diff --git a/docs/generate-datasette-modal-example.sh b/docs/generate-datasette-modal-example.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..4fedf8b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/generate-datasette-modal-example.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Recreate docs/datasette-modal-example.png
+#
+# Takes a screenshot of the <datasette-modal> example plugin from the
+# "Modal dialogs" section of docs/javascript_plugins.rst, running against
+# a temporary Datasette instance that this script starts and stops.
+#
+# Requirements:
+# - datasette importable by $PYTHON (e.g. "pip install -e ." in this repo)
+# - uv, for "uvx shot-scraper" and the Pillow-based PNG quantization step
+#   (shot-scraper needs a Playwright browser: "uvx shot-scraper install")
+#
+# Environment variable overrides:
+#   PYTHON        Python command (default: python3)
+#   SHOT_SCRAPER  shot-scraper command (default: uvx shot-scraper)
+#   PORT          port for the temporary server (default: 8574)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+read -r -a PYTHON_CMD <<< "${PYTHON:-python3}"
+read -r -a SHOT_SCRAPER_CMD <<< "${SHOT_SCRAPER:-uvx shot-scraper}"
+PORT="${PORT:-8574}"
+
+docs_dir="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+output="$docs_dir/datasette-modal-example.png"
+
+tmp_dir=$(mktemp -d)
+server_pid=""
+
+cleanup() {
+  if [ -n "$server_pid" ]; then
+    kill "$server_pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+  rm -rf "$tmp_dir"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+# A small demo database for the page shown behind the dialog
+"${PYTHON_CMD[@]}" - "$tmp_dir/demo.db" <<'EOF'
+import sqlite3
+import sys
+
+conn = sqlite3.connect(sys.argv[1])
+conn.executescript(
+    """
+create table plugins (id integer primary key, name text, description text);
+insert into plugins (name, description) values
+  ('datasette-cluster-map', 'Renders a map of geographic data'),
+  ('datasette-vega', 'Visualize data with Vega charts'),
+  ('datasette-graphql', 'GraphQL endpoint for Datasette');
+"""
+)
+conn.commit()
+EOF
+
+# The example plugin code from the "Modal dialogs" section of
+# docs/javascript_plugins.rst, injected via extra_body_script()
+mkdir "$tmp_dir/plugins"
+cat > "$tmp_dir/plugins/modal_example.py" <<'EOF'
+from datasette import hookimpl
+
+
+@hookimpl
+def extra_body_script():
+    return {
+        "script": """
+document.addEventListener("datasette_init", function (event) {
+  const manager = event.detail;
+  const modal = manager.createModal({
+    id: "my-plugin-dialog",
+    className: "my-plugin-dialog",
+    title: "My plugin",
+    content: `
+      <p style="padding: 16px 24px">Hello from a plugin!</p>
+      <div class="modal-footer">
+        <span class="footer-info"></span>
+        <button type="button" class="btn btn-ghost my-plugin-cancel">Cancel</button>
+        <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary my-plugin-save">Save</button>
+      </div>
+    `,
+  });
+  if (!modal) {
+    return; // Browser does not support <dialog>
+  }
+  modal.dialog
+    .querySelector(".my-plugin-cancel")
+    .addEventListener("click", () => modal.requestClose("cancel"));
+  // Open it later, for example from a button click:
+  // modal.showModal({trigger: button});
+});
+"""
+    }
+EOF
+
+"${PYTHON_CMD[@]}" -m datasette "$tmp_dir/demo.db" \
+  --plugins-dir "$tmp_dir/plugins" --port "$PORT" &
+server_pid=$!
+
+# Wait for the server to start responding
+for _ in $(seq 1 50); do
+  if curl -s -o /dev/null "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/"; then
+    break
+  fi
+  sleep 0.2
+done
+
+# Open the modal with animations disabled, blur the auto-focused Cancel
+# button so no focus ring appears, then take a retina viewport shot
+"${SHOT_SCRAPER_CMD[@]}" shot "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/demo/plugins" \
+  --javascript '
+    new Promise((resolve) => {
+      const style = document.createElement("style");
+      style.textContent =
+        "dialog, dialog::backdrop { animation: none !important; }";
+      document.head.appendChild(style);
+      const modal = document
+        .getElementById("my-plugin-dialog")
+        .closest("datasette-modal");
+      modal.showModal();
+      if (document.activeElement) {
+        document.activeElement.blur();
+      }
+      setTimeout(resolve, 500);
+    })' \
+  --width 760 --height 460 --retina \
+  --output "$tmp_dir/shot.png" --silent
+
+kill "$server_pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+wait "$server_pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+server_pid=""
+
+# Quantize to an 8-bit palette PNG to roughly halve the file size
+cat > "$tmp_dir/quantize.py" <<'EOF'
+import sys
+
+from PIL import Image
+
+img = Image.open(sys.argv[1]).convert("RGB")
+img.quantize(
+    colors=256,
+    method=Image.Quantize.MEDIANCUT,
+    dither=Image.Dither.FLOYDSTEINBERG,
+).save(sys.argv[2], optimize=True)
+EOF
+uv run --no-project --with pillow python \
+  "$tmp_dir/quantize.py" "$tmp_dir/shot.png" "$output"
+
+echo "Wrote $output"
diff --git a/docs/javascript_plugins.rst b/docs/javascript_plugins.rst
index 607c9f59..ce285538 100644
--- a/docs/javascript_plugins.rst
+++ b/docs/javascript_plugins.rst
@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ The simplest way to create a modal from a plugin is ``datasetteManager.createMod
 
 Calling ``modal.showModal()`` then displays the dialog:
 
+.. Regenerate this screenshot with docs/generate-datasette-modal-example.sh
+
 .. image:: datasette-modal-example.png
    :alt: A modal dialog titled "My plugin" containing the text "Hello from a plugin!" and Cancel and Save buttons, shown over a dimmed and blurred Datasette table page.
    :width: 550px