diff --git a/src/backends/native/meta-kms-impl-device-atomic.c b/src/backends/native/meta-kms-impl-device-atomic.c
index e938e4522..b15f81849 100644
--- a/src/backends/native/meta-kms-impl-device-atomic.c
+++ b/src/backends/native/meta-kms-impl-device-atomic.c
@@ -1019,7 +1019,6 @@ meta_kms_impl_device_atomic_process_update (MetaKmsImplDevice *impl_device,
 
   fd = meta_kms_impl_device_get_fd (impl_device);
   ret = drmModeAtomicCommit (fd, req, commit_flags, impl_device);
-  drmModeAtomicFree (req);
   if (ret < 0)
     {
       g_set_error (&error, G_IO_ERROR, g_io_error_from_errno (-ret),
@@ -1027,6 +1026,8 @@ meta_kms_impl_device_atomic_process_update (MetaKmsImplDevice *impl_device,
       goto err;
     }
 
+  drmModeAtomicFree (req);
+
   process_entries (impl_device,
                    update,
                    req,
@@ -1055,6 +1056,9 @@ err:
                        NULL);
     }
 
+  if (req)
+    drmModeAtomicFree (req);
+
   release_blob_ids (impl_device, blob_ids);
 
   return meta_kms_feedback_new_failed (failed_planes, error);