diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 6b444ef213..de01fcdd37 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -344,6 +344,23 @@ jobs:
             echo "no fail-fast error for PUID with a read-only rootfs"; docker logs frigate-ro-puid; exit 1
           fi
           docker rm -f frigate-ro-puid
+      - name: Assert EXTRA_GROUPS with read-only fails fast with clear error
+        run: |
+          docker run -d --name frigate-ro-groups --shm-size 256m \
+            --read-only --tmpfs /tmp:rw,size=1g --tmpfs /run:exec,mode=0755 \
+            -e EXTRA_GROUPS=44 \
+            -v /tmp/frigate-config-ro:/config \
+            -v /tmp/frigate-media-ro:/media/frigate \
+            ${{ steps.setup.outputs.image-name }}-amd64
+          found=0
+          for i in $(seq 1 12); do
+            if docker logs frigate-ro-groups 2>&1 | grep -q "EXTRA_GROUPS needs a writable /etc"; then found=1; break; fi
+            sleep 5
+          done
+          if [ "$found" -ne 1 ]; then
+            echo "no fail-fast error for EXTRA_GROUPS with a read-only rootfs"; docker logs frigate-ro-groups; exit 1
+          fi
+          docker rm -f frigate-ro-groups
       - name: Teardown
         if: always()
         run: docker rm -f frigate || true
diff --git a/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-usermod/run b/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-usermod/run
index ab93a6c9de..489aa6c664 100755
--- a/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-usermod/run
+++ b/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-usermod/run
@@ -79,6 +79,15 @@ fi
 
 # EXTRA_GROUPS: numeric host GIDs granting device access (e.g. host render/video)
 if [[ -n "${EXTRA_GROUPS:-}" ]]; then
+    # groupadd and usermod -aG both write /etc/group. Checked up front so a
+    # read-only rootfs reports the real problem instead of dying mid-loop.
+    if [[ ! -w /etc/group ]]; then
+        echo "[ERROR] EXTRA_GROUPS needs a writable /etc and is not compatible with read_only: true." >&2
+        echo "[ERROR] Use docker's group_add: with the same GIDs instead; it needs no writes inside the container." >&2
+        echo "[ERROR] See https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/non_root for the compatibility matrix." >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
     for gid in ${EXTRA_GROUPS//,/ }; do
         if ! [[ "$gid" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || [[ "$gid" -eq 0 ]]; then
             echo "[ERROR] EXTRA_GROUPS must be nonzero numeric GIDs, got '${gid}'" >&2
diff --git a/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/prepare/run b/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/prepare/run
index 343b2e1082..533133ed38 100755
--- a/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/prepare/run
+++ b/docker/main/rootfs/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/prepare/run
@@ -189,7 +189,14 @@ fi
 # Must stay after the sweep, which reads an absent /media/frigate as an
 # unmounted volume rather than a swept one
 if [[ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 && ! -d /media/frigate ]]; then
-    mkdir -p /media/frigate
+    # The image does not ship this directory, so on a read-only rootfs it can
+    # only come from a mount. Report that rather than failing under errexit.
+    if ! mkdir -p /media/frigate 2>/dev/null; then
+        echo "[ERROR] /media/frigate does not exist and could not be created, which is what happens with read_only: true and no recordings volume." >&2
+        echo "[ERROR] Mount a volume at /media/frigate." >&2
+        echo "[ERROR] See https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/non_root for the compatibility matrix." >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
     if [[ "${FRIGATE_RUN_AS_ROOT:-false}" != "true" ]]; then
         chown "${PUID:-1000}:${PGID:-1000}" /media/frigate
     fi
diff --git a/docs/docs/configuration/non_root.md b/docs/docs/configuration/non_root.md
index a45b66680d..b1053a7746 100644
--- a/docs/docs/configuration/non_root.md
+++ b/docs/docs/configuration/non_root.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Most upgrades need nothing. Frigate aligns your volume ownership on the first bo
 | Root (escape hatch) | `FRIGATE_RUN_AS_ROOT=true`      | Never touched                                          | Not supported     |
 | Granular root       | `FRIGATE_ROOT_SERVICES=frigate` | Aligned at boot; recordings and exports also at create | Not supported     |
 
-`PUID`/`PGID` remapping runs `usermod` at startup, which writes to `/etc/passwd`, so it can't work with a read-only root filesystem. That combination stops at startup with a message pointing here. Docker's `user:` mode has no such startup work, which is why it's the one mode that supports `read_only: true`; see [Hardened deployment](#hardened-deployment).
+`PUID`/`PGID` remapping runs `usermod` at startup, which writes to `/etc/passwd`, so it can't work with a read-only root filesystem. That combination stops at startup with a message pointing here. `EXTRA_GROUPS` writes to `/etc/group` and stops the same way; use Docker's `group_add:` instead, which needs no writes inside the container. Docker's `user:` mode has no such startup work, which is why it's the one mode that supports `read_only: true`; see [Hardened deployment](#hardened-deployment).
 
 `FRIGATE_RUN_AS_ROOT` is matched against the exact lowercase string `true`. `True`, `TRUE`, and `1` are all ignored. `FRIGATE_DEVICE_ACLS` works the same way: only the lowercase string `false` turns off the automatic device grants.