diff --git a/gsk/gpu/gskglimage.c b/gsk/gpu/gskglimage.c
index 23a8a64f1d..295bb4523a 100644
--- a/gsk/gpu/gskglimage.c
+++ b/gsk/gpu/gskglimage.c
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ gsk_gl_image_new_backbuffer (GskGLDevice    *device,
                                 &self->gl_type,
                                 swizzle);
   
-  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), format, width, height);
+  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), 0, format, width, height);
 
   /* texture_id == 0 means backbuffer */
 
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ gsk_gl_image_new (GskGLDevice    *device,
                                 &self->gl_type,
                                 swizzle);
   
-  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), format, width, height);
+  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), 0, format, width, height);
 
   glGenTextures (1, &self->texture_id);
   self->owns_texture = TRUE;
diff --git a/gsk/gpu/gskgpuframe.c b/gsk/gpu/gskgpuframe.c
index ac1ce3904e..2626d3e462 100644
--- a/gsk/gpu/gskgpuframe.c
+++ b/gsk/gpu/gskgpuframe.c
@@ -76,12 +76,12 @@ gsk_gpu_frame_cleanup (GskGpuFrame *self)
 }
 
 static GskGpuImage *
-gsk_gpu_frame_default_upload_texture (GskGpuFrame *frame,
+gsk_gpu_frame_default_upload_texture (GskGpuFrame *self,
                                       GdkTexture  *texture)
 {
   GskGpuImage *image;
 
-  image = gsk_gpu_upload_texture_op_try (frame, texture);
+  image = gsk_gpu_upload_texture_op_try (self, texture);
   if (image)
     g_object_ref (image);
 
diff --git a/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimage.c b/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimage.c
index dd8f8625c5..c3dfb8c3a2 100644
--- a/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimage.c
+++ b/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimage.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ typedef struct _GskGpuImagePrivate GskGpuImagePrivate;
 
 struct _GskGpuImagePrivate
 {
+  GskGpuImageFlags flags;
   GdkMemoryFormat format;
   gsize width;
   gsize height;
@@ -41,13 +42,15 @@ gsk_gpu_image_init (GskGpuImage *self)
 }
 
 void
-gsk_gpu_image_setup (GskGpuImage     *self,
-                     GdkMemoryFormat  format,
-                     gsize            width,
-                     gsize            height)
+gsk_gpu_image_setup (GskGpuImage      *self,
+                     GskGpuImageFlags  flags,
+                     GdkMemoryFormat   format,
+                     gsize             width,
+                     gsize             height)
 {
   GskGpuImagePrivate *priv = gsk_gpu_image_get_instance_private (self);
 
+  priv->flags = flags;
   priv->format = format;
   priv->width = width;
   priv->height = height;
@@ -77,6 +80,23 @@ gsk_gpu_image_get_height (GskGpuImage *self)
   return priv->height;
 }
 
+GskGpuImageFlags
+gsk_gpu_image_get_flags (GskGpuImage *self)
+{
+  GskGpuImagePrivate *priv = gsk_gpu_image_get_instance_private (self);
+
+  return priv->flags;
+}
+
+void
+gsk_gpu_image_set_flags (GskGpuImage      *self,
+                         GskGpuImageFlags  flags)
+{
+  GskGpuImagePrivate *priv = gsk_gpu_image_get_instance_private (self);
+
+  priv->flags |= flags;
+}
+
 void
 gsk_gpu_image_get_projection_matrix (GskGpuImage       *self,
                                      graphene_matrix_t *out_projection)
diff --git a/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimageprivate.h b/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimageprivate.h
index eaca0ef4a3..a4b1405c77 100644
--- a/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimageprivate.h
+++ b/gsk/gpu/gskgpuimageprivate.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ struct _GskGpuImageClass
 GType                   gsk_gpu_image_get_type                          (void) G_GNUC_CONST;
 
 void                    gsk_gpu_image_setup                             (GskGpuImage            *self,
+                                                                         GskGpuImageFlags        flags,
                                                                          GdkMemoryFormat         format,
                                                                          gsize                   width,
                                                                          gsize                   height);
@@ -38,6 +39,9 @@ void                    gsk_gpu_image_setup                             (GskGpuI
 GdkMemoryFormat         gsk_gpu_image_get_format                        (GskGpuImage            *self);
 gsize                   gsk_gpu_image_get_width                         (GskGpuImage            *self);
 gsize                   gsk_gpu_image_get_height                        (GskGpuImage            *self);
+GskGpuImageFlags        gsk_gpu_image_get_flags                         (GskGpuImage            *self);
+void                    gsk_gpu_image_set_flags                         (GskGpuImage            *self,
+                                                                         GskGpuImageFlags        flags);
 
 void                    gsk_gpu_image_get_projection_matrix             (GskGpuImage            *self,
                                                                          graphene_matrix_t      *out_projection);
diff --git a/gsk/gpu/gskgputypesprivate.h b/gsk/gpu/gskgputypesprivate.h
index 5c01d117cb..d1135d11fd 100644
--- a/gsk/gpu/gskgputypesprivate.h
+++ b/gsk/gpu/gskgputypesprivate.h
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ typedef struct _GskGpuOpClass           GskGpuOpClass;
 typedef struct _GskGpuShaderOp          GskGpuShaderOp;
 typedef struct _GskGpuShaderOpClass     GskGpuShaderOpClass;
 
+typedef enum {
+  GSK_GPU_IMAGE_EXTERNAL       = (1 << 0),
+} GskGpuImageFlags;
+
 typedef enum {
   GSK_GPU_SAMPLER_DEFAULT,
   GSK_GPU_SAMPLER_TRANSPARENT,
diff --git a/gsk/gpu/gskvulkanimage.c b/gsk/gpu/gskvulkanimage.c
index 39f313e094..5b3a2fcfd5 100644
--- a/gsk/gpu/gskvulkanimage.c
+++ b/gsk/gpu/gskvulkanimage.c
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ gsk_vulkan_image_new (GskVulkanDevice           *device,
   self->vk_image_layout = layout;
   self->vk_access = access;
 
-  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), format, width, height);
+  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), 0, format, width, height);
 
   GSK_VK_CHECK (vkCreateImage, vk_device,
                                 &(VkImageCreateInfo) {
@@ -743,7 +743,7 @@ gsk_vulkan_image_new_for_swapchain (GskVulkanDevice  *device,
   self->vk_image_layout = VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_UNDEFINED;
   self->vk_access = 0;
 
-  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), GDK_MEMORY_DEFAULT, width, height);
+  gsk_gpu_image_setup (GSK_GPU_IMAGE (self), 0, GDK_MEMORY_DEFAULT, width, height);
 
   gsk_vulkan_image_create_view (self,
                                 VK_NULL_HANDLE,