diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.c b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.c
index 369d01d84..14956860e 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.c
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.c
@@ -543,6 +543,18 @@ apply_pending_state (MetaWaylandSurface      *surface,
   switch (surface->role)
     {
     case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_NONE:
+    case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_XWAYLAND:
+      /* For Xwayland windows, throttling frames when the window isn't actually
+       * drawn is less useful, because Xwayland still has to do the drawing
+       * sent from the application - the throttling would only be of sending us
+       * damage messages, so we simplify and send frame callbacks after the
+       * next paint of the screen, whether the window was drawn or not.
+       *
+       * Currently it may take a few frames before we draw the window, for not
+       * completely understood reasons, and in that case, not thottling frame
+       * callbacks to drawing has the happy side effect that we avoid showing
+       * the user the initial black frame from when the window is mapped empty.
+       */
     case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_CURSOR:
     case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_DND:
       wl_list_insert_list (&compositor->frame_callbacks, &pending->frame_callback_list);
@@ -560,6 +572,7 @@ apply_pending_state (MetaWaylandSurface      *surface,
   switch (surface->role)
     {
     case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_NONE:
+    case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_XWAYLAND:
       break;
     case META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_CURSOR:
       cursor_surface_commit (surface, pending);
diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.h b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.h
index 7efb65f42..3ac2834fd 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.h
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-surface.h
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ typedef enum
   META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_WL_SHELL_SURFACE,
   META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_CURSOR,
   META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_DND,
+  META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_XWAYLAND,
 } MetaWaylandSurfaceRole;
 
 typedef struct
diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-xwayland.c b/src/wayland/meta-xwayland.c
index cb7072466..ba2c19192 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-xwayland.c
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-xwayland.c
@@ -45,6 +45,16 @@ associate_window_with_surface (MetaWindow         *window,
   if (window->surface)
     window->surface->window = NULL;
 
+  if (!meta_wayland_surface_assign_role (surface,
+                                         META_WAYLAND_SURFACE_ROLE_XWAYLAND))
+    {
+      wl_resource_post_error (surface->resource,
+                              WL_DISPLAY_ERROR_INVALID_OBJECT,
+                              "wl_surface@%d already has a different role",
+                              wl_resource_get_id (surface->resource));
+      return;
+    }
+
   meta_wayland_surface_set_window (surface, window);
   window->surface = surface;