diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_context.h b/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_context.h
index 25b4920b480..86e30283bc2 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_context.h
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_context.h
@@ -324,6 +324,12 @@ struct fd_context {
     */
    int in_fence_fd dt;
 
+   /**
+    * If we *ever* see an in-fence-fd, assume that userspace is
+    * not relying on implicit fences.
+    */
+   bool no_implicit_sync;
+
    /* track last known reset status globally and per-context to
     * determine if more resets occurred since then.  If global reset
     * count increases, it means some other context crashed.  If
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_fence.c b/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_fence.c
index 82b63b2452d..da592de2b3f 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_fence.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_fence.c
@@ -237,6 +237,8 @@ fd_pipe_fence_server_sync(struct pipe_context *pctx, struct pipe_fence_handle *f
    if (!fence->use_fence_fd)
       return;
 
+   ctx->no_implicit_sync = true;
+
    assert(fence->fence);
    if (sync_accumulate("freedreno", &ctx->in_fence_fd, fence->fence->fence_fd)) {
       /* error */
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_resource.c b/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_resource.c
index 6216c6edd96..31a9a895ccc 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_resource.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/freedreno/freedreno_resource.c
@@ -702,6 +702,14 @@ fd_flush_resource(struct pipe_context *pctx, struct pipe_resource *prsc)
    struct fd_context *ctx = fd_context(pctx);
    struct fd_resource *rsc = fd_resource(prsc);
 
+   /* Flushing the resource is only required if we are relying on
+    * implicit-sync, in which case the rendering must be flushed
+    * to the kernel for the fence to be added to the backing GEM
+    * object.
+    */
+   if (ctx->no_implicit_sync)
+      return;
+
    flush_resource(ctx, rsc, PIPE_MAP_READ);
 
    /* If we had to flush a batch, make sure it makes it's way all the