diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_context.c b/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_context.c
index 56ca890c395..8ba6fcbdea4 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_context.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_context.c
@@ -4092,6 +4092,7 @@ zink_context_create(struct pipe_screen *pscreen, void *priv, unsigned flags)
    ctx->base.set_patch_vertices = zink_set_patch_vertices;
 
    ctx->base.set_sample_mask = zink_set_sample_mask;
+   ctx->gfx_pipeline_state.sample_mask = UINT32_MAX;
 
    ctx->base.clear = zink_clear;
    ctx->base.clear_texture = zink_clear_texture;
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_pipeline.c b/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_pipeline.c
index b4f5d3a4383..0fceb9ebaaa 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_pipeline.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/zink/zink_pipeline.c
@@ -132,7 +132,13 @@ zink_create_gfx_pipeline(struct zink_screen *screen,
          warn_missing_feature("alphaToOne");
       ms_state.alphaToOneEnable = state->blend_state->alpha_to_one;
    }
-   ms_state.pSampleMask = state->sample_mask ? &state->sample_mask : NULL;
+   /* "If pSampleMask is NULL, it is treated as if the mask has all bits set to 1."
+    * - Chapter 27. Rasterization
+    * 
+    * thus it never makes sense to leave this as NULL since gallium will provide correct
+    * data here as long as sample_mask is initialized on context creation
+    */
+   ms_state.pSampleMask = &state->sample_mask;
    if (hw_rast_state->force_persample_interp) {
       ms_state.sampleShadingEnable = VK_TRUE;
       ms_state.minSampleShading = 1.0;