diff --git a/backend/drm/atomic.c b/backend/drm/atomic.c
index 11c273e2..08909c1b 100644
--- a/backend/drm/atomic.c
+++ b/backend/drm/atomic.c
@@ -110,23 +110,24 @@ error:
 }
 
 static bool atomic_crtc_pageflip(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
-		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn, drmModeModeInfo *mode) {
+		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn) {
 	struct wlr_drm_crtc *crtc = conn->crtc;
 
-	if (mode != NULL) {
+	bool modeset = crtc->pending & WLR_DRM_CRTC_MODE;
+	if (modeset) {
 		if (crtc->mode_id != 0) {
 			drmModeDestroyPropertyBlob(drm->fd, crtc->mode_id);
 		}
 
-		if (drmModeCreatePropertyBlob(drm->fd, mode, sizeof(*mode),
-				&crtc->mode_id)) {
-			wlr_log_errno(WLR_ERROR, "Unable to create property blob");
+		if (drmModeCreatePropertyBlob(drm->fd, &crtc->mode,
+				sizeof(drmModeModeInfo), &crtc->mode_id)) {
+			wlr_log_errno(WLR_ERROR, "Unable to create mode property blob");
 			return false;
 		}
 	}
 
 	uint32_t flags = DRM_MODE_PAGE_FLIP_EVENT;
-	if (mode != NULL) {
+	if (modeset) {
 		flags |= DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_ALLOW_MODESET;
 	} else {
 		flags |= DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_NONBLOCK;
@@ -135,7 +136,7 @@ static bool atomic_crtc_pageflip(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
 	struct atomic atom;
 	atomic_begin(crtc, &atom);
 	atomic_add(&atom, conn->id, conn->props.crtc_id, crtc->id);
-	if (mode != NULL && conn->props.link_status != 0) {
+	if (modeset && conn->props.link_status != 0) {
 		atomic_add(&atom, conn->id, conn->props.link_status,
 			DRM_MODE_LINK_STATUS_GOOD);
 	}
@@ -151,12 +152,13 @@ static bool atomic_crtc_pageflip(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (!atomic_end(drm->fd, mode ? DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_ALLOW_MODESET : 0, &atom)) {
+	if (!atomic_end(drm->fd, modeset ? DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_ALLOW_MODESET : 0,
+			&atom)) {
 		drmModeAtomicSetCursor(atom.req, 0);
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if (!atomic_commit(drm->fd, &atom, conn, flags, mode)) {
+	if (!atomic_commit(drm->fd, &atom, conn, flags, modeset)) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
diff --git a/backend/drm/drm.c b/backend/drm/drm.c
index 578b966f..c91843cc 100644
--- a/backend/drm/drm.c
+++ b/backend/drm/drm.c
@@ -334,11 +334,10 @@ static bool drm_connector_attach_render(struct wlr_output *output,
 	return drm_surface_make_current(&conn->crtc->primary->surf, buffer_age);
 }
 
-static bool drm_crtc_page_flip(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
-		struct wlr_drm_mode *mode) {
-	struct wlr_drm_backend *drm = get_drm_backend_from_backend(conn->output.backend);
+static bool drm_crtc_page_flip(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn) {
+	struct wlr_drm_backend *drm =
+		get_drm_backend_from_backend(conn->output.backend);
 	struct wlr_drm_crtc *crtc = conn->crtc;
-	drmModeModeInfo *drm_mode = mode ? &mode->drm_mode : NULL;
 
 	if (conn->pageflip_pending) {
 		wlr_log(WLR_ERROR, "Failed to page-flip output '%s': "
@@ -346,7 +345,11 @@ static bool drm_crtc_page_flip(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if (!drm->iface->crtc_pageflip(drm, conn, drm_mode)) {
+	bool ok = drm->iface->crtc_pageflip(drm, conn);
+
+	crtc->pending = 0;
+
+	if (!ok) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
@@ -454,7 +457,7 @@ static bool drm_connector_commit_buffer(struct wlr_output *output) {
 		break;
 	}
 
-	if (!drm_crtc_page_flip(conn, NULL)) {
+	if (!drm_crtc_page_flip(conn)) {
 		drm_fb_clear(&plane->pending_fb);
 		return false;
 	}
@@ -661,8 +664,7 @@ struct wlr_drm_fb *plane_get_next_fb(struct wlr_drm_plane *plane) {
 	return &plane->current_fb;
 }
 
-static bool drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
-		struct wlr_drm_mode *mode) {
+static bool drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn) {
 	struct wlr_drm_crtc *crtc = conn->crtc;
 	if (!crtc) {
 		wlr_log(WLR_ERROR, "Page-flip failed on connector '%s': no CRTC",
@@ -679,10 +681,12 @@ static bool drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
 		}
 	}
 
-	return drm_crtc_page_flip(conn, mode);
+	return drm_crtc_page_flip(conn);
 }
 
 static void drm_connector_start_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn) {
+	struct wlr_drm_crtc *crtc = conn->crtc;
+
 	if (conn->state != WLR_DRM_CONN_CONNECTED) {
 		return;
 	}
@@ -690,7 +694,10 @@ static void drm_connector_start_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn) {
 	wlr_log(WLR_DEBUG, "Starting renderer on output '%s'", conn->output.name);
 
 	struct wlr_drm_mode *mode = (struct wlr_drm_mode *)conn->output.current_mode;
-	if (!drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(conn, mode)) {
+	memcpy(&crtc->mode, &mode->drm_mode, sizeof(drmModeModeInfo));
+	crtc->pending |= WLR_DRM_CRTC_MODE;
+
+	if (!drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(conn)) {
 		wl_event_source_timer_update(conn->retry_pageflip,
 			1000000.0f / conn->output.current_mode->refresh);
 	}
@@ -717,6 +724,9 @@ static bool drm_connector_init_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
 	}
 	struct wlr_drm_plane *plane = crtc->primary;
 
+	crtc->pending |= WLR_DRM_CRTC_MODE;
+	memcpy(&crtc->mode, &mode->drm_mode, sizeof(drmModeModeInfo));
+
 	int width = mode->wlr_mode.width;
 	int height = mode->wlr_mode.height;
 	uint32_t format = drm->renderer.gbm_format;
@@ -730,7 +740,7 @@ static bool drm_connector_init_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
 	}
 
 	if (!drm_plane_init_surface(plane, drm, width, height, format, 0, modifiers) ||
-			!drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(conn, mode)) {
+			!drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(conn)) {
 		if (!modifiers) {
 			wlr_log(WLR_ERROR, "Failed to initialize renderer "
 				"on connector '%s': initial page-flip failed",
@@ -748,7 +758,7 @@ static bool drm_connector_init_renderer(struct wlr_drm_connector *conn,
 				0, modifiers)) {
 			return false;
 		}
-		if (!drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(conn, mode)) {
+		if (!drm_connector_pageflip_renderer(conn)) {
 			wlr_log(WLR_ERROR, "Failed to initialize renderer "
 				"on connector '%s': initial page-flip failed",
 				conn->output.name);
diff --git a/backend/drm/legacy.c b/backend/drm/legacy.c
index da9b636f..ba16493f 100644
--- a/backend/drm/legacy.c
+++ b/backend/drm/legacy.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include "backend/drm/util.h"
 
 static bool legacy_crtc_pageflip(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
-		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn, drmModeModeInfo *mode) {
+		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn) {
 	struct wlr_drm_crtc *crtc = conn->crtc;
 	struct wlr_drm_plane *cursor = crtc->cursor;
 
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ static bool legacy_crtc_pageflip(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if (mode) {
+	if (crtc->pending & WLR_DRM_CRTC_MODE) {
 		if (drmModeSetCrtc(drm->fd, crtc->id, fb_id, 0, 0,
-				&conn->id, 1, mode)) {
+				&conn->id, 1, &crtc->mode)) {
 			wlr_log_errno(WLR_ERROR, "%s: Failed to set CRTC", conn->output.name);
 			return false;
 		}
diff --git a/include/backend/drm/drm.h b/include/backend/drm/drm.h
index 11f6732a..e8fc452a 100644
--- a/include/backend/drm/drm.h
+++ b/include/backend/drm/drm.h
@@ -42,8 +42,15 @@ struct wlr_drm_plane {
 	union wlr_drm_plane_props props;
 };
 
+enum wlr_drm_crtc_field {
+	WLR_DRM_CRTC_MODE = 1 << 0,
+};
+
 struct wlr_drm_crtc {
 	uint32_t id;
+	uint32_t pending; // bitfield of enum wlr_drm_crtc_field
+
+	drmModeModeInfo mode;
 
 	// Atomic modesetting only
 	uint32_t mode_id;
diff --git a/include/backend/drm/iface.h b/include/backend/drm/iface.h
index acaf4730..6e074249 100644
--- a/include/backend/drm/iface.h
+++ b/include/backend/drm/iface.h
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ struct wlr_drm_interface {
 	// Enable or disable DPMS for connector
 	bool (*conn_enable)(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
 		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn, bool enable);
-	// Pageflip on crtc. If mode is non-NULL perform a full modeset using it.
+	// Pageflip on crtc.
 	bool (*crtc_pageflip)(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
-		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn, drmModeModeInfo *mode);
+		struct wlr_drm_connector *conn);
 	// Enable the cursor buffer on crtc. Set bo to NULL to disable
 	bool (*crtc_set_cursor)(struct wlr_drm_backend *drm,
 		struct wlr_drm_crtc *crtc, struct gbm_bo *bo);