataflow turns a type warning into a
+      # non-zero exit, so a mismatched annotation fails here rather than at
+      # runtime. The plot file is checked too: it wires the same outputs, and a
+      # rename that breaks only the viewer should still fail the build.
+      - name: Validate the dataflows
+        run: |
+          dora validate dataflow.yml
+          dora validate dataflow_plot.yml
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index a6a0cea..8f7ca9f 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -28,9 +28,12 @@ For a build without installing the SDK stack on the host, see the `Dockerfile` (
 
 ```bash
 dora up
-dora start dataflow.yml
+dora start dataflow.yml       # camera alone
+dora start dataflow_plot.yml  # camera plus the opencv-plot viewer
 ```
 
+The two dataflows both declare the camera node, so run one at a time.
+
 Camera behavior is configured entirely through environment variables (see README.md for the full list: `ZED_RESOLUTION`, `ZED_FPS`, `ZED_DEPTH_MODE`, etc.).
 
 ## Architecture
@@ -41,10 +44,11 @@ Camera behavior is configured entirely through environment variables (see README
 - **`src/zed/camera.cc`** — Implementation. SDK enum parsers live in an anonymous namespace. `parse_depth_mode` runs in `Config::from_env()`, not in the constructor, so an unrecognised `ZED_DEPTH_MODE` exits before the node joins the dataflow rather than falling back to a default.
 - **`src/main.cc`** — Dora event loop and output publishing only. On any input event (intended to be driven by a tick timer; the id is not inspected): calls `camera.grab()`, then sends `image_bgr` and `depth`, plus `point_cloud` when `ZED_POINT_CLOUD` is on and `camera_info` on the first frame of a camera session (`camera_info_pending`, re-armed on reconnection). `pack_depth` copies the depth map into a tightly packed `[H, W]` float buffer (sl::Mat rows can be padded) and clears `inf`/`nan` to `0`. `set_intrinsics` and `set_frame_stamps` stamp every output of a frame with the same intrinsics, `frame_id` and the two timestamps (`device_timestamp_ns`, `host_timestamp_ns`; both Unix-epoch nanoseconds). Point cloud output varies by mode: `FULL` sends the raw `sl::Mat` pointer (no copy); `HALF` downsamples by 2 in each dimension. The loop never touches the SDK: it drains `take_state_change` and `take_frame` from the capture thread and publishes. On exit it calls `capture.stop()` and waits 2 s for the thread; if the thread is still inside a blocking SDK call it gives up and `_Exit(0)`s rather than let dora time out and kill the node.
 - **`DoraTargets.cmake`** — Handles building or fetching dora-rs and generating the CXX bridge files. Two paths: local (`DORA_ROOT_DIR`) or git clone. Produces `dora_node_api_cxx` library and the `node_bridge.cc` glue.
-- **`scripts/build.sh`** — Configure/compile/install in one shell-free-callable step. Referenced by `dataflow.yml`, the `Dockerfile` and the README.
-- **`dora-node.yml`** — Node manifest (`apiVersion: 1`): typed input/output contract, entrypoint, build command. `dora validate` injects these types into any dataflow that reaches the node by `path:`; a `git:`-sourced node does **not** pick it up, which is why `dataflow.yml` builds from the checkout. Type URNs name the element type (`std/core/v1/UInt8`, `.../Float32`, `.../String`) because every payload is a raw buffer described by its metadata, not an Arrow struct.
-- **`dataflow.yml`** — Example dora dataflow, built from this checkout with `path:` + `build:` and `strict_types: true`. A consumer wires the node from a tag instead (see README) — dora 1.0 pins a source with the mutually exclusive `tag:`, `rev:` or `branch:`.
-- **`.gitea/workflows/validate.yml`** — CI gate running `dora validate dataflow.yml` on push and pull request. Needs no camera and no ZED SDK.
+- **`scripts/build.sh`** — Configure/compile/install in one shell-free-callable step. Referenced by both dataflows, the `Dockerfile` and the README.
+- **`dora-node.yml`** — Node manifest (`apiVersion: 1`): typed input/output contract, entrypoint, build command. `dora validate` injects these types into any dataflow that reaches the node by `path:`; a `git:`-sourced node does **not** pick it up, which is why both dataflows build from the checkout. Type URNs name the element type (`std/core/v1/UInt8`, `.../Float32`, `.../String`) because every payload is a raw buffer described by its metadata, not an Arrow struct.
+- **`dataflow.yml`** — Example dora dataflow: the camera alone, no viewer and no Python dependency. Built from this checkout with `path:` + `build:` and `strict_types: true`. A consumer wires the node from a tag instead (see README) — dora 1.0 pins a source with the mutually exclusive `tag:`, `rev:` or `branch:`.
+- **`dataflow_plot.yml`** — The same camera node plus an `opencv-plot` viewer on `image_bgr`. Split out because the viewer pulls dora-hub over `pip` and needs a display. dora 1.0 has no cross-dataflow wiring (an input's `source` must resolve to a node in the same descriptor), so the camera node is duplicated here rather than referenced, and the two files are run one at a time.
+- **`.gitea/workflows/validate.yml`** — CI gate running `dora validate` on both dataflows on push and pull request. Needs no camera and no ZED SDK.
 - **`Dockerfile`** — Ubuntu 24.04 x86-64 build environment (CUDA 12.8, ZED SDK 5.2, Rust). No ARM64/Jetson image; build natively there. No camera needed; run the compile with `--gpus all`. Sets `NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=compute,utility,video` — the `video` capability is what makes the container runtime mount NVDEC/NVENC, which `libsl_zed.so` links against. Rust lives at `/usr/local/{rustup,cargo}` rather than `/root` so the build can run as the invoking user. `docker build -t dora-zed-build . && docker run --rm --gpus all --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "$PWD:/src" -v dora-zed-cargo:/usr/local/cargo/registry dora-zed-build`.
 
 ## Key APIs
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9b7650a..4380ebe 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,9 +23,22 @@ nodes:
       - camera_state
 ```
 
-See [`dataflow.yml`](dataflow.yml) for a complete runnable example with a camera display
-node. That file builds the node from the checkout (`path:` + `build:`) rather than from a
-tag, which is what lets `dora validate` pick up the manifest described below.
+### Runnable examples
+
+Two dataflows live here, and they are run one at a time — dora has no cross-dataflow
+wiring, so each declares the camera node itself:
+
+| File | Contents | Run |
+|---|---|---|
+| [`dataflow.yml`](dataflow.yml) | The camera alone | `dora run dataflow.yml` |
+| [`dataflow_plot.yml`](dataflow_plot.yml) | The camera plus an `opencv-plot` viewer on `image_bgr` | `dora run dataflow_plot.yml` |
+
+The viewer is a separate file because it pulls [dora-hub](https://github.com/dora-rs/dora-hub)
+and installs it with `pip`, and it needs a display. Neither is a cost the camera should
+carry on a headless robot, so `dataflow.yml` has no Python dependency at all.
+
+Both build the node from the checkout (`path:` + `build:`) rather than from a tag, which
+is what lets `dora validate` pick up the manifest described below.
 
 ### Node manifest
 
@@ -46,10 +59,10 @@ payload is a raw buffer whose shape and dtype are in the metadata, so the URN na
 element type rather than a struct. The `tick` input is `std/core/v1/UInt64`, matching how
 dora types timer inputs.
 
-`strict_types: true` in `dataflow.yml` makes a type warning a non-zero exit.
-[`.gitea/workflows/validate.yml`](.gitea/workflows/validate.yml) runs
-`dora validate dataflow.yml` on every push and pull request; it needs no camera and no
-ZED SDK, since validation never runs the node.
+`strict_types: true` in both dataflows makes a type warning a non-zero exit.
+[`.gitea/workflows/validate.yml`](.gitea/workflows/validate.yml) validates both on every
+push and pull request; it needs no camera and no ZED SDK, since validation never runs the
+node.
 
 ## Dependencies
 
diff --git a/dataflow.yml b/dataflow.yml
index 28b6a9f..a1001e2 100644
--- a/dataflow.yml
+++ b/dataflow.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # The repository's own example: builds and runs the node from this checkout, so
 # `dora validate` picks up the typed contract in dora-node.yml next to it.
 # A consumer wires the node from a tag instead — see README.md.
+#
+# The camera alone, with no viewer and no Python dependency. For a run that
+# also displays the stream, use dataflow_plot.yml.
 strict_types: true
 
 nodes:
@@ -15,10 +18,3 @@ nodes:
       - point_cloud
       - camera_info
       - camera_state
-
-  - id: plot
-    git: https://github.com/dora-rs/dora-hub.git
-    build: pip install ./node-hub/opencv-plot
-    path: opencv-plot
-    inputs:
-      image: zed-camera/image_bgr
diff --git a/dataflow_plot.yml b/dataflow_plot.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..570cada
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dataflow_plot.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# The camera plus an opencv-plot viewer on image_bgr.
+#
+# Separate from dataflow.yml because the viewer pulls dora-hub and installs it
+# with pip, and needs a display: the camera on its own should cost neither.
+# dora has no cross-dataflow wiring, so the camera node is declared here too
+# rather than referenced — run this file or dataflow.yml, not both.
+strict_types: true
+
+nodes:
+  - id: zed-camera
+    path: bin/dora_zed
+    build: scripts/build.sh
+    inputs:
+      tick: dora/timer/millis/100
+    outputs:
+      - image_bgr
+      - depth
+      - point_cloud
+      - camera_info
+      - camera_state
+
+  - id: plot
+    git: https://github.com/dora-rs/dora-hub.git
+    build: pip install ./node-hub/opencv-plot
+    path: opencv-plot
+    inputs:
+      image: zed-camera/image_bgr