diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.cpp
index 0d0f98d..e5ecf07 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.cpp
@@ -199,8 +199,8 @@
     mPageFlipCount++;
 }
 
-status_t DisplayDevice::beginFrame() const {
-    return mDisplaySurface->beginFrame();
+status_t DisplayDevice::beginFrame(bool mustRecompose) const {
+    return mDisplaySurface->beginFrame(mustRecompose);
 }
 
 status_t DisplayDevice::prepareFrame(const HWComposer& hwc) const {
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.h b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.h
index 01a9d2e..f750c6c 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayDevice.h
@@ -124,7 +124,9 @@
     int32_t                 getHwcDisplayId() const { return mHwcDisplayId; }
     const wp<IBinder>&      getDisplayToken() const { return mDisplayToken; }
 
-    status_t beginFrame() const;
+    // We pass in mustRecompose so we can keep VirtualDisplaySurface's state
+    // machine happy without actually queueing a buffer if nothing has changed
+    status_t beginFrame(bool mustRecompose) const;
     status_t prepareFrame(const HWComposer& hwc) const;
 
     void swapBuffers(HWComposer& hwc) const;
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/DisplaySurface.h b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/DisplaySurface.h
index 48bf3f2..1db3eb8 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/DisplaySurface.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/DisplaySurface.h
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@
     // beginFrame is called at the beginning of the composition loop, before
     // the configuration is known. The DisplaySurface should do anything it
     // needs to do to enable HWComposer to decide how to compose the frame.
-    virtual status_t beginFrame() = 0;
+    // We pass in mustRecompose so we can keep VirtualDisplaySurface's state
+    // machine happy without actually queueing a buffer if nothing has changed.
+    virtual status_t beginFrame(bool mustRecompose) = 0;
 
     // prepareFrame is called after the composition configuration is known but
     // before composition takes place. The DisplaySurface can use the
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.cpp
index 8c634ed..0f34764 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.cpp
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
     mConsumer->setDefaultMaxBufferCount(NUM_FRAMEBUFFER_SURFACE_BUFFERS);
 }
 
-status_t FramebufferSurface::beginFrame() {
+status_t FramebufferSurface::beginFrame(bool mustRecompose) {
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
 
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.h b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.h
index 1d67446..ba72ce3 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/FramebufferSurface.h
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 public:
     FramebufferSurface(HWComposer& hwc, int disp, const sp<IGraphicBufferConsumer>& consumer);
 
-    virtual status_t beginFrame();
+    virtual status_t beginFrame(bool mustRecompose);
     virtual status_t prepareFrame(CompositionType compositionType);
     virtual status_t compositionComplete();
     virtual status_t advanceFrame();
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.cpp
index d7fef8c..a1820ab 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.cpp
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@
     mOutputUsage(GRALLOC_USAGE_HW_COMPOSER),
     mProducerSlotSource(0),
     mDbgState(DBG_STATE_IDLE),
-    mDbgLastCompositionType(COMPOSITION_UNKNOWN)
+    mDbgLastCompositionType(COMPOSITION_UNKNOWN),
+    mMustRecompose(false)
 {
     mSource[SOURCE_SINK] = sink;
     mSource[SOURCE_SCRATCH] = bq;
@@ -92,10 +93,12 @@
 VirtualDisplaySurface::~VirtualDisplaySurface() {
 }
 
-status_t VirtualDisplaySurface::beginFrame() {
+status_t VirtualDisplaySurface::beginFrame(bool mustRecompose) {
     if (mDisplayId < 0)
         return NO_ERROR;
 
+    mMustRecompose = mustRecompose;
+
     VDS_LOGW_IF(mDbgState != DBG_STATE_IDLE,
             "Unexpected beginFrame() in %s state", dbgStateStr());
     mDbgState = DBG_STATE_BEGUN;
@@ -228,16 +231,24 @@
         QueueBufferOutput qbo;
         sp<Fence> outFence = mHwc.getLastRetireFence(mDisplayId);
         VDS_LOGV("onFrameCommitted: queue sink sslot=%d", sslot);
-        status_t result = mSource[SOURCE_SINK]->queueBuffer(sslot,
-                QueueBufferInput(
-                    systemTime(), false /* isAutoTimestamp */,
-                    Rect(mSinkBufferWidth, mSinkBufferHeight),
-                    NATIVE_WINDOW_SCALING_MODE_FREEZE, 0 /* transform */,
-                    true /* async*/,
-                    outFence),
-                &qbo);
-        if (result == NO_ERROR) {
-            updateQueueBufferOutput(qbo);
+        if (mMustRecompose) {
+            status_t result = mSource[SOURCE_SINK]->queueBuffer(sslot,
+                    QueueBufferInput(
+                        systemTime(), false /* isAutoTimestamp */,
+                        Rect(mSinkBufferWidth, mSinkBufferHeight),
+                        NATIVE_WINDOW_SCALING_MODE_FREEZE, 0 /* transform */,
+                        true /* async*/,
+                        outFence),
+                    &qbo);
+            if (result == NO_ERROR) {
+                updateQueueBufferOutput(qbo);
+            }
+        } else {
+            // If the surface hadn't actually been updated, then we only went
+            // through the motions of updating the display to keep our state
+            // machine happy. We cancel the buffer to avoid triggering another
+            // re-composition and causing an infinite loop.
+            mSource[SOURCE_SINK]->cancelBuffer(sslot, outFence);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.h b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.h
index 1e85ac4..6899904 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/DisplayHardware/VirtualDisplaySurface.h
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
     //
     // DisplaySurface interface
     //
-    virtual status_t beginFrame();
+    virtual status_t beginFrame(bool mustRecompose);
     virtual status_t prepareFrame(CompositionType compositionType);
     virtual status_t compositionComplete();
     virtual status_t advanceFrame();
@@ -222,6 +222,8 @@
 
     const char* dbgStateStr() const;
     static const char* dbgSourceStr(Source s);
+
+    bool mMustRecompose;
 };
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/SurfaceFlinger.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/SurfaceFlinger.cpp
index 40ca8eb..9f687e2 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/SurfaceFlinger.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/SurfaceFlinger.cpp
@@ -882,7 +882,9 @@
 
 void SurfaceFlinger::setUpHWComposer() {
     for (size_t dpy=0 ; dpy<mDisplays.size() ; dpy++) {
-        mDisplays[dpy]->beginFrame();
+        bool mustRecompose =
+                !(mDisplays[dpy]->getDirtyRegion(false).isEmpty());
+        mDisplays[dpy]->beginFrame(mustRecompose);
     }
 
     HWComposer& hwc(getHwComposer());
@@ -1500,6 +1502,15 @@
 void SurfaceFlinger::doDisplayComposition(const sp<const DisplayDevice>& hw,
         const Region& inDirtyRegion)
 {
+    // We only need to actually compose the display if:
+    // 1) It is being handled by hardware composer, which may need this to
+    //    keep its virtual display state machine in sync, or
+    // 2) There is work to be done (the dirty region isn't empty)
+    bool isHwcDisplay = hw->getHwcDisplayId() >= 0;
+    if (!isHwcDisplay && inDirtyRegion.isEmpty()) {
+        return;
+    }
+
     Region dirtyRegion(inDirtyRegion);
 
     // compute the invalid region