diff --git a/include/types/wlr_buffer.h b/include/types/wlr_buffer.h
index bdb6e5b7..e7097ae2 100644
--- a/include/types/wlr_buffer.h
+++ b/include/types/wlr_buffer.h
@@ -69,4 +69,13 @@ struct wlr_dmabuf_buffer *dmabuf_buffer_create(
  */
 bool dmabuf_buffer_drop(struct wlr_dmabuf_buffer *buffer);
 
+/**
+ * Check whether a buffer is fully opaque.
+ *
+ * When true is returned, the buffer is guaranteed to be fully opaque, but the
+ * reverse is not true: false may be returned in cases where the buffer is fully
+ * opaque.
+ */
+bool buffer_is_opaque(struct wlr_buffer *buffer);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/include/wlr/render/interface.h b/include/wlr/render/interface.h
index 4207bd30..7e923353 100644
--- a/include/wlr/render/interface.h
+++ b/include/wlr/render/interface.h
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ void wlr_renderer_init(struct wlr_renderer *renderer,
 	const struct wlr_renderer_impl *impl);
 
 struct wlr_texture_impl {
-	bool (*is_opaque)(struct wlr_texture *texture);
 	bool (*write_pixels)(struct wlr_texture *texture,
 		uint32_t stride, uint32_t width, uint32_t height,
 		uint32_t src_x, uint32_t src_y, uint32_t dst_x, uint32_t dst_y,
diff --git a/include/wlr/render/wlr_texture.h b/include/wlr/render/wlr_texture.h
index 93fc221c..0f39b8a8 100644
--- a/include/wlr/render/wlr_texture.h
+++ b/include/wlr/render/wlr_texture.h
@@ -36,11 +36,6 @@ struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture_from_pixels(struct wlr_renderer *renderer,
 struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture_from_dmabuf(struct wlr_renderer *renderer,
 	struct wlr_dmabuf_attributes *attribs);
 
-/**
- * Returns true if this texture is using a fully opaque format.
- */
-bool wlr_texture_is_opaque(struct wlr_texture *texture);
-
 /**
   * Update a texture with raw pixels. The texture must be mutable, and the input
   * data must have the same pixel format that the texture was created with.
diff --git a/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h b/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
index bff6bc83..034b075b 100644
--- a/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
+++ b/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ struct wlr_surface {
 		int width, height;
 		int buffer_width, buffer_height;
 	} previous;
+
+	bool opaque;
 };
 
 struct wlr_renderer;
diff --git a/render/gles2/texture.c b/render/gles2/texture.c
index 57420744..d794e436 100644
--- a/render/gles2/texture.c
+++ b/render/gles2/texture.c
@@ -29,11 +29,6 @@ struct wlr_gles2_texture *gles2_get_texture(
 	return (struct wlr_gles2_texture *)wlr_texture;
 }
 
-static bool gles2_texture_is_opaque(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
-	struct wlr_gles2_texture *texture = gles2_get_texture(wlr_texture);
-	return !texture->has_alpha;
-}
-
 static bool check_stride(const struct wlr_pixel_format_info *fmt,
 		uint32_t stride, uint32_t width) {
 	if (stride % (fmt->bpp / 8) != 0) {
@@ -161,7 +156,6 @@ static void gles2_texture_unref(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
 }
 
 static const struct wlr_texture_impl texture_impl = {
-	.is_opaque = gles2_texture_is_opaque,
 	.write_pixels = gles2_texture_write_pixels,
 	.destroy = gles2_texture_unref,
 };
diff --git a/render/pixman/renderer.c b/render/pixman/renderer.c
index 13db0880..2853b704 100644
--- a/render/pixman/renderer.c
+++ b/render/pixman/renderer.c
@@ -46,11 +46,6 @@ static struct wlr_pixman_texture *get_texture(
 	return (struct wlr_pixman_texture *)wlr_texture;
 }
 
-static bool texture_is_opaque(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
-	struct wlr_pixman_texture *texture = get_texture(wlr_texture);
-	return !texture->format_info->has_alpha;
-}
-
 static void texture_destroy(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
 	struct wlr_pixman_texture *texture = get_texture(wlr_texture);
 	wl_list_remove(&texture->link);
@@ -61,7 +56,6 @@ static void texture_destroy(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
 }
 
 static const struct wlr_texture_impl texture_impl = {
-	.is_opaque = texture_is_opaque,
 	.destroy = texture_destroy,
 };
 
diff --git a/render/vulkan/texture.c b/render/vulkan/texture.c
index 26af9867..35b9562e 100644
--- a/render/vulkan/texture.c
+++ b/render/vulkan/texture.c
@@ -33,14 +33,6 @@ static VkImageAspectFlagBits mem_plane_aspect(unsigned i) {
 	}
 }
 
-static bool vulkan_texture_is_opaque(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
-	struct wlr_vk_texture *texture = vulkan_get_texture(wlr_texture);
-	const struct wlr_pixel_format_info *format_info = drm_get_pixel_format_info(
-			texture->format->drm_format);
-	assert(format_info);
-	return !format_info->has_alpha;
-}
-
 // Will transition the texture to shaderReadOnlyOptimal layout for reading
 // from fragment shader later on
 static bool write_pixels(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture,
@@ -199,7 +191,6 @@ static void vulkan_texture_unref(struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture) {
 }
 
 static const struct wlr_texture_impl texture_impl = {
-	.is_opaque = vulkan_texture_is_opaque,
 	.write_pixels = vulkan_texture_write_pixels,
 	.destroy = vulkan_texture_unref,
 };
diff --git a/render/wlr_texture.c b/render/wlr_texture.c
index 36cbf136..fa864d02 100644
--- a/render/wlr_texture.c
+++ b/render/wlr_texture.c
@@ -71,13 +71,6 @@ struct wlr_texture *wlr_texture_from_buffer(struct wlr_renderer *renderer,
 	return renderer->impl->texture_from_buffer(renderer, buffer);
 }
 
-bool wlr_texture_is_opaque(struct wlr_texture *texture) {
-	if (!texture->impl->is_opaque) {
-		return false;
-	}
-	return texture->impl->is_opaque(texture);
-}
-
 bool wlr_texture_write_pixels(struct wlr_texture *texture,
 		uint32_t stride, uint32_t width, uint32_t height,
 		uint32_t src_x, uint32_t src_y, uint32_t dst_x, uint32_t dst_y,
diff --git a/types/wlr_buffer.c b/types/wlr_buffer.c
index 96e508b2..49e205f3 100644
--- a/types/wlr_buffer.c
+++ b/types/wlr_buffer.c
@@ -237,6 +237,32 @@ struct wlr_buffer *wlr_buffer_from_resource(struct wl_resource *resource) {
 	return buffer;
 }
 
+bool buffer_is_opaque(struct wlr_buffer *buffer) {
+	void *data;
+	uint32_t format;
+	size_t stride;
+	struct wlr_dmabuf_attributes dmabuf;
+	struct wlr_shm_attributes shm;
+	if (wlr_buffer_get_dmabuf(buffer, &dmabuf)) {
+		format = dmabuf.format;
+	} else if (wlr_buffer_get_shm(buffer, &shm)) {
+		format = shm.format;
+	} else if (wlr_buffer_begin_data_ptr_access(buffer,
+			WLR_BUFFER_DATA_PTR_ACCESS_READ, &data, &format, &stride)) {
+		wlr_buffer_end_data_ptr_access(buffer);
+	} else {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const struct wlr_pixel_format_info *format_info =
+		drm_get_pixel_format_info(format);
+	if (format_info == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	return !format_info->has_alpha;
+}
+
 struct wlr_client_buffer *wlr_client_buffer_create(struct wlr_buffer *buffer,
 		struct wlr_renderer *renderer) {
 	struct wlr_texture *texture = wlr_texture_from_buffer(renderer, buffer);
diff --git a/types/wlr_compositor.c b/types/wlr_compositor.c
index 8b84a643..c1cdc3b0 100644
--- a/types/wlr_compositor.c
+++ b/types/wlr_compositor.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include <wlr/types/wlr_output.h>
 #include <wlr/util/log.h>
 #include <wlr/util/region.h>
+#include "types/wlr_buffer.h"
 #include "types/wlr_region.h"
 #include "util/signal.h"
 #include "util/time.h"
@@ -336,9 +337,12 @@ static void surface_apply_damage(struct wlr_surface *surface) {
 			wlr_buffer_unlock(&surface->buffer->base);
 		}
 		surface->buffer = NULL;
+		surface->opaque = false;
 		return;
 	}
 
+	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)) {
@@ -372,7 +376,7 @@ static void surface_update_opaque_region(struct wlr_surface *surface) {
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (wlr_texture_is_opaque(texture)) {
+	if (surface->opaque) {
 		pixman_region32_init_rect(&surface->opaque_region,
 			0, 0, surface->current.width, surface->current.height);
 		return;