diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/Output.h b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/Output.h
index ebfda1f..4dfcfa4 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/Output.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/Output.h
@@ -150,6 +150,9 @@
     // Takes (moves) the set of layers being released this frame.
     virtual ReleasedLayers takeReleasedLayers() = 0;
 
+    // Signals that a frame is beginning on the output
+    virtual void beginFrame() = 0;
+
     // Prepares a frame for display
     virtual void prepareFrame() = 0;
 
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/Output.h b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/Output.h
index b454212..5f4a764 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/Output.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/Output.h
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@
     void setReleasedLayers(ReleasedLayers&&) override;
     ReleasedLayers takeReleasedLayers() override;
 
+    void beginFrame() override;
     void prepareFrame() override;
     void postFramebuffer() override;
 
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/Output.h b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/Output.h
index 8aaebc2..d494413 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/Output.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/Output.h
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@
     MOCK_METHOD1(setReleasedLayers, void(ReleasedLayers&&));
     MOCK_METHOD0(takeReleasedLayers, ReleasedLayers());
 
+    MOCK_METHOD0(beginFrame, void());
     MOCK_METHOD0(prepareFrame, void());
     MOCK_METHOD0(chooseCompositionStrategy, void());
 
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp
index 6d060e4..b411e0a 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp
@@ -251,6 +251,34 @@
     return std::move(mReleasedLayers);
 }
 
+void Output::beginFrame() {
+    const bool dirty = !getDirtyRegion(false).isEmpty();
+    const bool empty = mOutputLayersOrderedByZ.empty();
+    const bool wasEmpty = !mState.lastCompositionHadVisibleLayers;
+
+    // If nothing has changed (!dirty), don't recompose.
+    // If something changed, but we don't currently have any visible layers,
+    //   and didn't when we last did a composition, then skip it this time.
+    // The second rule does two things:
+    // - When all layers are removed from a display, we'll emit one black
+    //   frame, then nothing more until we get new layers.
+    // - When a display is created with a private layer stack, we won't
+    //   emit any black frames until a layer is added to the layer stack.
+    const bool mustRecompose = dirty && !(empty && wasEmpty);
+
+    const char flagPrefix[] = {'-', '+'};
+    static_cast<void>(flagPrefix);
+    ALOGV_IF("%s: %s composition for %s (%cdirty %cempty %cwasEmpty)", __FUNCTION__,
+             mustRecompose ? "doing" : "skipping", getName().c_str(), flagPrefix[dirty],
+             flagPrefix[empty], flagPrefix[wasEmpty]);
+
+    mRenderSurface->beginFrame(mustRecompose);
+
+    if (mustRecompose) {
+        mState.lastCompositionHadVisibleLayers = !empty;
+    }
+}
+
 void Output::prepareFrame() {
     ATRACE_CALL();
     ALOGV(__FUNCTION__);