diff --git a/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h b/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
index 7c94123a..816ff713 100644
--- a/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
+++ b/include/wlr/types/wlr_compositor.h
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 
 struct wlr_surface;
 
-// TODO: expose subcompositor
+struct wlr_subcompositor {
+	struct wl_global *wl_global;
+	struct wl_list wl_resources;
+};
 
 struct wlr_compositor {
 	struct wl_global *wl_global;
@@ -14,6 +17,8 @@ struct wlr_compositor {
 	struct wlr_renderer *renderer;
 	struct wl_list surfaces;
 
+	struct wlr_subcompositor subcompositor;
+
 	struct wl_listener display_destroy;
 
 	struct {
diff --git a/types/wlr_compositor.c b/types/wlr_compositor.c
index 7e1897e3..57f3bd91 100644
--- a/types/wlr_compositor.c
+++ b/types/wlr_compositor.c
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@
 static const char *subsurface_role = "wl_subsurface";
 
 bool wlr_surface_is_subsurface(struct wlr_surface *surface) {
-	return strcmp(surface->role, subsurface_role) == 0;
+	return surface->role != NULL &&
+		strcmp(surface->role, subsurface_role) == 0;
 }
 
 struct wlr_subsurface *wlr_subsurface_from_surface(
@@ -19,9 +20,96 @@ struct wlr_subsurface *wlr_subsurface_from_surface(
 	return (struct wlr_subsurface *)surface->role_data;
 }
 
+static void subcompositor_handle_destroy(struct wl_client *client,
+		struct wl_resource *resource) {
+	wl_resource_destroy(resource);
+}
+
+static void subcompositor_handle_get_subsurface(struct wl_client *client,
+		struct wl_resource *resource, uint32_t id,
+		struct wl_resource *surface_resource,
+		struct wl_resource *parent_resource) {
+	struct wlr_surface *surface = wlr_surface_from_resource(surface_resource);
+	struct wlr_surface *parent = wlr_surface_from_resource(parent_resource);
+
+	static const char msg[] = "get_subsurface: wl_subsurface@";
+
+	if (surface == parent) {
+		wl_resource_post_error(resource,
+			WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE,
+			"%s%d: wl_surface@%d cannot be its own parent",
+			msg, id, wl_resource_get_id(surface_resource));
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (wlr_surface_is_subsurface(surface)) {
+		wl_resource_post_error(resource,
+			WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE,
+			"%s%d: wl_surface@%d is already a sub-surface",
+			msg, id, wl_resource_get_id(surface_resource));
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (wlr_surface_get_root_surface(parent) == surface) {
+		wl_resource_post_error(resource,
+			WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE,
+			"%s%d: wl_surface@%d is an ancestor of parent",
+			msg, id, wl_resource_get_id(surface_resource));
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (wlr_surface_set_role(surface, subsurface_role, resource,
+				WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE) < 0) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	wlr_surface_make_subsurface(surface, parent, id);
+}
+
+static const struct wl_subcompositor_interface subcompositor_interface = {
+	.destroy = subcompositor_handle_destroy,
+	.get_subsurface = subcompositor_handle_get_subsurface,
+};
+
+static void subcompositor_bind(struct wl_client *client, void *data,
+		uint32_t version, uint32_t id) {
+	struct wlr_subcompositor *subcompositor = data;
+	struct wl_resource *resource =
+		wl_resource_create(client, &wl_subcompositor_interface, 1, id);
+	if (resource == NULL) {
+		wl_client_post_no_memory(client);
+		return;
+	}
+	wl_resource_set_implementation(resource, &subcompositor_interface,
+		subcompositor, NULL);
+	wl_list_insert(&subcompositor->wl_resources, wl_resource_get_link(resource));
+}
+
+static void subcompositor_init(struct wlr_subcompositor *subcompositor,
+		struct wl_display *display) {
+	subcompositor->wl_global = wl_global_create(display,
+		&wl_subcompositor_interface, 1, subcompositor, subcompositor_bind);
+	if (subcompositor->wl_global == NULL) {
+		wlr_log_errno(L_ERROR, "Could not allocate subcompositor global");
+		return;
+	}
+	wl_list_init(&subcompositor->wl_resources);
+}
+
+static void subcompositor_finish(struct wlr_subcompositor *subcompositor) {
+	wl_global_destroy(subcompositor->wl_global);
+}
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
 static const struct wl_compositor_interface wl_compositor_impl;
 
-static struct wlr_compositor *compositor_from_resource(struct wl_resource *resource) {
+static struct wlr_compositor *compositor_from_resource(
+		struct wl_resource *resource) {
 	assert(wl_resource_instance_of(resource, &wl_compositor_interface,
 		&wl_compositor_impl));
 	return wl_resource_get_user_data(resource);
@@ -86,16 +174,15 @@ static void wl_compositor_bind(struct wl_client *wl_client, void *data,
 	struct wlr_compositor *compositor = data;
 	assert(wl_client && compositor);
 
-	struct wl_resource *wl_resource =
+	struct wl_resource *resource =
 		wl_resource_create(wl_client, &wl_compositor_interface, version, id);
-	if (wl_resource == NULL) {
+	if (resource == NULL) {
 		wl_client_post_no_memory(wl_client);
 		return;
 	}
-	wl_resource_set_implementation(wl_resource, &wl_compositor_impl,
+	wl_resource_set_implementation(resource, &wl_compositor_impl,
 		compositor, wl_compositor_destroy);
-	wl_list_insert(&compositor->wl_resources,
-		wl_resource_get_link(wl_resource));
+	wl_list_insert(&compositor->wl_resources, wl_resource_get_link(resource));
 }
 
 void wlr_compositor_destroy(struct wlr_compositor *compositor) {
@@ -103,76 +190,12 @@ void wlr_compositor_destroy(struct wlr_compositor *compositor) {
 		return;
 	}
 	wlr_signal_emit_safe(&compositor->events.destroy, compositor);
+	subcompositor_finish(&compositor->subcompositor);
 	wl_list_remove(&compositor->display_destroy.link);
 	wl_global_destroy(compositor->wl_global);
 	free(compositor);
 }
 
-static void subcompositor_destroy(struct wl_client *client,
-		struct wl_resource *resource) {
-	wl_resource_destroy(resource);
-}
-
-static void subcompositor_get_subsurface(struct wl_client *client,
-		struct wl_resource *resource, uint32_t id,
-		struct wl_resource *surface_resource,
-		struct wl_resource *parent_resource) {
-	struct wlr_surface *surface = wlr_surface_from_resource(surface_resource);
-	struct wlr_surface *parent = wlr_surface_from_resource(parent_resource);
-
-	static const char msg[] = "get_subsurface: wl_subsurface@";
-
-	if (surface == parent) {
-		wl_resource_post_error(resource,
-			WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE,
-			"%s%d: wl_surface@%d cannot be its own parent",
-			msg, id, wl_resource_get_id(surface_resource));
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (wlr_surface_is_subsurface(surface)) {
-		wl_resource_post_error(resource,
-			WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE,
-			"%s%d: wl_surface@%d is already a sub-surface",
-			msg, id, wl_resource_get_id(surface_resource));
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (wlr_surface_get_root_surface(parent) == surface) {
-		wl_resource_post_error(resource,
-			WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE,
-			"%s%d: wl_surface@%d is an ancestor of parent",
-			msg, id, wl_resource_get_id(surface_resource));
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (wlr_surface_set_role(surface, subsurface_role, resource,
-				WL_SUBCOMPOSITOR_ERROR_BAD_SURFACE) < 0) {
-		return;
-	}
-
-	wlr_surface_make_subsurface(surface, parent, id);
-}
-
-
-static const struct wl_subcompositor_interface subcompositor_interface = {
-	.destroy = subcompositor_destroy,
-	.get_subsurface = subcompositor_get_subsurface,
-};
-
-static void subcompositor_bind(struct wl_client *client, void *data,
-		uint32_t version, uint32_t id) {
-	struct wlr_compositor *compositor = data;
-	struct wl_resource *resource =
-		wl_resource_create(client, &wl_subcompositor_interface, 1, id);
-	if (resource == NULL) {
-		wl_client_post_no_memory(client);
-		return;
-	}
-	wl_resource_set_implementation(resource, &subcompositor_interface,
-		compositor, NULL);
-}
-
 static void handle_display_destroy(struct wl_listener *listener, void *data) {
 	struct wlr_compositor *compositor =
 		wl_container_of(listener, compositor, display_destroy);
@@ -198,14 +221,13 @@ struct wlr_compositor *wlr_compositor_create(struct wl_display *display,
 	compositor->wl_global = compositor_global;
 	compositor->renderer = renderer;
 
-	wl_global_create(display, &wl_subcompositor_interface, 1, compositor,
-		subcompositor_bind);
-
 	wl_list_init(&compositor->wl_resources);
 	wl_list_init(&compositor->surfaces);
 	wl_signal_init(&compositor->events.new_surface);
 	wl_signal_init(&compositor->events.destroy);
 
+	subcompositor_init(&compositor->subcompositor, display);
+
 	compositor->display_destroy.notify = handle_display_destroy;
 	wl_display_add_destroy_listener(display, &compositor->display_destroy);