diff --git a/dom/ipc/ContentChild.cpp b/dom/ipc/ContentChild.cpp
index 315a5df59f9..bee0f04e08e 100644
--- a/dom/ipc/ContentChild.cpp
+++ b/dom/ipc/ContentChild.cpp
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@
 #define getpid _getpid
 #endif
 
+#ifdef MOZ_X11
+#include "mozilla/X11Util.h"
+#endif
+
 #ifdef ACCESSIBILITY
 #include "nsIAccessibilityService.h"
 #endif
@@ -352,6 +356,13 @@ ContentChild::Init(MessageLoop* aIOLoop,
     Open(aChannel, aParentHandle, aIOLoop);
     sSingleton = this;
 
+#ifdef MOZ_X11
+    // Send the parent our X socket to act as a proxy reference for our X
+    // resources.
+    int xSocketFd = ConnectionNumber(DefaultXDisplay());
+    SendBackUpXResources(FileDescriptor(xSocketFd));
+#endif
+
 #ifdef MOZ_CRASHREPORTER
     SendPCrashReporterConstructor(CrashReporter::CurrentThreadId(),
                                   XRE_GetProcessType());
diff --git a/dom/ipc/ContentParent.cpp b/dom/ipc/ContentParent.cpp
index 3dbe4da4bc5..34b37f70b2f 100644
--- a/dom/ipc/ContentParent.cpp
+++ b/dom/ipc/ContentParent.cpp
@@ -3258,6 +3258,22 @@ ContentParent::RecvRemoveIdleObserver(const uint64_t& aObserver, const uint32_t&
   return true;
 }
 
+bool
+ContentParent::RecvBackUpXResources(const FileDescriptor& aXSocketFd)
+{
+#ifndef MOZ_X11
+    NS_RUNTIMEABORT("This message only makes sense on X11 platforms");
+#else
+    NS_ABORT_IF_FALSE(0 > mChildXSocketFdDup.get(),
+                      "Already backed up X resources??");
+    mChildXSocketFdDup.forget();
+    if (aXSocketFd.IsValid()) {
+      mChildXSocketFdDup.reset(aXSocketFd.PlatformHandle());
+    }
+#endif
+    return true;
+}
+
 } // namespace dom
 } // namespace mozilla
 
diff --git a/dom/ipc/ContentParent.h b/dom/ipc/ContentParent.h
index e8fd718caaa..521f107dc6d 100644
--- a/dom/ipc/ContentParent.h
+++ b/dom/ipc/ContentParent.h
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include "mozilla/ipc/GeckoChildProcessHost.h"
 #include "mozilla/dom/ipc/Blob.h"
 #include "mozilla/Attributes.h"
+#include "mozilla/FileUtils.h"
 #include "mozilla/HalTypes.h"
 #include "mozilla/LinkedList.h"
 #include "mozilla/StaticPtr.h"
@@ -534,6 +535,9 @@ private:
     virtual bool RecvRemoveIdleObserver(const uint64_t& observerId,
                                         const uint32_t& aIdleTimeInS) MOZ_OVERRIDE;
 
+    virtual bool
+    RecvBackUpXResources(const FileDescriptor& aXSocketFd) MOZ_OVERRIDE;
+
     // If you add strong pointers to cycle collected objects here, be sure to
     // release these objects in ShutDownProcess.  See the comment there for more
     // details.
@@ -586,6 +590,12 @@ private:
     nsConsoleService* GetConsoleService();
 
     nsDataHashtable<nsUint64HashKey, nsCOMPtr<ParentIdleListener> > mIdleListeners;
+
+#ifdef MOZ_X11
+    // Dup of child's X socket, used to scope its resources to this
+    // object instead of the child process's lifetime.
+    ScopedClose mChildXSocketFdDup;
+#endif
 };
 
 } // namespace dom
diff --git a/dom/ipc/PContent.ipdl b/dom/ipc/PContent.ipdl
index a64e9a39eb7..92459c6ed15 100644
--- a/dom/ipc/PContent.ipdl
+++ b/dom/ipc/PContent.ipdl
@@ -519,6 +519,20 @@ parent:
 
     AddIdleObserver(uint64_t observerId, uint32_t idleTimeInS);
     RemoveIdleObserver(uint64_t observerId, uint32_t idleTimeInS);
+
+    /**
+     * This message is only used on X11 platforms.
+     *
+     * Send a dup of the plugin process's X socket to the parent
+     * process.  In theory, this scheme keeps the plugin's X resources
+     * around until after both the plugin process shuts down *and* the
+     * parent process closes the dup fd.  This is used to prevent the
+     * parent process from crashing on X errors if, e.g., the plugin
+     * crashes *just before* a repaint and the parent process tries to
+     * use the newly-invalid surface.
+     */
+    BackUpXResources(FileDescriptor aXSocketFd);
+
 both:
      AsyncMessage(nsString aMessage, ClonedMessageData aData,
                   CpowEntry[] aCpows, Principal aPrincipal);