diff --git a/doc/changes/doc/mr.2300.md b/doc/changes/doc/mr.2300.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6f9e94f7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/changes/doc/mr.2300.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Illustrate various control flows for swapchain image allocation, including interaction with IPC.
diff --git a/doc/ipc-design.md b/doc/ipc-design.md
index 203ffa80c..2e011ec2c 100644
--- a/doc/ipc-design.md
+++ b/doc/ipc-design.md
@@ -222,7 +222,8 @@ quotas and limits on allocation, etc, the client side allocates the buffer using
a @ref xrt_image_native_allocator (aka XINA) and shares it to the server. When
using D3D11 or D3D12 on Windows, buffers are allocated by the client compositor
and imported into the native compositor, because Vulkan can import buffers from
-D3D, but D3D cannot import buffers allocated by Vulkan.
+D3D, but D3D cannot import buffers allocated by Vulkan. See @ref swapchains-ipc
+for details.
[SCM_RIGHTS]: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man3/cmsg.3.html
[win32handles]: https://lackingrhoticity.blogspot.com/2015/05/passing-fds-handles-between-processes.html
diff --git a/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_inproc.mmd b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_inproc.mmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..651f704f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_inproc.mmd
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+%% Copyright 2024, Collabora, Ltd. and the Monado contributors
+%% SPDX-License-Identifier: BSL-1.0
+
+%% Simple in-process case
+sequenceDiagram
+ participant app
+ participant cc as client compositor
+ participant native_comp as xrt_compositor_native
+
+
+ app->>+cc: xrCreateSwapchain
+ cc->>+native_comp: xrt_comp_create_swapchain
+ native_comp->>-cc: xrt_swapchain impl
+ Note over cc: Keep reference to inner xrt_swapchain in
the object we create
+ Note over cc: Import handles from
inner xrt_swapchain into client API
+ cc->>-app: return swapchain
diff --git a/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc.mmd b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc.mmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fffef675a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc.mmd
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+%% Copyright 2024, Collabora, Ltd. and the Monado contributors
+%% SPDX-License-Identifier: BSL-1.0
+
+%% Out of process, typical behavior (server-side allocation)
+sequenceDiagram
+ box Client Process
+ participant app
+ participant cc as client compositor
+ participant client_native as client process
native compositor
(IPC Stub)
+ end
+ box Server Process
+ participant server_ipc_handler as Server IPC handler
+ participant server_comp as Server xrt_compositor_native
+ end
+
+ app->>+cc: xrCreateSwapchain
+ cc->>+client_native: xrt_comp_create_swapchain
+ client_native->>+server_ipc_handler: xrt_comp_create_swapchain
(IPC call)
+ server_ipc_handler->>+server_comp: xrt_comp_create_swapchain
+ server_comp->>-server_ipc_handler: xrt_swapchain impl
+ server_ipc_handler->>-client_native: swapchain ID and
image handles
(over IPC)
+ client_native->>-cc: return ipc_swapchain
as inner xrt_swapchain
+ Note over cc: Keep reference to inner xrt_swapchain in
the object we create
+ Note over cc: Import handles from
inner xrt_swapchain into client API
+ cc->>-app: return swapchain
diff --git a/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc_d3d.mmd b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc_d3d.mmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cb6b26e36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc_d3d.mmd
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+%% Copyright 2024, Collabora, Ltd. and the Monado contributors
+%% SPDX-License-Identifier: BSL-1.0
+
+%% Out of process, D3D client API
+sequenceDiagram
+ box Client Process
+ participant app
+ participant cc as D3D client compositor
+ participant client_native as client process
native compositor
(IPC Stub)
+ end
+ box Server Process
+ participant server_ipc_handler as Server IPC handler
+ participant server_comp as Server xrt_compositor_native
+ end
+
+ app->>+cc: xrCreateSwapchain
+ Note over cc: create images
(because d3d cannot reliably import from Vulkan)
+ Note over cc: export images to handles
+ Note over cc: import handles to images for app
+ cc->>+client_native: xrt_comp_import_swapchain(xrt_image_native[])
(import handles into xrt_swapchain_native)
+ client_native->>+server_ipc_handler: swapchain_import
(IPC call, copies handles)
+ server_ipc_handler->>+server_comp: xrt_comp_import_swapchain(xrt_image_native[])
+ server_comp->>-server_ipc_handler: xrt_swapchain impl
+ server_ipc_handler->>-client_native: swapchain ID (over IPC)
+ client_native->>-cc: return ipc_swapchain
as inner xrt_swapchain
+ Note over cc: Keep reference to inner xrt_swapchain in
the object we create
+ cc->>-app: return swapchain
diff --git a/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc_xina.mmd b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc_xina.mmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..32e0f6044
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/mermaid/swapchain_allocation_ipc_xina.mmd
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+%% Copyright 2024, Collabora, Ltd. and the Monado contributors
+%% SPDX-License-Identifier: BSL-1.0
+
+%% Out of process, with a "xina" in the IPC client (currently only android with AHB)
+sequenceDiagram
+ box Client Process
+ participant app
+ participant cc as client compositor
+ participant client_native as client process
native compositor
(IPC Stub)
+ participant xina as xrt_image_native_allocator
+ end
+ box Server Process
+ participant server_ipc_handler as Server IPC handler
+ participant server_comp as Server xrt_compositor_native
+ end
+
+ app->>+cc: xrCreateSwapchain
+ cc->>+client_native: xrt_comp_create_swapchain
+ client_native->>+xina: create native images
+ xina->>-client_native: collection of
native image handles
+ client_native->>+server_ipc_handler: swapchain_import
(IPC call, passing handles)
+ server_ipc_handler->>+server_comp: xrt_comp_import_swapchain
+ server_comp->>-server_ipc_handler: xrt_swapchain impl
+ server_ipc_handler->>-client_native: swapchain ID
(over IPC)
+ client_native->>-cc: return ipc_swapchain
(handles allocated in client process)
as inner xrt_swapchain
+ Note over cc: Keep reference to inner xrt_swapchain in
the object we create
+ Note over cc: Import handles from
inner xrt_swapchain into client API
+ cc->>-app: return swapchain
diff --git a/doc/swapchains-ipc.md b/doc/swapchains-ipc.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f61460f5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/swapchains-ipc.md
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Swapchain Allocation and IPC {#swapchains-ipc}
+
+
+
+The control flow in Monado for allocating the images/buffers used for a given
+@ref XrSwapchain can vary widely based on a number of factors.
+
+## Simple in-process
+
+In the minimal case, which is not common for widespread deployment but which is
+useful for debugging, there is only a single process, with the entire runtime
+loaded into the "client" application. Despite the absence of IPC in this
+scenario, the same basic flow and interaction applies: images are conveyed using
+system ("native") handles.
+
+@mermaid{swapchain_allocation_inproc}
+
+The control flow makes its way to the main compositor, which, in default
+implementations, uses Vulkan to allocate exportable images.
+
+## Simple out-of-process
+
+The usual model on desktop is that the images for a given @ref XrSwapchain are
+allocated in the service, as shown below.
+
+@mermaid{swapchain_allocation_ipc}
+
+However, there are two additional paths possible.
+
+## Client-side Allocation with XINA (Out-of-process)
+
+In some builds, a "XINA" (like the warrior princess) is used: @ref
+xrt_image_native_allocator. This allocates the "native" (system handle) images
+within the client process, in a central location. Currently only Android builds
+using AHardwareBuffer use this model, but ideally we would probably move toward
+this model for all systems. The main advantage is that the swapchain images are
+allocated in the application process and thus counted against application
+quotas, rather than the service/runtime quotas, avoiding security, privacy, and
+denial-of-service risks.
+
+@mermaid{swapchain_allocation_ipc_xina}
+
+Generally a XINA used in this way is intended for client-process allocation.
+However, there is an implementation (disabled by default) of a "loopback XINA"
+in the IPC client, which implements the XINA API using the IPC interface. So
+using a XINA in that case would not result in client-process image allocation.
+
+## Allocation for D3D client apps (Out-of-process)
+
+Direct3D cannot reliably and portably import images allocated in Vulkan. So, if
+an application uses Direct3D, the D3D client compositor does the allocation, on
+the client side, as shown below. The example shown is out-of-process.
+
+@mermaid{swapchain_allocation_ipc_d3d}
+
+Note that this pattern is used even when running in-process with D3D, the result
+is a hybrid of this diagram and the first (in-process) diagram, dropping the
+client process native compositor and server IPC handler from the diagram.