diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.c b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.c
index e879458ec72..afaaf40a7af 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.c
@@ -137,12 +137,12 @@ remove_clip_vertex(nir_builder *b, nir_instr *instr, UNUSED void *_)
    return false;
 }
 
-static void
-r300_optimize_nir(struct nir_shader *s, struct pipe_screen *screen)
+void
+r300_optimize_nir(struct nir_shader *s, struct r300_screen *screen)
 {
-   bool is_r500 = r300_screen(screen)->caps.is_r500;
+   bool is_r500 = screen->caps.is_r500;
 
-   if (s->info.stage == MESA_SHADER_VERTEX && r300_screen(screen)->caps.has_tcl) {
+   if (s->info.stage == MESA_SHADER_VERTEX && screen->caps.has_tcl) {
       /* There is no HW support for gl_ClipVertex, so we just remove it early. */
       if (nir_shader_instructions_pass(s, remove_clip_vertex,
                                        nir_metadata_control_flow, NULL)) {
@@ -260,28 +260,3 @@ r300_check_control_flow(nir_shader *s)
 
    return NULL;
 }
-
-char *
-r300_finalize_nir(struct pipe_screen *pscreen, struct nir_shader *s)
-{
-   r300_optimize_nir(s, pscreen);
-
-   /* st_program.c's parameter list optimization requires that future nir
-    * variants don't reallocate the uniform storage, so we have to remove
-    * uniforms that occupy storage.  But we don't want to remove samplers,
-    * because they're needed for YUV variant lowering.
-    */
-   nir_remove_dead_derefs(s);
-   nir_foreach_uniform_variable_safe (var, s) {
-      if (var->data.mode == nir_var_uniform &&
-          (glsl_type_get_image_count(var->type) || glsl_type_get_sampler_count(var->type)))
-         continue;
-
-      exec_node_remove(&var->node);
-   }
-   nir_validate_shader(s, "after uniform var removal");
-
-   nir_sweep(s);
-
-   return NULL;
-}
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.h b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.h
index 302602279e6..cd971ac796e 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.h
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/compiler/r300_nir.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 #include "compiler/nir/nir.h"
 #include "pipe/p_screen.h"
+#include "r300_screen.h"
 
 static inline bool
 is_ubo_or_input(UNUSED struct hash_table *ht, const nir_alu_instr *instr, unsigned src,
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ bool r300_is_only_used_as_float(const nir_alu_instr *instr);
 
 char *r300_check_control_flow(nir_shader *s);
 
-char *r300_finalize_nir(struct pipe_screen *pscreen, struct nir_shader *nir);
+void r300_optimize_nir(struct nir_shader *s, struct r300_screen *screen);
 
 extern bool r300_transform_vs_trig_input(struct nir_shader *shader);
 
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_screen.c b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_screen.c
index f2ae281ecd4..a90a2e20663 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_screen.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_screen.c
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 #include "r300_screen_buffer.h"
 #include "r300_state_inlines.h"
 #include "r300_public.h"
-#include "compiler/r300_nir.h"
 
 #include "draw/draw_context.h"
 
@@ -711,7 +710,6 @@ struct pipe_screen* r300_screen_create(struct radeon_winsys *rws,
     r300screen->screen.get_name = r300_get_name;
     r300screen->screen.get_vendor = r300_get_vendor;
     r300screen->screen.get_compiler_options = r300_get_compiler_options;
-    r300screen->screen.finalize_nir = r300_finalize_nir;
     r300screen->screen.get_device_vendor = r300_get_device_vendor;
     r300screen->screen.get_disk_shader_cache = r300_get_disk_shader_cache;
     r300screen->screen.get_screen_fd = r300_screen_get_fd;
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_state.c b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_state.c
index 76d98bedaac..1154fa77158 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_state.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/r300/r300_state.c
@@ -1033,6 +1033,8 @@ static void* r300_create_fs_state(struct pipe_context* pipe,
     fs->state = *shader;
 
     if (fs->state.type == PIPE_SHADER_IR_NIR) {
+        r300_optimize_nir(shader->ir.nir, r300->screen);
+
         /* R300/R400 can not do any kind of control flow, so abort early here. */
         if (!r300->screen->caps.is_r500) {
             char *msg = r300_check_control_flow(shader->ir.nir);
@@ -1949,6 +1951,8 @@ static void* r300_create_vs_state(struct pipe_context* pipe,
     vs->state = *shader;
 
     if (vs->state.type == PIPE_SHADER_IR_NIR) {
+        r300_optimize_nir(shader->ir.nir, r300->screen);
+
         /* R300/R400 can not do any kind of control flow, so abort early here. */
         if (!r300->screen->caps.is_r500 && r300->screen->caps.has_tcl) {
             char *msg = r300_check_control_flow(shader->ir.nir);