diff --git a/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/context.rs b/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/context.rs
index 191b8d6174f3..5e50341e77c0 100644
--- a/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/context.rs
+++ b/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/context.rs
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ impl RenderContext {
             before_view_builder_encoder: Mutex::new(FrameGlobalCommandEncoder::new(&device)),
             frame_index: STARTUP_FRAME_IDX,
             top_level_error_scope,
+            num_view_builders_created: AtomicU64::new(0),
         };
 
         // Register shader workarounds for the current device.
@@ -316,6 +317,7 @@ This means, either a call to RenderContext::before_submit was omitted, or the pr
             before_view_builder_encoder: Mutex::new(FrameGlobalCommandEncoder::new(&self.device)),
             frame_index: self.active_frame.frame_index.wrapping_add(1),
             top_level_error_scope: Some(WgpuErrorScope::start(&self.device)),
+            num_view_builders_created: AtomicU64::new(0),
         };
         let frame_index = self.active_frame.frame_index;
 
@@ -485,6 +487,9 @@ pub struct ActiveFrameContext {
     ///
     /// The only time this is allowed to be `None` is during shutdown and when closing an old and opening a new scope.
     top_level_error_scope: Option<WgpuErrorScope>,
+
+    /// Number of view builders created in this frame so far.
+    pub num_view_builders_created: AtomicU64,
 }
 
 fn log_adapter_info(info: &wgpu::AdapterInfo) {
diff --git a/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/view_builder.rs b/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/view_builder.rs
index 2455595e7e66..efe1d8b58d01 100644
--- a/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/view_builder.rs
+++ b/crates/viewer/re_renderer/src/view_builder.rs
@@ -518,6 +518,10 @@ impl ViewBuilder {
             frame_uniform_buffer_content,
         };
 
+        ctx.active_frame
+            .num_view_builders_created
+            .fetch_add(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Release);
+
         Self {
             setup,
             queued_draws: vec![composition_draw.into()],
diff --git a/crates/viewer/re_viewer_context/src/test_context.rs b/crates/viewer/re_viewer_context/src/test_context.rs
index 88cf099941bb..8b0b5c74d6ee 100644
--- a/crates/viewer/re_viewer_context/src/test_context.rs
+++ b/crates/viewer/re_viewer_context/src/test_context.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use ahash::HashMap;
@@ -43,7 +44,9 @@ pub struct TestContext {
 
     command_sender: CommandSender,
     command_receiver: CommandReceiver,
+
     egui_render_state: Mutex<Option<egui_wgpu::RenderState>>,
+    called_setup_kittest_for_rendering: AtomicBool,
 }
 
 impl Default for TestContext {
@@ -83,6 +86,7 @@ impl Default for TestContext {
 
             // Created lazily since each egui_kittest harness needs a new one.
             egui_render_state: Mutex::new(None),
+            called_setup_kittest_for_rendering: AtomicBool::new(false),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -228,15 +232,18 @@ fn init_shared_renderer_setup() -> SharedWgpuResources {
 
 impl TestContext {
     pub fn setup_kittest_for_rendering(&self) -> egui_kittest::HarnessBuilder<()> {
+        // Egui kittests insists on having a fresh render state for each test.
         let new_render_state = create_egui_renderstate();
         let builder = egui_kittest::Harness::builder().renderer(
             // Note that render state clone is mostly cloning of inner `Arc`.
-            // This does _not_ duplicate re_renderer's context.
+            // This does _not_ duplicate re_renderer's context contained within.
             egui_kittest::wgpu::WgpuTestRenderer::from_render_state(new_render_state.clone()),
         );
-        // Egui kittests insists on having a fresh render state for each test.
         self.egui_render_state.lock().replace(new_render_state);
 
+        self.called_setup_kittest_for_rendering
+            .store(true, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
+
         builder
     }
 
@@ -303,6 +310,21 @@ impl TestContext {
 
         func(&ctx);
 
+        // If re_renderer was used, `setup_kittest_for_rendering` should have been called.
+        // (if not, then we clearly didn't render anything since that requires writing to a texture!).
+        if render_ctx
+            .active_frame
+            .num_view_builders_created
+            .load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Acquire)
+            != 0
+            && !self
+                .called_setup_kittest_for_rendering
+                .load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed)
+        {
+            panic!("Rendering with `re_renderer` requires setting up kittest with `TestContext::setup_kittest_for_rendering`
+                    to ensure that kittest & re_renderer use the same graphics device.");
+        }
+
         render_ctx.before_submit();
     }