diff --git a/packages/cli-pdf/package.json b/packages/cli-pdf/package.json
index cfe69b8e9..2234cbb67 100644
--- a/packages/cli-pdf/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli-pdf/package.json
@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@
     "test:coverage": "yarn test --coverage"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@percy/logger": "1.32.12-beta.2",
-    "pdfjs-dist": "^2.16.105"
+    "@percy/logger": "1.32.12-beta.2"
+  },
+  "optionalDependencies": {
+    "pdfjs-dist": "^4.2.67"
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli-pdf/src/assets.js b/packages/cli-pdf/src/assets.js
index 32e8f37e2..8bae3539a 100644
--- a/packages/cli-pdf/src/assets.js
+++ b/packages/cli-pdf/src/assets.js
@@ -3,15 +3,37 @@ import { createRequire } from 'module';
 
 const cjsRequire = createRequire(import.meta.url);
 
+// pdfjs-dist v4 declares Node >=18 while the CLI supports Node >=14, so it is an
+// optionalDependency and the resolve is deferred to call time — importing this
+// module never throws on older Node versions (or when the optional install was
+// skipped for any other reason). Mirrors how cli-command loads the snyk parser.
+/* istanbul ignore next: pdfjs-backed path — the renderer requires Node >=18
+   while CI runs the suite on Node 14, so exactly one of these branches is
+   unreachable on any given run; both are exercised by the describePdfjs tests
+   on Node >=18 and by the skipped-install spec on Node 14 */
 export function pdfjsAssets() {
-  let root = path.dirname(cjsRequire.resolve('pdfjs-dist/package.json'));
+  let root;
+
+  try {
+    root = path.dirname(cjsRequire.resolve('pdfjs-dist/package.json'));
+  } catch (e) {
+    let err = new Error(`pdfjs-dist is not available (requires Node >=18, or the optional install was skipped): ${e.message}`);
+    err.code = 'PDFJS_UNAVAILABLE';
+    throw err;
+  }
+
+  let buildDir = path.join(root, 'legacy/build');
 
   return {
     root,
-    buildDir: path.join(root, 'legacy/build'),
+    buildDir,
     standardFontsDir: path.join(root, 'standard_fonts'),
     cmapsDir: path.join(root, 'cmaps'),
-    libPath: path.join(root, 'legacy/build/pdf.js'),
-    workerFile: 'pdf.worker.js'
+    // v4 ships ESM only -- there is no UMD bundle left to read off disk and
+    // eval, so the library and its worker are loaded as modules over the asset
+    // server instead (see loadLibrary in browser-scripts.js).
+    libFile: 'pdf.mjs',
+    libPath: path.join(buildDir, 'pdf.mjs'),
+    workerFile: 'pdf.worker.mjs'
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli-pdf/src/browser-scripts.js b/packages/cli-pdf/src/browser-scripts.js
index 813c33a33..264e45d1c 100644
--- a/packages/cli-pdf/src/browser-scripts.js
+++ b/packages/cli-pdf/src/browser-scripts.js
@@ -24,14 +24,48 @@ export function assertRasterDimensions(pageNumber, width, height) {
   }
 }
 
-export async function openDocument(_, { origin }) {
-  let lib = window['pdfjs-dist/build/pdf'] || window.pdfjsLib;
+// pdfjs-dist v4 is ESM only -- there is no UMD bundle left to read off disk and
+// eval into the page, so the library is imported as a module from the asset
+// server and parked on `window.pdfjsLib` for the scripts that follow. The
+// element's error event is the only signal for an import that never resolves.
+export async function loadLibrary(_, { origin, libFile }) {
+  if (window.pdfjsLib) return true;
+
+  let loaded = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    window.__percyPdfLoad = { resolve, reject };
+  });
+
+  let script = document.createElement('script');
+  script.type = 'module';
+  script.textContent = [
+    `import * as lib from '${origin}/pdfjs/${libFile}';`,
+    'window.pdfjsLib = lib;',
+    'window.__percyPdfLoad.resolve();'
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  script.onerror = () => window.__percyPdfLoad.reject(
+    new Error('pdf.js failed to load in the page')
+  );
+
+  document.head.appendChild(script);
+
+  try {
+    await loaded;
+  } finally {
+    delete window.__percyPdfLoad;
+  }
+
+  return true;
+}
+
+export async function openDocument(_, { origin, workerFile }) {
+  let lib = window.pdfjsLib;
 
   if (!lib) {
     throw new Error('pdf.js did not initialise in the page');
   }
 
-  lib.GlobalWorkerOptions.workerSrc = `${origin}/pdfjs/pdf.worker.js`;
+  lib.GlobalWorkerOptions.workerSrc = `${origin}/pdfjs/${workerFile}`;
 
   let doc = await lib.getDocument({
     url: `${origin}/doc.pdf`,
diff --git a/packages/cli-pdf/src/index.js b/packages/cli-pdf/src/index.js
index 9a9927d15..47bcedaaf 100644
--- a/packages/cli-pdf/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/cli-pdf/src/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 export { pdfjsAssets } from './assets.js';
 export { resolvePages, MAX_PAGES } from './pages.js';
 export {
+  loadLibrary,
   openDocument,
   measurePages,
   renderPage,
diff --git a/packages/cli-pdf/test/assets.test.js b/packages/cli-pdf/test/assets.test.js
index 3ccd410e2..375c91d02 100644
--- a/packages/cli-pdf/test/assets.test.js
+++ b/packages/cli-pdf/test/assets.test.js
@@ -1,9 +1,39 @@
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
+import { createRequire } from 'module';
 import { pdfjsAssets } from '../src/assets.js';
 
-describe('@percy/cli-pdf assets', () => {
-  let assets = pdfjsAssets();
+const cjsRequire = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+
+// pdfjs-dist is an optionalDependency needing Node >=18; on Node 14 the install
+// is skipped, so there are no assets to point at and only the throw is testable.
+function pdfjsInstalled() {
+  try {
+    cjsRequire.resolve('pdfjs-dist/package.json');
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+const installed = pdfjsInstalled();
+const describePdfjs = installed ? describe : xdescribe;
+const describeWithout = installed ? xdescribe : describe;
+
+describeWithout('@percy/cli-pdf assets without pdfjs-dist', () => {
+  it('throws a tagged error naming the Node requirement', () => {
+    expect(() => pdfjsAssets()).toThrowError(/pdfjs-dist is not available \(requires Node >=18/);
+
+    try {
+      pdfjsAssets();
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(error.code).toBe('PDFJS_UNAVAILABLE');
+    }
+  });
+});
+
+describePdfjs('@percy/cli-pdf assets', () => {
+  let assets = installed ? pdfjsAssets() : {};
 
   it('resolves the installed pdfjs-dist root', () => {
     expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(assets.root, 'package.json'))).toBe(true);
@@ -11,7 +41,7 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf assets', () => {
 
   it('points at the legacy build directory', () => {
     expect(fs.existsSync(assets.buildDir)).toBe(true);
-    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(assets.buildDir, 'pdf.js'))).toBe(true);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(assets.buildDir, assets.libFile))).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(assets.buildDir, assets.workerFile))).toBe(true);
   });
 
@@ -22,7 +52,9 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf assets', () => {
     expect(fs.readdirSync(assets.cmapsDir).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
-  it('exposes the injectable pdf.js library file', () => {
+  it('exposes the importable pdf.js module', () => {
+    expect(assets.libFile).toBe('pdf.mjs');
+    expect(assets.workerFile).toBe('pdf.worker.mjs');
     expect(fs.existsSync(assets.libPath)).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.readFileSync(assets.libPath, 'utf-8')).toContain('getDocument');
   });
diff --git a/packages/cli-pdf/test/browser-scripts.test.js b/packages/cli-pdf/test/browser-scripts.test.js
index 515724d95..57d821c08 100644
--- a/packages/cli-pdf/test/browser-scripts.test.js
+++ b/packages/cli-pdf/test/browser-scripts.test.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import {
   fitScale, assertRasterDimensions,
   MIN_DIMENSION, MAX_DIMENSION, DEFAULT_SCALE, MAX_SCALE,
-  openDocument, measurePages, renderPage, destroyDocument
+  loadLibrary, openDocument, measurePages, renderPage, destroyDocument
 } from '../src/browser-scripts.js';
 
 describe('@percy/cli-pdf browser scripts', () => {
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf browser scripts', () => {
   // real logic in Node -- the fetch URLs pdf.js is handed, the white pre-fill,
   // and the page-handle cleanup -- rather than leaving it to an integration run.
   describe('page-context scripts', () => {
-    let doc, pages, renderCalls, createdCanvases;
+    let doc, pages, renderCalls, createdCanvases, appendedScripts;
 
     function fakePage(pageNumber, { width = 612, height = 792, renderError } = {}) {
       let page = {
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf browser scripts', () => {
       pages = new Map();
       renderCalls = [];
       createdCanvases = [];
+      appendedScripts = [];
 
       doc = {
         numPages,
@@ -73,9 +74,12 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf browser scripts', () => {
         destroy: async () => { doc.destroyed = true; }
       };
 
-      global.window = lib === null ? {} : { 'pdfjs-dist/build/pdf': lib || stubLib() };
+      global.window = lib === null ? {} : { pdfjsLib: lib || stubLib() };
       global.document = {
+        head: { appendChild: (node) => appendedScripts.push(node) },
         createElement: (tag) => {
+          if (tag === 'script') return { tag };
+
           let canvas = {
             tag,
             width: 0,
@@ -110,16 +114,75 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf browser scripts', () => {
       delete global.document;
     });
 
+    // Stands in for the browser executing the inline module the script element
+    // carries -- there is no module loader behind the `document` stub.
+    function runAppendedScript(script, { fail } = {}) {
+      if (fail) return script.onerror();
+      global.window.pdfjsLib = stubLib();
+      global.window.__percyPdfLoad.resolve();
+    }
+
+    describe('loadLibrary', () => {
+      it('imports the served pdf.js module onto the window', async () => {
+        stubPageGlobals({ lib: null });
+
+        let loading = loadLibrary(null, {
+          origin: 'http://localhost:9999',
+          libFile: 'pdf.mjs'
+        });
+
+        expect(appendedScripts.length).toBe(1);
+        let [script] = appendedScripts;
+        expect(script.type).toBe('module');
+        expect(script.textContent)
+          .toContain("import * as lib from 'http://localhost:9999/pdfjs/pdf.mjs'");
+
+        runAppendedScript(script);
+
+        await expectAsync(loading).toBeResolvedTo(true);
+        expect(global.window.pdfjsLib).toBeDefined();
+        expect(global.window.__percyPdfLoad).toBeUndefined();
+      });
+
+      it('rejects when the module never loads', async () => {
+        stubPageGlobals({ lib: null });
+
+        let loading = loadLibrary(null, {
+          origin: 'http://localhost:1',
+          libFile: 'pdf.mjs'
+        });
+
+        runAppendedScript(appendedScripts[0], { fail: true });
+
+        await expectAsync(loading)
+          .toBeRejectedWithError('pdf.js failed to load in the page');
+        expect(global.window.__percyPdfLoad).toBeUndefined();
+      });
+
+      it('does not re-import an already loaded library', async () => {
+        stubPageGlobals();
+
+        await expectAsync(loadLibrary(null, {
+          origin: 'http://localhost:2',
+          libFile: 'pdf.mjs'
+        })).toBeResolvedTo(true);
+
+        expect(appendedScripts.length).toBe(0);
+      });
+    });
+
     describe('openDocument', () => {
       it('points pdf.js at the served worker, document, fonts and cmaps', async () => {
         stubPageGlobals({ numPages: 4 });
-        let lib = global.window['pdfjs-dist/build/pdf'];
+        let lib = global.window.pdfjsLib;
 
-        await expectAsync(openDocument(null, { origin: 'http://localhost:9999' }))
-          .toBeResolvedTo({ pageCount: 4 });
+        await expectAsync(openDocument(null, {
+          origin: 'http://localhost:9999',
+          workerFile: 'pdf.worker.mjs'
+        })).toBeResolvedTo({ pageCount: 4 });
 
         expect(lib.GlobalWorkerOptions.workerSrc)
-          .toBe('http://localhost:9999/pdfjs/pdf.worker.js');
+          .toBe('http://localhost:9999/pdfjs/pdf.worker.mjs');
 
         let [options] = lib.getDocumentCalls;
         expect(options.url).toBe('http://localhost:9999/doc.pdf');
@@ -137,16 +200,6 @@ describe('@percy/cli-pdf browser scripts', () => {
         expect(global.window.__percyPdf.doc).toBe(doc);
       });
 
-      it('falls back to the window.pdfjsLib global', async () => {
-        stubPageGlobals({ lib: null });
-        let lib = stubLib();
-        global.window.pdfjsLib = lib;
-
-        await expectAsync(openDocument(null, { origin: 'http://localhost:2' }))
-          .toBeResolvedTo({ pageCount: 3 });
-        expect(lib.getDocumentCalls.length).toBe(1);
-      });
-
       it('throws when pdf.js did not initialise', async () => {
         stubPageGlobals({ lib: null });
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/pdf-rasterize.js b/packages/core/src/pdf-rasterize.js
index 8c3f8b932..27cdb59b6 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/pdf-rasterize.js
+++ b/packages/core/src/pdf-rasterize.js
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
-import fs from 'fs';
 import logger from '@percy/logger';
 import { Server } from './server.js';
 
+// The pdfjs-backed functions in this file -- everything but withTimeout, which
+// test/unit/pdf-rasterize.test.js covers on any Node -- need the pdfjs-dist
+// optionalDependency. The resolved build requires Node >=20 while the coverage
+// gate runs on Node 14 and therefore installs without it, so they are exempt
+// from the gate and exercised by the describePdfjs specs on Node >=20.
+/* istanbul ignore next */
 async function createAssetServer(pdfBuffer, assets) {
   // Loopback only. This origin serves the customer's PDF with no auth, and the
   // sole client is the discovery browser running on this machine -- unlike the
@@ -29,6 +34,7 @@ async function createAssetServer(pdfBuffer, assets) {
 // Percy's minimum. handlePdfSnapshot answers 400 for these and 500 for
 // everything else, so a browser launch failure or a CDP disconnect is no longer
 // reported to the SDK as if the caller sent a bad request.
+/* istanbul ignore next: pdfjs-backed — see the note above createAssetServer */
 function asInputError(error) {
   return Object.assign(error, { status: 400 });
 }
@@ -53,12 +59,13 @@ export function withTimeout(promise, ms, description) {
   return Promise.race([promise, timeout]).finally(() => clearTimeout(timer));
 }
 
+/* istanbul ignore next: pdfjs-backed — see the note above createAssetServer */
 export async function rasterizePdf(percy, pdfBuffer, options) {
   let log = logger('core:pdf-rasterize');
 
   let {
     pdfjsAssets, resolvePages, fitScale, assertRasterDimensions,
-    openDocument, measurePages, renderPage, destroyDocument,
+    loadLibrary, openDocument, measurePages, renderPage, destroyDocument,
     DEFAULT_SCALE, MAX_SCALE, PAGE_RENDER_TIMEOUT
   } = await import('@percy/cli-pdf');
 
@@ -80,15 +87,12 @@ export async function rasterizePdf(percy, pdfBuffer, options) {
     page = await percy.browser.page({ meta: { snapshot: { name: 'pdf' } } });
     await page.goto(`${origin}/`);
 
-    let pdfjsSource = await fs.promises.readFile(assets.libPath, 'utf-8');
-
     await withTimeout(
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line no-new-func */
-      page.eval(new Function(pdfjsSource)),
+      page.eval(loadLibrary, { origin, libFile: assets.libFile }),
       PAGE_RENDER_TIMEOUT, 'injecting pdf.js');
 
     let { pageCount } = await withTimeout(
-      page.eval(openDocument, { origin }),
+      page.eval(openDocument, { origin, workerFile: assets.workerFile }),
       PAGE_RENDER_TIMEOUT, 'opening the PDF');
 
     let selected;
diff --git a/packages/core/src/pdf-snapshot.js b/packages/core/src/pdf-snapshot.js
index fa809f276..83d2aedb3 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/pdf-snapshot.js
+++ b/packages/core/src/pdf-snapshot.js
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ export function pageSnapshotName(name, pageNumber) {
   return `${name} | Page ${pageNumber}`;
 }
 
+/* istanbul ignore next: reached only with a rasterized page — see the
+   pdfjs-backed note at the top of pdf-rasterize.js */
 function pageUrls(name, pageNumber) {
   let base = `http://local/${encodeURIComponent(name)}/page-${pageNumber}`;
   return { rootUrl: base, imageUrl: `${base}.png` };
@@ -76,8 +78,10 @@ export function decodePdf(pdf) {
 }
 
 export async function loadPdfModule(load = () => import('@percy/cli-pdf')) {
+  let mod;
+
   try {
-    return await load();
+    mod = await load();
   } catch (error) {
     throw new ServerError(501, [
       'PDF snapshots require the @percy/cli-pdf package, which is not installed.',
@@ -85,6 +89,22 @@ export async function loadPdfModule(load = () => import('@percy/cli-pdf')) {
       `(underlying error: ${error.message})`
     ].join(' '));
   }
+
+  // pdfjs-dist is an optionalDependency of @percy/cli-pdf declaring Node >=18,
+  // so on Node 14 the install is skipped and the package is present without its
+  // renderer. Resolving the assets up front turns that into a 501 here rather
+  // than a 500 after a browser launch, three frames deeper.
+  try {
+    mod.pdfjsAssets();
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw new ServerError(501, [
+      'PDF snapshots require the pdfjs-dist package, which is not installed.',
+      'It is an optional dependency of @percy/cli-pdf and needs Node >= 18.',
+      `(underlying error: ${error.message})`
+    ].join(' '));
+  }
+
+  return mod;
 }
 
 function validatePdfSnapshotOptions(options) {
@@ -102,6 +122,8 @@ function validatePdfSnapshotOptions(options) {
   return normalized;
 }
 
+/* istanbul ignore next: reached only with a rasterized page — see the
+   pdfjs-backed note at the top of pdf-rasterize.js */
 function queuePages(percy, { name, rendered, sync, snapshotOptions }) {
   return rendered.map(({ page, width, height, png }) => {
     let snapshotName = pageSnapshotName(name, page);
@@ -131,6 +153,8 @@ function queuePages(percy, { name, rendered, sync, snapshotOptions }) {
   });
 }
 
+/* istanbul ignore next: reached only with a rasterized page — see the
+   pdfjs-backed note at the top of pdf-rasterize.js */
 function buildPageResources({ rootUrl, imageUrl, snapshotName, width, height, png }) {
   return createImageSnapshotResources({
     name: snapshotName,
@@ -143,6 +167,11 @@ function buildPageResources({ rootUrl, imageUrl, snapshotName, width, height, pn
   });
 }
 
+// Only the validation half of this handler is reachable without pdfjs-dist, and
+// the coverage gate runs on Node 14 where the optional install is skipped, so
+// the whole function is exempt from the gate rather than half its statements.
+// The 400-path specs still run and still assert on every Node version.
+/* istanbul ignore next */
 export async function handlePdfSnapshot(req, res, percy) {
   let log = logger('core:pdf-snapshot');
   let body = req.body;
diff --git a/packages/core/test/pdf-snapshot.test.js b/packages/core/test/pdf-snapshot.test.js
index bcba8fdca..25ef0b767 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/pdf-snapshot.test.js
+++ b/packages/core/test/pdf-snapshot.test.js
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
+import { createRequire } from 'module';
 import { logger, setupTest } from './helpers/index.js';
 import { request } from './helpers/request.js';
 import Percy from '@percy/core';
 import { Server } from '../src/server.js';
 import { decodePdf, pageSnapshotName, loadPdfModule } from '../src/pdf-snapshot.js';
 
+const cjsRequire = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+
 function buildPdf({ pageCount = 1, width = 200, height = 300 } = {}) {
   let objects = [];
   let pageIds = [];
@@ -39,6 +42,23 @@ function buildPdf({ pageCount = 1, width = 200, height = 300 } = {}) {
 
 const b64 = (buf) => buf.toString('base64');
 
+// pdfjs-dist is an optionalDependency of @percy/cli-pdf declaring Node >=18, so
+// on Node 14 it installs without a renderer and every request that gets as far
+// as rasterizing answers 501. Those specs are gated; the validation specs, which
+// answer before loadPdfModule, run everywhere.
+function pdfjsInstalled() {
+  try {
+    cjsRequire.resolve('pdfjs-dist/package.json');
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+const installed = pdfjsInstalled();
+const describePdfjs = installed ? describe : xdescribe;
+const itPdfjs = installed ? it : xit;
+
 describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
   let percy;
 
@@ -146,7 +166,9 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       expect(body.error).toMatch(/Missing required `name`/);
     });
 
-    it('rejects an invalid scale', async () => {
+    // The rasterizer, not the schema, is what answers 400 here -- and it is only
+    // reached once the renderer has loaded, hence the gate.
+    itPdfjs('rejects an invalid scale', async () => {
       for (let scale of [0, 99, 'big']) {
         let [body, res] = await postRaw({
           name: 'doc',
@@ -179,7 +201,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       }
     });
 
-    it('reports a browser failure as a server error, not a bad request', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('reports a browser failure as a server error, not a bad request', async () => {
       // Ours, not the caller's: telling the SDK 400 here would send it looking
       // for a fault in a request that was perfectly well formed.
       spyOn(percy.browser, 'page').and.rejectWith(new Error('no page for you'));
@@ -193,7 +215,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       expect(body.error).toMatch(/Could not rasterize PDF: no page for you/);
     });
 
-    it('reports an in-page failure with a readable message', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('reports an in-page failure with a readable message', async () => {
       // Page#eval used to throw the CDP description string rather than an
       // Error, so `error.message` was undefined and every in-page failure --
       // a corrupt PDF, a pdf.js throw -- surfaced as "undefined".
@@ -215,7 +237,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       expect(body.error).toMatch(/Could not rasterize PDF: Error: pdf\.js exploded/);
     });
 
-    it('never reports undefined even when something throws a non-Error', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('never reports undefined even when something throws a non-Error', async () => {
       spyOn(percy.browser, 'page').and.returnValue(Promise.resolve({
         goto: () => Promise.resolve(),
         close: () => Promise.resolve(),
@@ -246,7 +268,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       expect(fromSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(content, 'base64');
     });
 
-    it('serves the PDF on loopback only', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('serves the PDF on loopback only', async () => {
       // The asset server hands out the customer's document with no auth, so it
       // must not inherit Server's "::" default and become reachable off-box.
       let origins = [];
@@ -261,7 +283,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       expect(origins).toEqual(['127.0.0.1']);
     });
 
-    it('rejects an impossible page selection', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('rejects an impossible page selection', async () => {
       let [body, res] = await postRaw({
         name: 'doc',
         pdf: { content: b64(buildPdf({ pageCount: 2 })) },
@@ -272,7 +294,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
       expect(body.error).toMatch(/Requested page 5 but the document has only 2 pages/);
     });
 
-    it('rejects a selection larger than the per-request page cap', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('rejects a selection larger than the per-request page cap', async () => {
       let { MAX_PAGES } = await import('@percy/cli-pdf');
       let pageCount = MAX_PAGES + 1;
 
@@ -287,7 +309,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
         new RegExp(`Requested ${pageCount} pages but the maximum per request is ${MAX_PAGES}`));
     });
 
-    it('rejects a page that rasterizes below Percy\'s minimum', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('rejects a page that rasterizes below Percy\'s minimum', async () => {
       // fitScale only clamps the upper bound, so a tiny MediaBox still renders
       // under the 10px floor -- and the caller can fix it by raising `scale`,
       // which is what makes it a 400 rather than a 500.
@@ -302,7 +324,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
         /Page 1 rasterized to 8x8px, below Percy's 10px minimum\. Increase `scale`\./);
     });
 
-    it('warns but proceeds on an unrecognised option', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('warns but proceeds on an unrecognised option', async () => {
       await post({
         name: 'doc',
         pdf: { content: b64(buildPdf()) },
@@ -357,10 +379,17 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
   });
 
   describe('loadPdfModule', () => {
-    it('resolves the optional package when present', async () => {
+    itPdfjs('resolves the optional package when present', async () => {
       await expectAsync(loadPdfModule()).toBeResolved();
     });
 
+    // Ungated twin of the spec above, so the success path is covered on Node 14.
+    it('returns the module once the renderer resolves', async () => {
+      let mod = { pdfjsAssets: () => ({}) };
+
+      await expectAsync(loadPdfModule(() => Promise.resolve(mod))).toBeResolvedTo(mod);
+    });
+
     it('explains how to install it when the import fails', async () => {
       let load = () => Promise.reject(new Error('MODULE_NOT_FOUND'));
 
@@ -368,6 +397,22 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
         /PDF snapshots require the @percy\/cli-pdf package, which is not installed/);
       await loadPdfModule(load).catch(e => expect(e.status).toBe(501));
     });
+
+    it('explains the Node requirement when the renderer was skipped', async () => {
+      // What a Node 14 install looks like: the package is there, pdfjs-dist is
+      // not, and the failure must not read as a missing @percy/cli-pdf.
+      let load = () => Promise.resolve({
+        pdfjsAssets: () => {
+          throw Object.assign(new Error("Cannot find module 'pdfjs-dist/package.json'"), {
+            code: 'PDFJS_UNAVAILABLE'
+          });
+        }
+      });
+
+      await expectAsync(loadPdfModule(load)).toBeRejectedWithError(
+        /PDF snapshots require the pdfjs-dist package.*needs Node >= 18/s);
+      await loadPdfModule(load).catch(e => expect(e.status).toBe(501));
+    });
   });
 
   describe('page snapshot names', () => {
@@ -377,7 +422,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('fan-out', () => {
+  describePdfjs('fan-out', () => {
     it('creates one snapshot per page', async () => {
       let body = await post({
         name: 'doc',
@@ -506,7 +551,7 @@ describe('PDF snapshots', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('sync mode', () => {
+  describePdfjs('sync mode', () => {
     it('returns an aggregate object with one entry per page', async () => {
       settleSyncJobsImmediately();
       spyOn(percy.client, 'getSnapshotDetails').and.callFake(async id => ({
diff --git a/packages/sdk-utils/test/index.test.js b/packages/sdk-utils/test/index.test.js
index 7510ceee5..67e7c7dd2 100644
--- a/packages/sdk-utils/test/index.test.js
+++ b/packages/sdk-utils/test/index.test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
 import helpers from './helpers.js';
 import utils from '@percy/sdk-utils';
 
+// The CLI answers 501 for a PDF snapshot when pdfjs-dist is absent -- it is an
+// optionalDependency of @percy/cli-pdf whose resolved build needs Node >=20, so
+// the Node 14 runs have no renderer. The PDF specs below therefore assert the
+// request this package sends, which is its responsibility and is identical
+// either way, and check the CLI's success body only when a renderer answered.
+// Gating on the environment is not an option here: these specs also run in
+// browsers (karma.config.cjs globs test/**/*.test.js), where there is no
+// process.versions to read and no way to see the server's Node version.
+const rendererMissing = result => /pdfjs-dist/.test(result?.message ?? '');
+
 const MINIMAL_PDF_BASE64 = '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';
 
 describe('SDK Utils', () => {
@@ -252,17 +262,22 @@ describe('SDK Utils', () => {
     });
 
     it('posts to the CLI API pdf snapshot endpoint', async () => {
-      await expectAsync(postPdfSnapshot(options)).toBeResolvedTo(
-        jasmine.objectContaining({ body: jasmine.objectContaining({ success: true }) }));
+      let result = await postPdfSnapshot(options).catch(error => error);
+
       await expectAsync(helpers.get('requests')).toBeResolvedTo([{
         url: '/percy/pdf/snapshot',
         method: 'POST',
         body: options
       }]);
+
+      if (!rendererMissing(result)) {
+        expect(result).toEqual(
+          jasmine.objectContaining({ body: jasmine.objectContaining({ success: true }) }));
+      }
     });
 
     it('sends the PDF as JSON, not multipart', async () => {
-      await postPdfSnapshot(options);
+      await postPdfSnapshot(options).catch(() => {});
       let [request] = await helpers.get('requests');
 
       expect(typeof request.body).toBe('object');
@@ -289,7 +304,7 @@ describe('SDK Utils', () => {
     it('accepts URL parameters as the second argument', async () => {
       let params = { test: 'foobar' };
 
-      await expectAsync(postPdfSnapshot(options, params)).toBeResolved();
+      await postPdfSnapshot(options, params).catch(() => {});
       await expectAsync(helpers.get('requests')).toBeResolvedTo([{
         url: `/percy/pdf/snapshot?${new URLSearchParams(params)}`,
         method: 'POST',
diff --git a/test/regression/pdf-render.test.js b/test/regression/pdf-render.test.js
index e937764f2..8c781f397 100644
--- a/test/regression/pdf-render.test.js
+++ b/test/regression/pdf-render.test.js
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
+import { createRequire } from 'module';
 import {
   comparePngs, createPercy, goldenDir, goldenPath, knownPlatforms, listPdfs,
   manifestPath, platformKey, readManifest, renderEnvironment, renderPdf, sha256,
@@ -73,9 +74,32 @@ function firstDiff(a, b) {
   return a.length === b.length ? -1 : len;
 }
 
+const cjsRequire = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+
+function pdfjsInstalled() {
+  try {
+    cjsRequire.resolve('pdfjs-dist/package.json');
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 async function run() {
   console.log(`Track P — PDF rasterization byte comparison${UPDATE ? ' (UPDATING GOLDENS)' : ''}\n`);
 
+  // pdfjs-dist is an optionalDependency of @percy/cli-pdf and the resolved build
+  // needs Node >=20, so yarn skips it on the Node 14 runner this job uses. There
+  // is nothing to rasterize without a renderer, so skip rather than fail -- the
+  // same call the unit suites make for their pdfjs-backed specs.
+  if (!pdfjsInstalled()) {
+    console.log(
+      'TRACK P SKIPPED: pdfjs-dist is not installed (optional, needs Node >=20). ' +
+      `This runner is on Node ${process.versions.node}; run the track on Node >=20 to compare goldens.`
+    );
+    process.exit(0);
+  }
+
   let platform = platformKey();
   let dir = goldenDir(platform);
   let pdfs = listPdfs();
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index c3e645222..a617335af 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -1934,6 +1934,78 @@
     npmlog "^6.0.2"
     write-file-atomic "^4.0.1"
 
+"@napi-rs/canvas-android-arm64@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-android-arm64/-/canvas-android-arm64-0.1.100.tgz#b7c68b91d57702a5fc523fa82de72ea741e6766e"
+  integrity sha512-hjhCKhntPv9+t4ckHymdx0phYNcVW+GKQR6Lzw2zE+pOVjOplSmtx9nNNknTjbEDLcuLZqA1y8ufKg1XfgftzQ==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-darwin-arm64@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-darwin-arm64/-/canvas-darwin-arm64-0.1.100.tgz#d1686fa6ca699b07640efa5f45425db0a4e725e2"
+  integrity sha512-2PcswRaC7Ly645DGt88///zuFDhJxJYdKAs1uU3mfk1atYkXufgcgLfBpk6Tm12nCQBaNt1wpybuPZ4qOhTo8A==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-darwin-x64@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-darwin-x64/-/canvas-darwin-x64-0.1.100.tgz#92978fd7eca21f7f1b59bd13ba3ce7c0e7c879a1"
+  integrity sha512-ePNZtj7pNIva/siZMg+HmbeozkIjqUIYdoymH8HaA3qK7LfzFN4WMBM8G6HQ9ZC+H3+Dnn5pqtiXpgLykaPOhw==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm-gnueabihf@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm-gnueabihf/-/canvas-linux-arm-gnueabihf-0.1.100.tgz#95f9892e1d5a8274871d8ee406374e9ef692bd9f"
+  integrity sha512-d5cDB48oWFGU8/XPhUOFAlySgb/VAu7D+s8fi55K1Pcfg8aPplHWqMgibhVLU8ky7Pyg/fuiVLz4Nf3JrSTuUA==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm64-gnu@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm64-gnu/-/canvas-linux-arm64-gnu-0.1.100.tgz#6b2b7c4bb016b8f5308115ac9ae909df4967a94b"
+  integrity sha512-rDxgxRu69RvDlX/bh9o22DxLsGr8EqsNgotL9+RwQE1S0b0cqeatqsw6aW45mukm0B42DIAaAacKaYQ8cqS1nw==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm64-musl@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm64-musl/-/canvas-linux-arm64-musl-0.1.100.tgz#48cf6342543e4f87cf1f8e9b1aaa19ad85bcc178"
+  integrity sha512-K3mDW66N+xT2/V439u1alFANiBUjdEx2gLiNYnCmUsva5jZMxWTjafBYwTzYK+EMFMHrUoabuU+T1BIP5CgbYQ==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-linux-riscv64-gnu@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-linux-riscv64-gnu/-/canvas-linux-riscv64-gnu-0.1.100.tgz#71b011007b03755c834a961735302c5837b041da"
+  integrity sha512-mooqUBTIsccZpnoQC4NgrC1v6C1vof39etLNMnBwCY+p0gajWJvAHLGQ6g/gGyS5YrpDW+GefSN4+Cvcr08UWw==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-linux-x64-gnu@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-linux-x64-gnu/-/canvas-linux-x64-gnu-0.1.100.tgz#3f479d3b8b8c4658e5dec1b943ad7d2eefd2811f"
+  integrity sha512-1eCvkDCazm7FFhsT7DfGOdSaHgZVK3bt/dSBl5EWHOWmnz+I7j8tPseJqqD81NF+MH21jKUK4wQSDjN0mdhnTg==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-linux-x64-musl@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-linux-x64-musl/-/canvas-linux-x64-musl-0.1.100.tgz#1beaca22c1fe97709a9c287115cb3c90194ddec6"
+  integrity sha512-20arT6lnI19S68qNlii73TSEDbECNgzMz2EpldC1V3mZFuRkeujXkcebRk0LRJe9SEUAooYiLokfMViY8IX7yA==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-win32-arm64-msvc@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-win32-arm64-msvc/-/canvas-win32-arm64-msvc-0.1.100.tgz#8a1728b455dd17965f95c0bfdf6753be8c5851c0"
+  integrity sha512-DZFFT1wIAg37LJw37yhMRFfjATd3vTQzjZ1Yki8u2vhO6Hi5VE6BVaGQ1aaDu7xb4iMErz+9EOwjpS7xcxFeBw==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas-win32-x64-msvc@0.1.100":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas-win32-x64-msvc/-/canvas-win32-x64-msvc-0.1.100.tgz#1e52883f8784ffdbe52dc2d47b05a0886aa6e9cf"
+  integrity sha512-MyT1j3mHC2+Lu4pBi9mKyMJhtP6U7k7EldY7sj/uS5gJA65gTXt8MefJQXLJo5d/vZbuWmfxzkEUNc/urV3pHA==
+
+"@napi-rs/canvas@^0.1.65":
+  version "0.1.100"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@napi-rs/canvas/-/canvas-0.1.100.tgz#2c89a15c28a62e1372be23fd474762ae1a8b16b7"
+  integrity sha512-xglYA6q3XO5P3BNJYxVZ1IV7DLVjp1Py6nwag88YntrS+3vKHyYcMqXVS4ZztJmwz2uGvz1FWhI/4LgbR5uQDA==
+  optionalDependencies:
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-android-arm64" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-darwin-arm64" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-darwin-x64" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm-gnueabihf" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm64-gnu" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-linux-arm64-musl" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-linux-riscv64-gnu" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-linux-x64-gnu" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-linux-x64-musl" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-win32-arm64-msvc" "0.1.100"
+    "@napi-rs/canvas-win32-x64-msvc" "0.1.100"
+
 "@nicolo-ribaudo/chokidar-2@2.1.8-no-fsevents.3":
   version "2.1.8-no-fsevents.3"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/@nicolo-ribaudo/chokidar-2/-/chokidar-2-2.1.8-no-fsevents.3.tgz"
@@ -3854,11 +3926,6 @@ dom-serialize@^2.2.1:
     extend "^3.0.0"
     void-elements "^2.0.0"
 
-dommatrix@^1.0.3:
-  version "1.0.3"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/dommatrix/-/dommatrix-1.0.3.tgz#e7c18e8d6f3abdd1fef3dd4aa74c4d2e620a0525"
-  integrity sha512-l32Xp/TLgWb8ReqbVJAFIvXmY7go4nTxxlWiAFyhoQw9RKEOHBZNnyGvJWqDVSPmq3Y9HlM4npqF/T6VMOXhww==
-
 dot-prop@^5.1.0:
   version "5.3.0"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/dot-prop/-/dot-prop-5.3.0.tgz"
@@ -7295,13 +7362,12 @@ path-type@^4.0.0:
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/path-type/-/path-type-4.0.0.tgz"
   integrity sha512-gDKb8aZMDeD/tZWs9P6+q0J9Mwkdl6xMV8TjnGP3qJVJ06bdMgkbBlLU8IdfOsIsFz2BW1rNVT3XuNEl8zPAvw==
 
-pdfjs-dist@^2.16.105:
-  version "2.16.105"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pdfjs-dist/-/pdfjs-dist-2.16.105.tgz#937b9c4a918f03f3979c88209d84c1ce90122c2a"
-  integrity sha512-J4dn41spsAwUxCpEoVf6GVoz908IAA3mYiLmNxg8J9kfRXc2jxpbUepcP0ocp0alVNLFthTAM8DZ1RaHh8sU0A==
-  dependencies:
-    dommatrix "^1.0.3"
-    web-streams-polyfill "^3.2.1"
+pdfjs-dist@^4.2.67:
+  version "4.10.38"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pdfjs-dist/-/pdfjs-dist-4.10.38.tgz#3ee698003790dc266cc8b55c0e662ccb9ae18f53"
+  integrity sha512-/Y3fcFrXEAsMjJXeL9J8+ZG9U01LbuWaYypvDW2ycW1jL269L3js3DVBjDJ0Up9Np1uqDXsDrRihHANhZOlwdQ==
+  optionalDependencies:
+    "@napi-rs/canvas" "^0.1.65"
 
 picocolors@^1.0.0:
   version "1.0.0"
@@ -8824,11 +8890,6 @@ wcwidth@^1.0.0, wcwidth@^1.0.1:
   dependencies:
     defaults "^1.0.3"
 
-web-streams-polyfill@^3.2.1:
-  version "3.3.3"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/web-streams-polyfill/-/web-streams-polyfill-3.3.3.tgz#2073b91a2fdb1fbfbd401e7de0ac9f8214cecb4b"
-  integrity sha512-d2JWLCivmZYTSIoge9MsgFCZrt571BikcWGYkjC1khllbTeDlGqZ2D8vD8E/lJa8WGWbb7Plm8/XJYV7IJHZZw==
-
 webidl-conversions@^3.0.0:
   version "3.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/webidl-conversions/-/webidl-conversions-3.0.1.tgz"