diff --git a/src/backends/meta-backend-types.h b/src/backends/meta-backend-types.h
index 134374d4b..15244fb65 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-backend-types.h
+++ b/src/backends/meta-backend-types.h
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ typedef struct _MetaRenderer MetaRenderer;
 typedef struct _MetaRendererView MetaRendererView;
 
 typedef struct _MetaRemoteDesktop MetaRemoteDesktop;
+typedef struct _MetaRemoteDesktopSession MetaRemoteDesktopSession;
 typedef struct _MetaScreenCast MetaScreenCast;
 typedef struct _MetaScreenCastSession MetaScreenCastSession;
 typedef struct _MetaScreenCastStream MetaScreenCastStream;
diff --git a/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.c b/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.c
index 424a58926..275c02824 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.c
+++ b/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "backends/meta-dbus-session-manager.h"
 #include "backends/meta-dbus-session-watcher.h"
 #include "backends/meta-remote-access-controller-private.h"
+#include "backends/meta-remote-desktop-session.h"
 #include "backends/meta-screen-cast-area-stream.h"
 #include "backends/meta-screen-cast-monitor-stream.h"
 #include "backends/meta-screen-cast-stream.h"
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ enum
 {
   PROP_0,
 
-  PROP_SESSION_TYPE,
+  PROP_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION,
 
   N_PROPS
 };
@@ -66,6 +67,8 @@ struct _MetaScreenCastSession
 
   gboolean is_active;
   gboolean disable_animations;
+
+  MetaRemoteDesktopSession *remote_desktop_session;
 };
 
 static void initable_init_iface (GInitableIface *iface);
@@ -230,6 +233,12 @@ meta_screen_cast_session_get_session_type (MetaScreenCastSession *session)
   return session->session_type;
 }
 
+MetaRemoteDesktopSession *
+meta_screen_cast_session_get_remote_desktop_session (MetaScreenCastSession *session)
+{
+  return session->remote_desktop_session;
+}
+
 static gboolean
 check_permission (MetaScreenCastSession *session,
                   GDBusMethodInvocation *invocation)
@@ -248,6 +257,14 @@ meta_screen_cast_session_initable_init (GInitable     *initable,
   GDBusConnection *connection;
   static unsigned int global_session_number = 0;
 
+  if (session->remote_desktop_session)
+    {
+      if (!meta_remote_desktop_session_register_screen_cast (session->remote_desktop_session,
+                                                             session,
+                                                             error))
+        return FALSE;
+    }
+
   session->object_path =
     g_strdup_printf (META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_DBUS_PATH "/u%u",
                      ++global_session_number);
@@ -799,8 +816,12 @@ meta_screen_cast_session_set_property (GObject      *object,
 
   switch (prop_id)
     {
-    case PROP_SESSION_TYPE:
-      session->session_type = g_value_get_enum (value);
+    case PROP_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION:
+      session->remote_desktop_session = g_value_get_object (value);
+      if (session->remote_desktop_session)
+        session->session_type = META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_TYPE_REMOTE_DESKTOP;
+      else
+        session->session_type = META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_TYPE_NORMAL;
       break;
 
     case N_PROPS + META_DBUS_SESSION_PROP_SESSION_MANAGER:
@@ -828,8 +849,8 @@ meta_screen_cast_session_get_property (GObject    *object,
 
   switch (prop_id)
     {
-    case PROP_SESSION_TYPE:
-      g_value_set_enum (value, session->session_type);
+    case PROP_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION:
+      g_value_set_object (value, session->remote_desktop_session);
       break;
 
     case N_PROPS + META_DBUS_SESSION_PROP_SESSION_MANAGER:
@@ -861,13 +882,12 @@ meta_screen_cast_session_class_init (MetaScreenCastSessionClass *klass)
   object_class->set_property = meta_screen_cast_session_set_property;
   object_class->get_property = meta_screen_cast_session_get_property;
 
-  obj_props[PROP_SESSION_TYPE] =
-    g_param_spec_enum ("session-type", NULL, NULL,
-                       META_TYPE_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_TYPE,
-                       META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_TYPE_NORMAL,
-                       G_PARAM_READWRITE |
-                       G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT_ONLY |
-                       G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+  obj_props[PROP_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION] =
+    g_param_spec_object ("remote-desktop-session", NULL, NULL,
+                         META_TYPE_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION,
+                         G_PARAM_READWRITE |
+                         G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT_ONLY |
+                         G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
   g_object_class_install_properties (object_class, N_PROPS, obj_props);
   meta_dbus_session_install_properties (object_class, N_PROPS);
 }
diff --git a/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.h b/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.h
index ee8514ea3..765fc3cb9 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.h
+++ b/src/backends/meta-screen-cast-session.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #include "backends/meta-screen-cast.h"
 
+#include "backends/meta-backend-types.h"
 #include "backends/meta-screen-cast-stream.h"
 #include "meta/meta-remote-access-controller.h"
 
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ char * meta_screen_cast_session_get_peer_name (MetaScreenCastSession *session);
 
 MetaScreenCastSessionType meta_screen_cast_session_get_session_type (MetaScreenCastSession *session);
 
+MetaRemoteDesktopSession * meta_screen_cast_session_get_remote_desktop_session (MetaScreenCastSession *session);
+
 gboolean meta_screen_cast_session_start (MetaScreenCastSession  *session,
                                          GError                **error);
 
diff --git a/src/backends/meta-screen-cast.c b/src/backends/meta-screen-cast.c
index 904363ed3..786074b89 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-screen-cast.c
+++ b/src/backends/meta-screen-cast.c
@@ -93,22 +93,17 @@ meta_screen_cast_create_dma_buf_handle (MetaScreenCast  *screen_cast,
   return dmabuf_handle;
 }
 
-static gboolean
-register_remote_desktop_screen_cast_session (MetaScreenCastSession  *session,
-                                             const char             *remote_desktop_session_id,
-                                             GError                **error)
+static MetaRemoteDesktopSession *
+find_remote_desktop_session (MetaDbusSessionManager  *session_manager,
+                             const char              *remote_desktop_session_id,
+                             GError                 **error)
 {
-  MetaScreenCast *screen_cast =
-    meta_screen_cast_session_get_screen_cast (session);
-  MetaDbusSessionManager *session_manager =
-    META_DBUS_SESSION_MANAGER (screen_cast);
   MetaBackend *backend =
     meta_dbus_session_manager_get_backend (session_manager);
   MetaRemoteDesktop *remote_desktop = meta_backend_get_remote_desktop (backend);
   MetaDbusSessionManager *remote_desktop_session_manager =
     META_DBUS_SESSION_MANAGER (remote_desktop);
   MetaDbusSession *remote_desktop_dbus_session;
-  MetaRemoteDesktopSession *remote_desktop_session;
 
   remote_desktop_dbus_session =
     meta_dbus_session_manager_get_session (remote_desktop_session_manager,
@@ -117,17 +112,10 @@ register_remote_desktop_screen_cast_session (MetaScreenCastSession  *session,
     {
       g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED,
                    "No remote desktop session found");
-      return FALSE;
+      return NULL;
     }
 
-  remote_desktop_session =
-    META_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION (remote_desktop_dbus_session);
-  if (!meta_remote_desktop_session_register_screen_cast (remote_desktop_session,
-                                                         session,
-                                                         error))
-    return FALSE;
-
-  return TRUE;
+  return META_REMOTE_DESKTOP_SESSION (remote_desktop_dbus_session);
 }
 
 static gboolean
@@ -139,7 +127,7 @@ handle_create_session (MetaDBusScreenCast    *skeleton,
   MetaDbusSessionManager *session_manager =
     META_DBUS_SESSION_MANAGER (screen_cast);
   char *remote_desktop_session_id = NULL;
-  MetaScreenCastSessionType session_type;
+  MetaRemoteDesktopSession *remote_desktop_session = NULL;
   MetaDbusSession *dbus_session;
   MetaScreenCastSession *session;
   g_autoptr (GError) error = NULL;
@@ -150,15 +138,24 @@ handle_create_session (MetaDBusScreenCast    *skeleton,
                     &remote_desktop_session_id);
 
   if (remote_desktop_session_id)
-    session_type = META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_TYPE_REMOTE_DESKTOP;
-  else
-    session_type = META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION_TYPE_NORMAL;
+    {
+      remote_desktop_session = find_remote_desktop_session (session_manager,
+                                                            remote_desktop_session_id,
+                                                            &error);
+      if (!remote_desktop_session)
+        {
+          g_dbus_method_invocation_return_error (invocation, G_DBUS_ERROR,
+                                                 G_DBUS_ERROR_FAILED,
+                                                 "%s", error->message);
+          return G_DBUS_METHOD_INVOCATION_HANDLED;
+        }
+    }
 
   dbus_session =
     meta_dbus_session_manager_create_session (session_manager,
                                               invocation,
                                               &error,
-                                              "session-type", session_type,
+                                              "remote-desktop-session", remote_desktop_session,
                                               NULL);
   if (!dbus_session)
     {
@@ -169,20 +166,6 @@ handle_create_session (MetaDBusScreenCast    *skeleton,
     }
   session = META_SCREEN_CAST_SESSION (dbus_session);
 
-  if (remote_desktop_session_id)
-    {
-      if (!register_remote_desktop_screen_cast_session (session,
-                                                        remote_desktop_session_id,
-                                                        &error))
-        {
-          g_dbus_method_invocation_return_error (invocation, G_DBUS_ERROR,
-                                                 G_DBUS_ERROR_FAILED,
-                                                 "%s", error->message);
-          meta_dbus_session_close (dbus_session);
-          return G_DBUS_METHOD_INVOCATION_HANDLED;
-        }
-    }
-
   if (g_variant_lookup (properties, "disable-animations", "b",
                         &disable_animations))
     {