diff --git a/changes/dilate-parallel.md b/changes/dilate-parallel.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..345109c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/dilate-parallel.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+bump: patch
+type: performance
+**Cut-out edge padding runs on every core.** `tex_dilate`'s passes hand their rows, sixteen at a time, to
+`Job.parallel_for`: within a pass a row writes only its own still-masked texels and reads only
+neighbours the mask already let go, so the bytes are the ones the single-threaded loop made. The worker
+is handed plain buffers in a `DilateJob` and makes nothing. `tex_dilate_bytes` is the slice-taking
+form (safe_api.ludic), and `examples/rendering/dilate.ludic` holds the result against the old loop
+(prints DILATE OK). It was 206 ms of the main thread in a Maroon Lake boot.
diff --git a/examples/rendering/dilate.ludic b/examples/rendering/dilate.ludic
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..637ebd6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/rendering/dilate.ludic
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+# dilate.ludic - render3d's cut-out padding, now a pass's rows on every core, gives exactly the
+# bytes the one-thread version gave: the old loop is kept here as the oracle, over a patterned atlas
+#
+#   bin/ludic build examples/rendering/dilate.ludic --headless && ./build/dilate_headless   (prints DILATE OK)
+program Dilate {
+  numbers float
+  import "ludic.render3d/r3d.ludic"
+
+  # the dilate as it was, one row after another
+  function oracle(px: []byte, w: int, h: int, c: int, thresh: int, passes: int) -> void {
+    let mask = buffer(w * h)
+    for i in 0 .. w * h { let o = i * c;  if px[o] + px[o + 1] + px[o + 2] < thresh { mask[i] = 1 } else { mask[i] = 0 } }
+    let next = buffer(w * h)
+    for pass in 0 .. passes {
+      for q in 0 .. w * h { next[q] = mask[q] }
+      for y in 0 .. h {
+        for x in 0 .. w {
+          let k = y * w + x
+          if mask[k] == 1 {
+            var r = 0;  var g = 0;  var b = 0;  var n = 0
+            if x > 0 and mask[k - 1] == 0 { let o = (k - 1) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+            if x < w - 1 and mask[k + 1] == 0 { let o = (k + 1) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+            if y > 0 and mask[k - w] == 0 { let o = (k - w) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+            if y < h - 1 and mask[k + w] == 0 { let o = (k + w) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+            if n > 0 { let o = k * c;  px[o] = r / n;  px[o + 1] = g / n;  px[o + 2] = b / n;  next[k] = 0 }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      for q in 0 .. w * h { mask[q] = next[q] }
+    }
+  }
+
+  # blades and blobs of colour on black, different in every row and column
+  function atlas(w: int, h: int, c: int) -> []byte {
+    let px = buffer(w * h * c)
+    for y in 0 .. h {
+      for x in 0 .. w {
+        let o = (y * w + x) * c
+        let lit = ((x * 7 + y * 13) % 29 < 6) or ((x / 9 + y / 11) % 5 == 0)
+        for k in 0 .. c { px[o + k] = 0 }
+        if lit {
+          px[o] = (x * 3 + y) % 256
+          px[o + 1] = (x + y * 5) % 256
+          px[o + 2] = (x * y) % 256
+        }
+        if c == 4 { px[o + 3] = 255 }
+      }
+    }
+    return px
+  }
+
+  handler Boot(render3d_st: mut Render3dState) phase Start {
+    var ok = true
+    for c in 3 .. 5 {
+      let w = 173
+      let h = 101
+      let a = atlas(w, h, c)
+      let b = atlas(w, h, c)
+      render3d_st.tex_w = w
+      render3d_st.tex_h = h
+      render3d_st.tex_channels = c
+      render3d_st.tex_depth = 8
+      tex_dilate_bytes(render3d_st, a, 60, 24)
+      oracle(b, w, h, c, 60, 24)
+      let orig = atlas(w, h, c)
+      var same = 0
+      var moved = 0
+      for i in 0 .. w * h * c {
+        if a[i] == b[i] { same += 1 }
+        if a[i] != orig[i] { moved += 1 }
+      }
+      if same != w * h * c or moved == 0 { ok = false }   # the same bytes, and the padding did pad
+    }
+    if ok { print("DILATE OK") } else { print("DILATE FAILED") }
+    quit()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/ludic.render3d/safe_api.ludic b/packages/ludic.render3d/safe_api.ludic
index 3db24a92..e74d583a 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.render3d/safe_api.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.render3d/safe_api.ludic
@@ -39,3 +39,8 @@ function png_decode_bytes(render3d_st: mut Render3dState, path: string, reuse: [
 function tex_upload_bytes(render3d_st: mut Render3dState, px: []byte, srgb: bool, mips: bool) -> int {
   return tex_upload(render3d_st, data_of(px), srgb, mips)
 }
+# cut-out edge padding over samples laid out as the last decode left them (tex_dilate)
+function tex_dilate_bytes(render3d_st: Render3dState, px: []byte, thresh: int, passes: int) -> void {
+  if px == null or len(px) < render3d_st.tex_w * render3d_st.tex_h * render3d_st.tex_channels { return }
+  tex_dilate(render3d_st, data_of(px), thresh, passes)
+}
diff --git a/packages/ludic.render3d/texture.ludic b/packages/ludic.render3d/texture.ludic
index 48ab06f6..3ec299fd 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.render3d/texture.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.render3d/texture.ludic
@@ -198,30 +198,51 @@ function tex_dilate(render3d_st: Render3dState, px: pointer, thresh: int, passes
   var i = 0
   while i < w * h { let o = i * c;  if px[o] + px[o + 1] + px[o + 2] < thresh { mask[i] = 1 } else { mask[i] = 0 };  i += 1 }
   let next = bytes(w * h)
+  let j = new DilateJob
+  j.px = px;  j.mask = mask;  j.next = next;  j.w = w;  j.h = h;  j.c = c
+  let blocks = (h + TEX_DILATE_ROWS - 1) / TEX_DILATE_ROWS
   for pass in 0 .. passes {
     mem_copy(next, mask, w * h)
-    var y = 0
-    while y < h {
-      var x = 0
-      while x < w {
-        let k = y * w + x
-        if mask[k] == 1 {
-          var r = 0;  var g = 0;  var b = 0;  var n = 0
-          if x > 0 and mask[k - 1] == 0 { let o = (k - 1) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
-          if x < w - 1 and mask[k + 1] == 0 { let o = (k + 1) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
-          if y > 0 and mask[k - w] == 0 { let o = (k - w) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
-          if y < h - 1 and mask[k + w] == 0 { let o = (k + w) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  b += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
-          if n > 0 { let o = k * c;  px[o] = r / n;  px[o + 1] = g / n;  px[o + 2] = b / n;  next[k] = 0 }
-        }
-        x += 1
-      }
-      y += 1
-    }
+    Job.parallel_for(blocks, fn tex_dilate_rows, j)
     mem_copy(mask, next, w * h)
   }
   free(mask);  free(next)
 }
 
+# A pass's rows on every core. Within a pass a row writes only its own still-masked texels and reads
+# only neighbours the mask already let go, which no row writes this pass - so rows are independent and
+# the result is the one row-by-row order gave. The worker is handed plain buffers and makes nothing.
+const TEX_DILATE_ROWS: int = 16
+property DilateJob {
+  px: pointer = null
+  mask: pointer = null
+  next: pointer = null
+  w: int = 0
+  h: int = 0
+  c: int = 0
+}
+function tex_dilate_rows(b: int, j: DilateJob) -> void {
+  let w = j.w;  let c = j.c;  let px = j.px;  let mask = j.mask;  let next = j.next
+  var y = b * TEX_DILATE_ROWS
+  let y1 = min(j.h, y + TEX_DILATE_ROWS)
+  while y < y1 {
+    var x = 0
+    while x < w {
+      let k = y * w + x
+      if mask[k] == 1 {
+        var r = 0;  var g = 0;  var bl = 0;  var n = 0
+        if x > 0 and mask[k - 1] == 0 { let o = (k - 1) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  bl += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+        if x < w - 1 and mask[k + 1] == 0 { let o = (k + 1) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  bl += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+        if y > 0 and mask[k - w] == 0 { let o = (k - w) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  bl += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+        if y < j.h - 1 and mask[k + w] == 0 { let o = (k + w) * c;  r += px[o];  g += px[o + 1];  bl += px[o + 2];  n += 1 }
+        if n > 0 { let o = k * c;  px[o] = r / n;  px[o + 1] = g / n;  px[o + 2] = bl / n;  next[k] = 0 }
+      }
+      x += 1
+    }
+    y += 1
+  }
+}
+
 # Upload the last-decoded samples as a 2D texture. srgb: colour data (8-bit only).
 function tex_upload(render3d_st: mut Render3dState, px: pointer, srgb: bool, mips: bool) -> int {
   let id = gpu_tex_new(render3d_st)