diff --git a/docs/workflows/press.md b/docs/workflows/press.md
index 9b6f96a0..abe7248d 100644
--- a/docs/workflows/press.md
+++ b/docs/workflows/press.md
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@
    listings, nothing that cannot be checked.
 2. Update the counts in all four places `tests/test_press_counts.py` checks: the `docs/PRESS.md` intro line,
    its index line, the README card's alt text ("and N more: N articles from N countries") and `MORE` in
-   `tools/readme_featured.py`. If you cannot redraw `docs/featured.png` and `docs/card.jpg` with
-   `tools/readme_featured.py` and `tools/readme_card.py`, say so in the PR.
+   `tools/readme_featured.py`. Redrawing `docs/featured.png` and `docs/card.jpg` needs Pillow, which the
+   performance requirements install:
+   `tools/venv/bin/pip install -r tools/requirements-perf.txt`, then
+   `tools/readme_featured.py Fredoka.ttf docs/featured.png` and
+   `tools/readme_card.py Fredoka.ttf docs/card.jpg`. If you cannot redraw them, say so in the PR.
 
 Then run the tests: `python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v`.
diff --git a/tests/test_card_scripts_pillow.py b/tests/test_card_scripts_pillow.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f931ba8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_card_scripts_pillow.py
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+"""The three scripts that draw the README card need Pillow, and nothing a contributor reads said so.
+
+`tools/requirements.txt` is what a reader installs for the tools and it has no Pillow; the package lives
+in `tools/requirements-perf.txt`, a file whose header used to call itself "only for the performance
+tools". `docs/workflows/press.md` is the page that asks a contributor to redraw `docs/featured.png` and
+`docs/card.jpg`, so following it ended in `ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'PIL'` with no hint of
+what to install. The three card scripts now name that file the way tools/flamechart.py and
+tools/screendiff.py already did, and this test keeps the three of them, the requirements file and the
+workflow page in step.
+
+Run from the repository root: python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v
+"""
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import tempfile
+import unittest
+from pathlib import Path
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+TOOLS = ROOT / "tools"
+PRESS = ROOT / "docs" / "workflows" / "press.md"
+PERF = TOOLS / "requirements-perf.txt"
+
+# The scripts press.md sends a reader to, with the two arguments each takes: the font, then the file.
+CARD_SCRIPTS = {
+    "readme_stats.py": ["Fredoka.ttf", "stats.png"],
+    "readme_featured.py": ["Fredoka.ttf", "featured.png"],
+    "readme_card.py": ["Fredoka.ttf", "card.jpg"],
+}
+
+
+def shadow_dir(tmp):
+    """A PIL package that cannot be imported, so a script behaves as on a venv without Pillow."""
+    pkg = Path(tmp) / "PIL"
+    pkg.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    (pkg / "__init__.py").write_text('raise ImportError("No module named \'PIL\'")\n', encoding="utf-8")
+    return str(tmp)
+
+
+def run_without_pillow(argv, tmp):
+    env = dict(os.environ)
+    env["PYTHONPATH"] = shadow_dir(tmp)
+    return subprocess.run([sys.executable, *argv], cwd=ROOT, env=env, capture_output=True, text=True)
+
+
+class CardScriptsPillowTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_the_shadow_really_hides_pillow(self):
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
+            done = run_without_pillow(["-c", "import PIL"], tmp)
+        self.assertNotEqual(done.returncode, 0, "the PIL shadow did not take effect: the rest of this file would prove nothing")
+
+    def test_each_card_script_is_importable_without_pillow_and_names_the_file(self):
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
+            for name, args in CARD_SCRIPTS.items():
+                with self.subTest(script=name):
+                    self.assertTrue((TOOLS / name).is_file(), f"press.md names {name}, which is not in tools/")
+                    done = run_without_pillow([str(TOOLS / name), *args], tmp)
+                    self.assertNotEqual(done.returncode, 0, f"{name} ran without Pillow, so the shadow missed it")
+                    self.assertIn("requirements-perf.txt", done.stderr, f"{name} does not say where Pillow comes from")
+                    self.assertNotIn("Traceback", done.stderr, f"{name} still dies on a bare traceback")
+
+    def test_the_requirements_file_installs_pillow(self):
+        lines = [l.strip().lower() for l in PERF.read_text(encoding="utf-8").split("\n")]
+        self.assertTrue(any(l.startswith("pillow") for l in lines), "tools/requirements-perf.txt no longer installs Pillow")
+        header = "\n".join(l for l in PERF.read_text(encoding="utf-8").split("\n") if l.startswith("#"))
+        for name in CARD_SCRIPTS:
+            with self.subTest(script=name):
+                self.assertIn(name, header, f"the header of requirements-perf.txt does not say it is needed by {name}")
+
+    def test_press_md_sends_the_reader_to_that_file(self):
+        text = PRESS.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        self.assertIn("tools/requirements-perf.txt", text, "press.md asks for a redraw without saying what to install")
+        self.assertIn("docs/card.jpg", text, "press.md no longer names the card the README links")
+        self.assertIn("docs/featured.png", text)
+        # readme_stats.py draws the stat strip, which a press entry does not change, so press.md is not
+        # required to name it; the two scripts it does send a reader to are.
+        for name in ("readme_featured.py", "readme_card.py"):
+            with self.subTest(script=name):
+                self.assertIn(name, text, f"press.md does not name {name}")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/tools/readme_card.py b/tools/readme_card.py
index 547ba0bb..bb0fb6e8 100644
--- a/tools/readme_card.py
+++ b/tools/readme_card.py
@@ -4,7 +4,13 @@ Run tools/readme_stats.py and tools/readme_featured.py first, then:
 python3 tools/readme_card.py Fredoka.ttf docs/card.png
 """
 import sys
-from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFilter, ImageFont
+
+# See readme_stats.py: Pillow lives in the optional requirements file, so name it rather than crash.
+try:
+    from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFilter, ImageFont
+except ImportError:
+    sys.exit("readme_card.py needs Pillow: tools/venv/bin/pip install -r tools/requirements-perf.txt")
+
 FONT, OUT = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
 BG, LINE, DIM, GREEN = "#15181e", "#2c313a", "#aab3bd", "#cfffcf"
 W = 1600
diff --git a/tools/readme_featured.py b/tools/readme_featured.py
index b92c6891..4cceb446 100644
--- a/tools/readme_featured.py
+++ b/tools/readme_featured.py
@@ -3,7 +3,13 @@
 Update LOGOS / MORE, then: python3 tools/readme_featured.py Fredoka.ttf docs/featured.png
 and rebuild the card with tools/readme_card.py. Logos come from docs/press/."""
 import sys
-from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+
+# See readme_stats.py: Pillow lives in the optional requirements file, so name it rather than crash.
+try:
+    from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+except ImportError:
+    sys.exit("readme_featured.py needs Pillow: tools/venv/bin/pip install -r tools/requirements-perf.txt")
+
 FONT, OUT = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
 LOGOS = ["techcrunch", "techradar", "tomsguide", "mashable", "androidauthority", "xda", "flatpanelshd", "itsfoss",
          "phandroid", "gigazine", "xataka", "winfuture", "frandroid", "macitynet", "techaeris", "techpp"]
diff --git a/tools/readme_stats.py b/tools/readme_stats.py
index 983e964a..8ea02004 100644
--- a/tools/readme_stats.py
+++ b/tools/readme_stats.py
@@ -3,7 +3,14 @@
 Update STATS, then: python3 tools/readme_stats.py Fredoka.ttf docs/stats.png
 and rebuild the card with tools/readme_card.py. Fredoka is the variable TTF from Google Fonts."""
 import sys
-from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+
+# Pillow is not in tools/requirements.txt: it is only needed to redraw the README card, so point at the
+# optional file the way tools/flamechart.py does, instead of ending in a bare traceback.
+try:
+    from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+except ImportError:
+    sys.exit("readme_stats.py needs Pillow: tools/venv/bin/pip install -r tools/requirements-perf.txt")
+
 FONT, OUT = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
 STATS = [("252", "TV MODELS"), ("74", "BRANDS"), ("25", "LANGUAGES"), ("474 KB", "LAUNCHER")]
 W, H = 1600, 240
diff --git a/tools/requirements-perf.txt b/tools/requirements-perf.txt
index dbea5e0c..b98e6869 100644
--- a/tools/requirements-perf.txt
+++ b/tools/requirements-perf.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-# Optional: only for the performance tools (tools/trace_report.py, tools/flamechart.py, tools/screendiff.py). Not needed to clean a TV.
+# Optional: the performance tools (tools/trace_report.py, tools/flamechart.py, tools/screendiff.py) and
+# Pillow for the three scripts that draw the README card (tools/readme_stats.py, readme_featured.py,
+# readme_card.py; see docs/workflows/press.md). Not needed to clean a TV.
 # tools/venv/bin/pip install -r tools/requirements-perf.txt   See tools/trace.md.
 perfetto==0.58.2
 pillow==11.3.0