diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c
index dc99f3508..c05123580 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 #include "cogl-config.h"
 
+#include "cogl-mutter.h"
 #include "cogl-object.h"
 #include "cogl-private.h"
 #include "cogl-profile.h"
@@ -464,3 +465,10 @@ cogl_context_is_hardware_accelerated (CoglContext *context)
 {
   return context->driver_vtable->is_hardware_accelerated (context);
 }
+
+gboolean
+cogl_context_format_supports_upload (CoglContext *ctx,
+                                     CoglPixelFormat format)
+{
+  return ctx->texture_driver->format_supports_upload (ctx, format);
+}
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-mutter.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-mutter.h
index 2d48ce040..28b7ae043 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-mutter.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-mutter.h
@@ -48,4 +48,8 @@ void cogl_renderer_set_custom_winsys (CoglRenderer                *renderer,
                                       CoglCustomWinsysVtableGetter winsys_vtable_getter,
                                       void                        *user_data);
 
+COGL_EXPORT
+gboolean cogl_context_format_supports_upload (CoglContext     *ctx,
+                                              CoglPixelFormat  format);
+
 #endif /* __COGL_MUTTER_H___ */
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-texture-driver.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-texture-driver.h
index 240635f49..8fa0d86a1 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-texture-driver.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-texture-driver.h
@@ -128,6 +128,11 @@ struct _CoglTextureDriver
                       int width,
                       int height);
 
+
+  gboolean
+  (* format_supports_upload) (CoglContext *ctx,
+                              CoglPixelFormat format);
+
   /*
    * The driver may impose constraints on what formats can be used to store
    * texture data read from textures. For example GLES currently only supports
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-texture-driver-gl.c b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-texture-driver-gl.c
index 35c10c2d6..f254de711 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-texture-driver-gl.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-texture-driver-gl.c
@@ -396,6 +396,64 @@ _cogl_texture_driver_size_supported (CoglContext *ctx,
   return new_width != 0;
 }
 
+static gboolean
+_cogl_texture_driver_upload_supported (CoglContext *ctx,
+                                       CoglPixelFormat format)
+{
+  switch (format)
+    {
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_A_8:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_G_8:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RG_88:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGB_888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGR_888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_1010102:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_1010102_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_1010102:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_1010102_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_2101010:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_2101010_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_2101010:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_2101010_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGB_565:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_4444:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_4444_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_5551:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_5551_PRE:
+      return TRUE;
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_FP_16161616_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_FP_16161616_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_FP_16161616_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_FP_16161616_PRE:
+      if (_cogl_has_private_feature
+          (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_TEXTURE_FORMAT_HALF_FLOAT))
+        return TRUE;
+      else
+        return FALSE;
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_DEPTH_16:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_DEPTH_32:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_DEPTH_24_STENCIL_8:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ANY:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_YUV:
+      return TRUE;
+    }
+
+  g_assert_not_reached ();
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
 static CoglPixelFormat
 _cogl_texture_driver_find_best_gl_get_data_format
                                             (CoglContext *context,
@@ -419,5 +477,6 @@ _cogl_texture_driver_gl =
     _cogl_texture_driver_prep_gl_for_pixels_download,
     _cogl_texture_driver_gl_get_tex_image,
     _cogl_texture_driver_size_supported,
+    _cogl_texture_driver_upload_supported,
     _cogl_texture_driver_find_best_gl_get_data_format
   };
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-texture-driver-gles.c b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-texture-driver-gles.c
index f3cf3831e..c9d652cf5 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-texture-driver-gles.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-texture-driver-gles.c
@@ -439,6 +439,75 @@ _cogl_texture_driver_size_supported (CoglContext *ctx,
   return width <= max_size && height <= max_size;
 }
 
+static gboolean
+_cogl_texture_driver_upload_supported (CoglContext *ctx,
+                                       CoglPixelFormat format)
+{
+  switch (format)
+    {
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_A_8:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_G_8:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RG_88:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGB_888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGR_888:
+      return TRUE;
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_1010102:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_1010102_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_1010102:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_1010102_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_2101010:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_2101010_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_2101010:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_2101010_PRE:
+#if G_BYTE_ORDER == G_LITTLE_ENDIAN
+      if (_cogl_has_private_feature
+          (ctx,  COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_TEXTURE_FORMAT_RGBA1010102))
+        return TRUE;
+      else
+        return FALSE;
+#else
+      return FALSE;
+#endif
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_8888:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_8888_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGB_565:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_4444:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_4444_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_5551:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_5551_PRE:
+      return TRUE;
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_BGRA_FP_16161616_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ARGB_FP_16161616_PRE:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ABGR_FP_16161616_PRE:
+      return FALSE;
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_FP_16161616:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_RGBA_FP_16161616_PRE:
+      if (_cogl_has_private_feature
+          (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_TEXTURE_FORMAT_HALF_FLOAT))
+        return TRUE;
+      else
+        return FALSE;
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_DEPTH_16:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_DEPTH_32:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_DEPTH_24_STENCIL_8:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_ANY:
+    case COGL_PIXEL_FORMAT_YUV:
+      return TRUE;
+    }
+
+  g_assert_not_reached ();
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
 static CoglPixelFormat
 _cogl_texture_driver_find_best_gl_get_data_format
                                             (CoglContext *context,
@@ -463,5 +532,6 @@ _cogl_texture_driver_gles =
     _cogl_texture_driver_prep_gl_for_pixels_download,
     _cogl_texture_driver_gl_get_tex_image,
     _cogl_texture_driver_size_supported,
+    _cogl_texture_driver_upload_supported,
     _cogl_texture_driver_find_best_gl_get_data_format
   };