diff --git a/src/mesa/drivers/common/meta.c b/src/mesa/drivers/common/meta.c
index 18ed6e7f168..65362935320 100644
--- a/src/mesa/drivers/common/meta.c
+++ b/src/mesa/drivers/common/meta.c
@@ -1468,6 +1468,8 @@ _mesa_meta_setup_drawpix_texture(struct gl_context *ctx,
          /* load image */
          _mesa_TexSubImage2D(tex->Target, 0,
                              0, 0, width, height, format, type, pixels);
+
+         _mesa_reference_buffer_object(ctx, &save_unpack_obj, NULL);
       }
    }
    else {