diff --git a/clutter/clutter-backend.c b/clutter/clutter-backend.c
index 849365b9b..6142af8e9 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter-backend.c
+++ b/clutter/clutter-backend.c
@@ -269,6 +269,12 @@ clutter_backend_real_create_context (ClutterBackend  *backend,
   if (backend->cogl_renderer == NULL)
     goto error;
 
+  /* If the application is trying to act as a Wayland compositor then
+     it needs to have an EGL-based renderer backend */
+  if (_wayland_compositor_display)
+    cogl_renderer_add_constraint (backend->cogl_renderer,
+                                  COGL_RENDERER_CONSTRAINT_USES_EGL);
+
   CLUTTER_NOTE (BACKEND, "Connecting the renderer");
   if (!cogl_renderer_connect (backend->cogl_renderer, &internal_error))
     goto error;
diff --git a/clutter/wayland/clutter-backend-wayland.c b/clutter/wayland/clutter-backend-wayland.c
index f72937e4f..db5613c68 100644
--- a/clutter/wayland/clutter-backend-wayland.c
+++ b/clutter/wayland/clutter-backend-wayland.c
@@ -215,6 +215,8 @@ clutter_backend_wayland_get_renderer (ClutterBackend  *backend,
 
   renderer = cogl_renderer_new ();
 
+  cogl_renderer_set_winsys_id (renderer, COGL_WINSYS_ID_EGL_WAYLAND);
+
   cogl_wayland_renderer_set_foreign_display (renderer,
                                              backend_wayland->wayland_display);
   cogl_wayland_renderer_set_foreign_compositor (renderer,
diff --git a/clutter/x11/clutter-backend-x11.c b/clutter/x11/clutter-backend-x11.c
index acafccbbb..b05a5e8da 100644
--- a/clutter/x11/clutter-backend-x11.c
+++ b/clutter/x11/clutter-backend-x11.c
@@ -697,6 +697,8 @@ clutter_backend_x11_get_renderer (ClutterBackend  *backend,
 
   renderer = cogl_renderer_new ();
 
+  cogl_renderer_add_constraint (renderer, COGL_RENDERER_CONSTRAINT_USES_X11);
+
   /* set the display object we're using */
   cogl_xlib_renderer_set_foreign_display (renderer, xdisplay);