diff --git a/src/backends/meta-egl.c b/src/backends/meta-egl.c
index fefba7c67..9a57c52de 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-egl.c
+++ b/src/backends/meta-egl.c
@@ -169,6 +169,25 @@ set_egl_error (GError **error)
                        error_str);
 }
 
+static void
+check_egl_error (GError **error)
+{
+  EGLint error_number;
+  const char *error_str;
+
+  if (!error)
+    return;
+
+  error_number = eglGetError ();
+  if (error_number == EGL_SUCCESS)
+    return;
+
+  error_str = get_egl_error_str (error_number);
+  g_set_error_literal (error, META_EGL_ERROR,
+                       error_number,
+                       error_str);
+}
+
 gboolean
 meta_extensions_string_has_extensions_valist (const char   *extensions_str,
                                               const char ***missing_extensions,
@@ -781,25 +800,32 @@ meta_egl_query_devices (MetaEgl      *egl,
   return TRUE;
 }
 
-const char *
-meta_egl_query_device_string (MetaEgl     *egl,
-                              EGLDeviceEXT device,
-                              EGLint       name,
-                              GError     **error)
+gboolean
+meta_egl_query_device_string (MetaEgl       *egl,
+                              EGLDeviceEXT   device,
+                              EGLint         name,
+                              const char   **out_string,
+                              GError       **error)
 {
+  g_autoptr (GError) local_error = NULL;
   const char *device_string;
 
   if (!is_egl_proc_valid (egl->eglQueryDeviceStringEXT, error))
-    return NULL;
+    return FALSE;
 
   device_string = egl->eglQueryDeviceStringEXT (device, name);
   if (!device_string)
     {
-      set_egl_error (error);
-      return NULL;
+      check_egl_error (&local_error);
+      if (local_error)
+        {
+          g_propagate_error (error, local_error);
+          return FALSE;
+        }
     }
 
-  return device_string;
+  *out_string = device_string;
+  return TRUE;
 }
 
 gboolean
@@ -812,14 +838,18 @@ meta_egl_egl_device_has_extensions (MetaEgl        *egl,
   va_list var_args;
   const char *extensions_str;
   gboolean has_extensions;
-  GError *error = NULL;
+  g_autoptr (GError) error = NULL;
 
-  extensions_str = meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, device, EGL_EXTENSIONS,
-                                                 &error);
-  if (!extensions_str)
+  if (!meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, device, EGL_EXTENSIONS,
+                                     &extensions_str, &error))
     {
       g_warning ("Failed to query device string: %s", error->message);
-      g_error_free (error);
+      return FALSE;
+    }
+
+  if (!extensions_str)
+    {
+      g_warning ("EGL_EXTENSIONS device string returned NULL");
       return FALSE;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/backends/meta-egl.h b/src/backends/meta-egl.h
index 4ed54a539..09bee954a 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-egl.h
+++ b/src/backends/meta-egl.h
@@ -173,10 +173,11 @@ gboolean meta_egl_query_devices (MetaEgl      *egl,
                                  EGLint       *num_devices,
                                  GError      **error);
 
-const char * meta_egl_query_device_string (MetaEgl     *egl,
-                                           EGLDeviceEXT device,
-                                           EGLint       name,
-                                           GError     **error);
+gboolean meta_egl_query_device_string (MetaEgl       *egl,
+                                       EGLDeviceEXT   device,
+                                       EGLint         name,
+                                       const char   **out_string,
+                                       GError       **error);
 
 gboolean meta_egl_egl_device_has_extensions (MetaEgl        *egl,
                                              EGLDeviceEXT    device,
diff --git a/src/backends/native/meta-render-device-egl-stream.c b/src/backends/native/meta-render-device-egl-stream.c
index d3eb29d56..6a4be9e9d 100644
--- a/src/backends/native/meta-render-device-egl-stream.c
+++ b/src/backends/native/meta-render-device-egl-stream.c
@@ -64,10 +64,11 @@ get_egl_device_display (MetaRenderDevice  *render_device,
                                         error);
 }
 
-static const char *
-get_drm_device_file (MetaEgl     *egl,
-                     EGLDeviceEXT device,
-                     GError     **error)
+static gboolean
+get_drm_device_file (MetaEgl       *egl,
+                     EGLDeviceEXT   device,
+                     const char   **out_device_file_path,
+                     GError       **error)
 {
   if (!meta_egl_egl_device_has_extensions (egl, device,
                                            NULL,
@@ -77,12 +78,11 @@ get_drm_device_file (MetaEgl     *egl,
       g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR,
                    G_IO_ERROR_FAILED,
                    "Missing required EGLDevice extension EGL_EXT_device_drm");
-      return NULL;
+      return FALSE;
     }
 
-  return meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, device,
-                                       EGL_DRM_DEVICE_FILE_EXT,
-                                       error);
+  return meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, device, EGL_DRM_DEVICE_FILE_EXT,
+                                       out_device_file_path, error);
 }
 
 static EGLDeviceEXT
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ find_egl_device (MetaRenderDevice  *render_device,
 
       g_clear_error (error);
 
-      egl_device_drm_path = get_drm_device_file (egl, devices[i], error);
-      if (!egl_device_drm_path)
+      if (!get_drm_device_file (egl, devices[i], &egl_device_drm_path, error) ||
+          !egl_device_drm_path)
         continue;
 
       if (g_str_equal (egl_device_drm_path, device_file_path))
diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-dma-buf.c b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-dma-buf.c
index 7085bec31..221df3dc0 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-dma-buf.c
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-dma-buf.c
@@ -1821,10 +1821,9 @@ meta_wayland_dma_buf_manager_new (MetaWaylandCompositor  *compositor,
                                           "EGL_EXT_device_drm_render_node",
                                           NULL))
     {
-      device_path = meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, egl_device,
-                                                  EGL_DRM_RENDER_NODE_FILE_EXT,
-                                                  &local_error);
-      if (local_error)
+      if (!meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, egl_device,
+                                         EGL_DRM_RENDER_NODE_FILE_EXT,
+                                         &device_path, &local_error))
         {
           g_warning ("Failed to query EGL render node path: %s",
                      local_error->message);
@@ -1837,13 +1836,13 @@ meta_wayland_dma_buf_manager_new (MetaWaylandCompositor  *compositor,
                                           "EGL_EXT_device_drm",
                                           NULL))
     {
-      device_path = meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, egl_device,
-                                                  EGL_DRM_DEVICE_FILE_EXT,
-                                                  &local_error);
-      if (local_error)
+      if (!meta_egl_query_device_string (egl, egl_device,
+                                         EGL_DRM_DEVICE_FILE_EXT,
+                                         &device_path, &local_error))
         {
           g_warning ("Failed to query EGL render node path: %s",
                      local_error->message);
+          g_clear_error (&local_error);
         }
     }