diff --git a/src/compositor/compositor-private.h b/src/compositor/compositor-private.h
index fee897645..f7fc1afbe 100644
--- a/src/compositor/compositor-private.h
+++ b/src/compositor/compositor-private.h
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@ struct _MetaCompositor
   void (*set_updates) (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                        MetaWindow     *window,
                        gboolean        update);
-  void (*process_event) (MetaCompositor *compositor,
-                         XEvent         *event,
-                         MetaWindow     *window);
+  gboolean (*process_event) (MetaCompositor *compositor,
+                             XEvent         *event,
+                             MetaWindow     *window);
   Pixmap (*get_window_pixmap) (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                                MetaWindow     *window);
   void (*set_active_window) (MetaCompositor *compositor,
diff --git a/src/compositor/compositor-xrender.c b/src/compositor/compositor-xrender.c
index ba74a5df3..814c9f19c 100644
--- a/src/compositor/compositor-xrender.c
+++ b/src/compositor/compositor-xrender.c
@@ -2391,14 +2391,14 @@ process_destroy (MetaCompositorXRender *compositor,
   destroy_win (compositor->display, event->window, FALSE);
 }
 
-static void
+static gboolean
 process_damage (MetaCompositorXRender *compositor,
                 XDamageNotifyEvent    *event)
 {
   MetaCompWindow *cw = find_window_in_display (compositor->display,
                                                event->drawable);
   if (cw == NULL)
-    return;
+    return FALSE;
 
   repair_win (cw);
 
@@ -2406,6 +2406,8 @@ process_damage (MetaCompositorXRender *compositor,
   if (event->more == FALSE)
     add_repair (compositor->display);
 #endif
+
+  return TRUE;
 }
   
 static void
@@ -2737,7 +2739,7 @@ xrender_free_window (MetaCompositor *compositor,
 }
 #endif /* 0 */
 
-static void
+static gboolean
 xrender_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                        XEvent         *event,
                        MetaWindow     *window)
@@ -2798,7 +2800,7 @@ xrender_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
       else 
         {
           meta_error_trap_pop (xrc->display, FALSE);
-          return;
+          return FALSE;
         }
       break;
     }
@@ -2808,7 +2810,7 @@ xrender_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
   repair_display (xrc->display);
 #endif
   
-  return;
+  return FALSE;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/src/compositor/compositor.c b/src/compositor/compositor.c
index 8d134c3da..733ba3815 100644
--- a/src/compositor/compositor.c
+++ b/src/compositor/compositor.c
@@ -106,14 +106,16 @@ meta_compositor_set_updates (MetaCompositor *compositor,
 #endif
 }
 
-void
+gboolean
 meta_compositor_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                                XEvent         *event,
                                MetaWindow     *window)
 {
 #ifdef HAVE_COMPOSITE_EXTENSIONS
   if (compositor && compositor->process_event)
-    compositor->process_event (compositor, event, window);
+    return compositor->process_event (compositor, event, window);
+  else
+    return FALSE;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/src/compositor/mutter/compositor-mutter.c b/src/compositor/mutter/compositor-mutter.c
index 566f70920..e5acd928c 100644
--- a/src/compositor/mutter/compositor-mutter.c
+++ b/src/compositor/mutter/compositor-mutter.c
@@ -1748,7 +1748,7 @@ clutter_cmp_set_updates (MetaCompositor *compositor,
 #endif
 }
 
-static void
+static gboolean
 clutter_cmp_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                            XEvent         *event,
                            MetaWindow     *window)
@@ -1764,11 +1764,10 @@ clutter_cmp_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
       screen = meta_window_get_screen (window);
       info = meta_screen_get_compositor_data (screen);
 
-      if (mutter_plugin_manager_xevent_filter (info->plugin_mgr,
-					       event) == TRUE)
+      if (mutter_plugin_manager_xevent_filter (info->plugin_mgr, event))
 	{
 	  DEBUG_TRACE ("clutter_cmp_process_event (filtered,window==NULL)\n");
-	  return;
+	  return TRUE;
 	}
     }
   else
@@ -1785,11 +1784,10 @@ clutter_cmp_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
 
 	  info = meta_screen_get_compositor_data (screen);
 
-	  if (mutter_plugin_manager_xevent_filter (info->plugin_mgr,
-						   event) == TRUE)
+	  if (mutter_plugin_manager_xevent_filter (info->plugin_mgr, event))
 	    {
 	      DEBUG_TRACE ("clutter_cmp_process_event (filtered,window==NULL)\n");
-	      return;
+	      return TRUE;
 	    }
 
 	  l = l->next;
@@ -1828,6 +1826,11 @@ clutter_cmp_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
 
   meta_error_trap_pop (xrc->display, FALSE);
 
+  /* The above handling is basically just "observing" the events, so we return
+   * FALSE to indicate that the event should not be filtered out; if we have
+   * GTK+ windows in the same process, GTK+ needs the ConfigureNotify event, for example.
+   */
+  return FALSE;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/display.c b/src/core/display.c
index 318aeea6e..5bad68a36 100644
--- a/src/core/display.c
+++ b/src/core/display.c
@@ -2424,9 +2424,10 @@ event_callback (XEvent   *event,
 
   if (display->compositor)
     {
-      meta_compositor_process_event (display->compositor,
-				     event,
-				     window);
+      if (meta_compositor_process_event (display->compositor,
+                                         event,
+                                         window))
+        filter_out_event = TRUE;
     }
   
   display->current_time = CurrentTime;
diff --git a/src/include/compositor.h b/src/include/compositor.h
index 59eaade0a..b36883315 100644
--- a/src/include/compositor.h
+++ b/src/include/compositor.h
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ void meta_compositor_set_updates (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                                   MetaWindow     *window,
                                   gboolean        updates);
 
-void meta_compositor_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
-                                    XEvent         *event,
-                                    MetaWindow     *window);
+gboolean meta_compositor_process_event (MetaCompositor *compositor,
+                                        XEvent         *event,
+                                        MetaWindow     *window);
 Pixmap meta_compositor_get_window_pixmap (MetaCompositor *compositor,
                                           MetaWindow     *window);
 void meta_compositor_set_active_window (MetaCompositor *compositor,