diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 32bcc01fa..4da29428e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ PKG_CHECK_MODULES(GNOME_SHELL, gio-2.0 >= $GIO_MIN_VERSION
                                telepathy-glib >= $TELEPATHY_GLIB_MIN_VERSION
                                polkit-agent-1 >= $POLKIT_MIN_VERSION)
 
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES(SHELL_PERF_HELPER, gtk+-3.0 gio-2.0)
+
 GJS_VERSION=`$PKG_CONFIG --modversion gjs-internals-1.0`
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([GJS_VERSION], ["$GJS_VERSION"], [The version of GJS we're linking to])
 AC_SUBST([GJS_VERSION], ["$GJS_VERSION"])
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index eb346e2ca..7c251de0a 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -168,6 +168,14 @@ endif BUILD_RECORDER
 
 ########################################
 
+libexec_PROGRAMS += gnome-shell-perf-helper
+
+gnome_shell_perf_helper_SOURCES = shell-perf-helper.c
+gnome_shell_perf_helper_CPPFLAGS = $(SHELL_PERF_HELPER_CFLAGS)
+gnome_shell_perf_helper_LDADD = $(SHELL_PERF_HELPER_LIBS)
+
+########################################
+
 # In order to run the interactive tests for GUI components, we need to have
 # an executable that exports the St components. Libtool doesn't have a way
 # to include all the symbols from a convenience library into a executable
diff --git a/src/shell-perf-helper.c b/src/shell-perf-helper.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..92de68b0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shell-perf-helper.c
@@ -0,0 +1,346 @@
+/* -*- mode: C; c-file-style: "gnu"; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*- */
+
+/* gnome-shell-perf-helper: a program to create windows for performance tests
+ *
+ * Running performance tests with whatever windows a user has open results
+ * in unreliable results, so instead we hide all other windows and talk
+ * to this program over D-Bus to create just the windows we want.
+ */
+
+#include "config.h"
+
+#include <gtk/gtk.h>
+#include <gdk/gdkx.h>
+
+#define BUS_NAME "org.gnome.Shell.PerfHelper"
+
+static void destroy_windows           (void);
+static void finish_wait_windows       (void);
+static void check_finish_wait_windows (void);
+
+static const gchar introspection_xml[] =
+	  "<node>"
+	  "  <interface name='org.gnome.Shell.PerfHelper'>"
+	  "    <method name='Exit'/>"
+	  "    <method name='CreateWindow'>"
+	  "      <arg type='i' name='width' direction='in'/>"
+	  "      <arg type='i' name='height' direction='in'/>"
+	  "      <arg type='b' name='alpha' direction='in'/>"
+	  "      <arg type='b' name='maximized' direction='in'/>"
+	  "    </method>"
+	  "    <method name='WaitWindows'/>"
+	  "    <method name='DestroyWindows'/>"
+	  "  </interface>"
+	"</node>";
+
+typedef struct {
+  GtkWidget *window;
+  int width;
+  int height;
+
+  guint alpha : 1;
+  guint maximized : 1;
+  guint mapped : 1;
+  guint exposed : 1;
+  guint pending : 1;
+} WindowInfo;
+
+static int opt_idle_timeout = 30;
+
+static GOptionEntry opt_entries[] =
+  {
+    { "idle-timeout", 'r', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_INT, &opt_idle_timeout, "Exit after N seconds", "N" },
+    { NULL }
+  };
+
+static Display *xdisplay;
+static Window xroot;
+static Atom atom_wm_state;
+static Atom atom__net_wm_name;
+static Atom atom_utf8_string;
+
+static guint timeout_id;
+static GList *our_windows;
+static GList *wait_windows_invocations;
+
+static gboolean
+on_timeout (gpointer data)
+{
+  timeout_id = 0;
+
+  destroy_windows ();
+  gtk_main_quit ();
+
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
+static void
+establish_timeout ()
+{
+  if (timeout_id != 0)
+    g_source_remove (timeout_id);
+
+  timeout_id = g_timeout_add (opt_idle_timeout * 1000, on_timeout, NULL);
+}
+
+static void
+destroy_windows (void)
+{
+  GList *l;
+
+  for (l = our_windows; l; l = l->next)
+    {
+      WindowInfo *info = l->data;
+      gtk_widget_destroy (info->window);
+      g_free (info);
+    }
+
+  g_list_free (our_windows);
+  our_windows = NULL;
+
+  check_finish_wait_windows ();
+}
+
+static gboolean
+on_window_map_event (GtkWidget   *window,
+                     GdkEventAny *event,
+                     WindowInfo  *info)
+{
+  info->mapped = TRUE;
+
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
+static gboolean
+on_window_draw (GtkWidget  *window,
+		cairo_t    *cr,
+                WindowInfo *info)
+{
+  cairo_rectangle_int_t allocation;
+  gtk_widget_get_allocation (window, &allocation);
+
+  /* We draw an arbitrary pattern of red lines near the border of the
+   * window to make it more clear than empty windows if something
+   * is drastrically wrong.
+   */
+
+  cairo_save (cr);
+  cairo_set_operator (cr, CAIRO_OPERATOR_SOURCE);
+
+  if (info->alpha)
+    cairo_set_source_rgba (cr, 1, 1, 1, 0.5);
+  else
+    cairo_set_source_rgb (cr, 1, 1, 1);
+
+  cairo_paint (cr);
+  cairo_restore (cr);
+
+  cairo_set_source_rgb (cr, 1, 0, 0);
+  cairo_set_line_width (cr, 10);
+  cairo_move_to (cr, 0, 40);
+  cairo_line_to (cr, allocation.width, 40);
+  cairo_move_to (cr, 0, allocation.height - 40);
+  cairo_line_to (cr, allocation.width, allocation.height - 40);
+  cairo_move_to (cr, 40, 0);
+  cairo_line_to (cr, 40, allocation.height);
+  cairo_move_to (cr, allocation.width - 40, 0);
+  cairo_line_to (cr, allocation.width - 40, allocation.height);
+  cairo_stroke (cr);
+
+  info->exposed = TRUE;
+
+  if (info->exposed && info->mapped && info->pending)
+    {
+      info->pending = FALSE;
+      check_finish_wait_windows ();
+    }
+
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
+static void
+create_window (int      width,
+	       int      height,
+               gboolean alpha,
+               gboolean maximized)
+{
+  WindowInfo *info;
+
+  info = g_new0 (WindowInfo, 1);
+  info->width = width;
+  info->height = height;
+  info->alpha = alpha;
+  info->maximized = maximized;
+  info->window = gtk_window_new (GTK_WINDOW_TOPLEVEL);
+  if (alpha)
+    gtk_widget_set_visual (info->window, gdk_screen_get_rgba_visual (gdk_screen_get_default ()));
+  if (maximized)
+    gtk_window_maximize (GTK_WINDOW (info->window));
+  info->pending = TRUE;
+
+  gtk_widget_set_size_request (info->window, width, height);
+  gtk_widget_set_app_paintable (info->window, TRUE);
+  g_signal_connect (info->window, "map-event", G_CALLBACK (on_window_map_event), info);
+  g_signal_connect (info->window, "draw", G_CALLBACK (on_window_draw), info);
+  gtk_widget_show (info->window);
+
+  our_windows = g_list_prepend (our_windows, info);
+}
+
+static void
+finish_wait_windows (void)
+{
+  GList *l;
+
+  for (l = wait_windows_invocations; l; l = l->next)
+    g_dbus_method_invocation_return_value (l->data, NULL);
+
+  g_list_free (wait_windows_invocations);
+  wait_windows_invocations = NULL;
+}
+
+static void
+check_finish_wait_windows (void)
+{
+  GList *l;
+  gboolean have_pending = FALSE;
+
+  for (l = our_windows; l; l = l->next)
+    {
+      WindowInfo *info = l->data;
+      if (info->pending)
+        have_pending = TRUE;
+    }
+
+  if (!have_pending)
+    finish_wait_windows ();
+}
+
+static void
+handle_method_call (GDBusConnection       *connection,
+		    const gchar           *sender,
+		    const gchar           *object_path,
+		    const gchar           *interface_name,
+		    const gchar           *method_name,
+		    GVariant              *parameters,
+		    GDBusMethodInvocation *invocation,
+		    gpointer               user_data)
+{
+  /* Push off the idle timeout */
+  establish_timeout ();
+
+  if (g_strcmp0 (method_name, "Exit") == 0)
+    {
+      destroy_windows ();
+
+      g_dbus_method_invocation_return_value (invocation, NULL);
+      g_dbus_connection_flush_sync (connection, NULL, NULL);
+
+      gtk_main_quit ();
+    }
+  else if (g_strcmp0 (method_name, "CreateWindow") == 0)
+    {
+      int width, height;
+      gboolean alpha, maximized;
+
+      g_variant_get (parameters, "(iibb)", &width, &height, &alpha, &maximized);
+
+      create_window (width, height, alpha, maximized);
+      g_dbus_method_invocation_return_value (invocation, NULL);
+    }
+  else if (g_strcmp0 (method_name, "WaitWindows") == 0)
+    {
+      wait_windows_invocations = g_list_prepend (wait_windows_invocations, invocation);
+      check_finish_wait_windows ();
+    }
+  else if (g_strcmp0 (method_name, "DestroyWindows") == 0)
+    {
+      destroy_windows ();
+      g_dbus_method_invocation_return_value (invocation, NULL);
+    }
+}
+
+static const GDBusInterfaceVTable interface_vtable =
+{
+  handle_method_call,
+  NULL,
+  NULL
+};
+
+static void
+on_bus_acquired (GDBusConnection *connection,
+		 const gchar     *name,
+		 gpointer         user_data)
+{
+  GDBusNodeInfo *introspection_data = g_dbus_node_info_new_for_xml (introspection_xml, NULL);
+
+  g_dbus_connection_register_object (connection,
+				     "/org/gnome/Shell/PerfHelper",
+				     introspection_data->interfaces[0],
+				     &interface_vtable,
+				     NULL,  /* user_data */
+				     NULL,  /* user_data_free_func */
+				     NULL); /* GError** */
+}
+
+static void
+on_name_acquired (GDBusConnection *connection,
+		  const gchar     *name,
+		  gpointer         user_data)
+{
+}
+
+static void
+on_name_lost  (GDBusConnection *connection,
+	       const gchar     *name,
+	       gpointer         user_data)
+{
+  destroy_windows ();
+  gtk_main_quit ();
+}
+
+int
+main (int argc, char **argv)
+{
+  GdkDisplay *display;
+  GdkScreen *screen;
+  GOptionContext *context;
+  GError *error = NULL;
+
+  /* Since we depend on this, avoid the possibility of lt-gnome-shell-perf-helper */
+  g_set_prgname ("gnome-shell-perf-helper");
+
+  context = g_option_context_new (" - server to create windows for performance testing");
+  g_option_context_add_main_entries (context, opt_entries, NULL);
+  g_option_context_add_group (context, gtk_get_option_group (TRUE));
+  if (!g_option_context_parse (context, &argc, &argv, &error))
+    {
+      g_print ("option parsing failed: %s\n", error->message);
+      return 1;
+    }
+
+  display = gdk_display_get_default ();
+  screen = gdk_screen_get_default ();
+
+  xdisplay = gdk_x11_display_get_xdisplay (display);
+  xroot = gdk_x11_window_get_xid (gdk_screen_get_root_window (screen));
+  atom_wm_state = gdk_x11_get_xatom_by_name_for_display (display, "WM_STATE");
+  atom__net_wm_name = gdk_x11_get_xatom_by_name_for_display (display, "_NET_WM_NAME");
+  atom_utf8_string = gdk_x11_get_xatom_by_name_for_display (display, "UTF8_STRING");
+
+  g_bus_own_name (G_BUS_TYPE_SESSION,
+                  BUS_NAME,
+                  G_BUS_NAME_OWNER_FLAGS_ALLOW_REPLACEMENT |
+                  G_BUS_NAME_OWNER_FLAGS_REPLACE,
+                  on_bus_acquired,
+                  on_name_acquired,
+                  on_name_lost,
+                  NULL,
+                  NULL);
+
+  establish_timeout ();
+
+  gtk_main ();
+
+  return 0;
+}