diff --git a/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h b/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
index 6ba8d8a07..6524aea25 100644
--- a/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
+++ b/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
@@ -239,6 +239,7 @@ struct wlr_surface {
 	// private state
 
 	struct wl_listener role_resource_destroy;
+	struct wl_listener current_buffer_release;
 
 	struct {
 		int32_t scale;
@@ -250,6 +251,7 @@ struct wlr_surface {
 	bool unmap_commit;
 
 	bool opaque;
+	bool consumed;
 
 	bool handling_commit;
 	bool pending_rejected;
diff --git a/types/wlr_compositor.c b/types/wlr_compositor.c
index 4b3e71554..24bdaa8fc 100644
--- a/types/wlr_compositor.c
+++ b/types/wlr_compositor.c
@@ -405,8 +405,12 @@ static void surface_state_move(struct wlr_surface_state *state,
 }
 
 static void surface_apply_damage(struct wlr_surface *surface) {
+	wl_list_remove(&surface->current_buffer_release.link);
+
 	if (surface->current.buffer == NULL) {
 		// NULL commit
+		wl_list_init(&surface->current_buffer_release.link);
+
 		if (surface->buffer != NULL) {
 			wlr_buffer_unlock(&surface->buffer->base);
 		}
@@ -415,13 +419,14 @@ static void surface_apply_damage(struct wlr_surface *surface) {
 		return;
 	}
 
+	wl_signal_add(&surface->current.buffer->events.release,
+		&surface->current_buffer_release);
+
 	surface->opaque = buffer_is_opaque(surface->current.buffer);
 
 	if (surface->buffer != NULL) {
 		if (wlr_client_buffer_apply_damage(surface->buffer,
 				surface->current.buffer, &surface->buffer_damage)) {
-			wlr_buffer_unlock(surface->current.buffer);
-			surface->current.buffer = NULL;
 			return;
 		}
 	}
@@ -508,10 +513,26 @@ error:
 	wl_resource_post_no_memory(surface->resource);
 }
 
+static void surface_clean_state(struct wlr_surface *surface) {
+	assert(surface->consumed);
+
+	wl_list_remove(&surface->current_buffer_release.link);
+	wl_list_init(&surface->current_buffer_release.link);
+	pixman_region32_clear(&surface->buffer_damage);
+	surface->current.buffer = NULL;
+	surface->consumed = false;
+}
+
 static void surface_commit_state(struct wlr_surface *surface,
 		struct wlr_surface_state *next) {
 	assert(next->cached_state_locks == 0);
 
+	// if the surface was consumed that means we don't own the current buffer
+	// anymore.
+	if (surface->consumed) {
+		surface_clean_state(surface);
+	}
+
 	bool invalid_buffer = next->committed & WLR_SURFACE_STATE_BUFFER;
 
 	if (invalid_buffer && next->buffer == NULL) {
@@ -562,10 +583,8 @@ static void surface_commit_state(struct wlr_surface *surface,
 	// Release the buffer after emitting the commit event, so that listeners can
 	// access it. Don't leave the buffer locked so that wl_shm buffers can be
 	// released immediately on commit when they are uploaded to the GPU.
+	surface->consumed = true;
 	wlr_buffer_unlock(surface->current.buffer);
-	surface->current.buffer = NULL;
-
-	pixman_region32_clear(&surface->buffer_damage);
 }
 
 static void surface_handle_commit(struct wl_client *client,
@@ -720,6 +739,10 @@ static void surface_destroy_role_object(struct wlr_surface *surface);
 static void surface_handle_resource_destroy(struct wl_resource *resource) {
 	struct wlr_surface *surface = wlr_surface_from_resource(resource);
 
+	if (surface->consumed) {
+		surface_clean_state(surface);
+	}
+
 	struct wlr_surface_output *surface_output, *surface_output_tmp;
 	wl_list_for_each_safe(surface_output, surface_output_tmp,
 			&surface->current_outputs, link) {
@@ -738,6 +761,7 @@ static void surface_handle_resource_destroy(struct wl_resource *resource) {
 		surface_state_destroy_cached(cached, surface);
 	}
 
+	wl_list_remove(&surface->current_buffer_release.link);
 	wl_list_remove(&surface->role_resource_destroy.link);
 
 	wl_list_remove(&surface->pending_buffer_resource_destroy.link);
@@ -753,6 +777,12 @@ static void surface_handle_resource_destroy(struct wl_resource *resource) {
 	free(surface);
 }
 
+static void surface_handle_current_buffer_release(struct wl_listener *listener,
+		void *data) {
+	struct wlr_surface *surface = wl_container_of(listener, surface, current_buffer_release);
+	surface_clean_state(surface);
+}
+
 static struct wlr_surface *surface_create(struct wl_client *client,
 		uint32_t version, uint32_t id, struct wlr_compositor *compositor) {
 	struct wlr_surface *surface = calloc(1, sizeof(*surface));
@@ -797,6 +827,9 @@ static struct wlr_surface *surface_create(struct wl_client *client,
 	surface->pending_buffer_resource_destroy.notify = pending_buffer_resource_handle_destroy;
 	wl_list_init(&surface->pending_buffer_resource_destroy.link);
 
+	surface->current_buffer_release.notify = surface_handle_current_buffer_release;
+	wl_list_init(&surface->current_buffer_release.link);
+
 	return surface;
 }