diff --git a/dom/plugins/ipc/PPluginInstance.ipdl b/dom/plugins/ipc/PPluginInstance.ipdl
index 933ea9419e5..63597538168 100644
--- a/dom/plugins/ipc/PPluginInstance.ipdl
+++ b/dom/plugins/ipc/PPluginInstance.ipdl
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ using mozilla::gfxSurfaceType;
 using gfxIntSize;
 using mozilla::null_t;
 using mozilla::plugins::WindowsSharedMemoryHandle;
+using SurfaceDescriptorX11;
 using nsIntRect;
 using nsTextEvent;
 using nsKeyEvent;
@@ -66,12 +67,6 @@ using nsKeyEvent;
 namespace mozilla {
 namespace plugins {
 
-struct SurfaceDescriptorX11 {
-  int XID;
-  int xrenderPictID;
-  gfxIntSize size;
-};
-
 struct IOSurfaceDescriptor {
   uint32_t surfaceId;
 };
diff --git a/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceChild.cpp b/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceChild.cpp
index 479ffd3b760..2ab5c318ab7 100644
--- a/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceChild.cpp
+++ b/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceChild.cpp
@@ -3446,14 +3446,7 @@ PluginInstanceChild::RecvUpdateBackground(const SurfaceDescriptor& aBackground,
         switch (aBackground.type()) {
 #ifdef MOZ_X11
         case SurfaceDescriptor::TSurfaceDescriptorX11: {
-            SurfaceDescriptorX11 xdesc = aBackground.get_SurfaceDescriptorX11();
-            XRenderPictFormat pf;
-            pf.id = xdesc.xrenderPictID();
-            XRenderPictFormat *incFormat =
-                XRenderFindFormat(DefaultXDisplay(), PictFormatID, &pf, 0);
-            mBackground =
-                new gfxXlibSurface(DefaultScreenOfDisplay(DefaultXDisplay()),
-                                   xdesc.XID(), incFormat, xdesc.size());
+            mBackground = aBackground.get_SurfaceDescriptorX11().OpenForeign();
             break;
         }
 #endif
diff --git a/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceParent.cpp b/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceParent.cpp
index 2dafaa2ed42..d109dc22dec 100644
--- a/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceParent.cpp
+++ b/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginInstanceParent.cpp
@@ -535,14 +535,7 @@ PluginInstanceParent::RecvShow(const NPRect& updatedRect,
 #endif
 #ifdef MOZ_X11
     else if (newSurface.type() == SurfaceDescriptor::TSurfaceDescriptorX11) {
-        SurfaceDescriptorX11 xdesc = newSurface.get_SurfaceDescriptorX11();
-        XRenderPictFormat pf;
-        pf.id = xdesc.xrenderPictID();
-        XRenderPictFormat *incFormat =
-            XRenderFindFormat(DefaultXDisplay(), PictFormatID, &pf, 0);
-        surface =
-            new gfxXlibSurface(DefaultScreenOfDisplay(DefaultXDisplay()),
-                               xdesc.XID(), incFormat, xdesc.size());
+        surface = newSurface.get_SurfaceDescriptorX11().OpenForeign();
     }
 #endif
 #ifdef XP_WIN
diff --git a/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginMessageUtils.h b/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginMessageUtils.h
index 1d33ec9904e..b48ffb74e22 100644
--- a/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginMessageUtils.h
+++ b/dom/plugins/ipc/PluginMessageUtils.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #include "base/message_loop.h"
 
 #include "mozilla/ipc/RPCChannel.h"
+#include "gfxipc/ShadowLayerUtils.h"
 
 #include "npapi.h"
 #include "npruntime.h"
@@ -66,6 +67,8 @@ using mac_plugin_interposing::NSCursorInfo;
 namespace mozilla {
 namespace plugins {
 
+using layers::SurfaceDescriptorX11;
+
 enum ScriptableObjectType
 {
   LocalObject,