diff --git a/src/freedreno/vulkan/tu_shader.cc b/src/freedreno/vulkan/tu_shader.cc
index 75f9a592fe9..25a9db3e46c 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/vulkan/tu_shader.cc
+++ b/src/freedreno/vulkan/tu_shader.cc
@@ -2766,6 +2766,45 @@ tu_shader_create(struct tu_device *dev,
    return VK_SUCCESS;
 }
 
+static void
+lower_io_to_scalar_early(nir_shader *nir, nir_variable_mode mask)
+{
+   bool progress = false;
+   NIR_PASS(progress, nir, nir_lower_io_to_scalar_early, mask);
+
+   if (progress) {
+      /* Optimize the new vector code and then remove dead vars. */
+      NIR_PASS(_, nir, nir_copy_prop);
+
+      if (mask & nir_var_shader_out) {
+         /* Optimize swizzled movs of load_const for nir_link_opt_varyings's
+          * constant propagation.
+          */
+         NIR_PASS(_, nir, nir_opt_constant_folding);
+
+         /* For nir_link_opt_varyings's duplicate input opt. */
+         NIR_PASS(_, nir, nir_opt_cse);
+      }
+
+      /* Run copy-propagation to help remove dead output variables (some
+       * shaders have useless copies to/from an output), so compaction later
+       * will be more effective.
+       *
+       * This will have been done earlier but it might not have worked because
+       * the outputs were vector.
+       */
+      NIR_PASS(_, nir, nir_opt_copy_prop_vars);
+
+      NIR_PASS(_, nir, nir_opt_dce);
+
+      const nir_remove_dead_variables_options var_opts = {
+         .can_remove_var =
+            (mask & nir_var_shader_out) ? nir_vk_is_not_xfb_output : NULL,
+      };
+      NIR_PASS(_, nir, nir_remove_dead_variables, mask, &var_opts);
+   }
+}
+
 static void
 tu_link_shaders(nir_shader **shaders, unsigned shaders_count)
 {
@@ -2781,6 +2820,9 @@ tu_link_shaders(nir_shader **shaders, unsigned shaders_count)
          continue;
       }
 
+      lower_io_to_scalar_early(producer, nir_var_shader_out);
+      lower_io_to_scalar_early(consumer, nir_var_shader_in);
+
       if (nir_link_opt_varyings(producer, consumer)) {
          NIR_PASS(_, consumer, nir_opt_constant_folding);
          NIR_PASS(_, consumer, nir_opt_algebraic);
@@ -2809,6 +2851,8 @@ tu_link_shaders(nir_shader **shaders, unsigned shaders_count)
          nir_lower_global_vars_to_local(consumer);
       }
 
+      NIR_PASS(_, producer, nir_lower_io_to_vector, nir_var_shader_out);
+      NIR_PASS(_, consumer, nir_lower_io_to_vector, nir_var_shader_in);
       consumer = producer;
    }