diff --git a/include/libweston/libweston.h b/include/libweston/libweston.h
index 4752cacef..a1f9e8951 100644
--- a/include/libweston/libweston.h
+++ b/include/libweston/libweston.h
@@ -1883,6 +1883,13 @@ struct weston_surface {
 	void *committed_private;
 	int (*get_label)(struct weston_surface *surface, char *buf, size_t len);
 
+	/*
+	 * Sent when the surface has been mapped and unmapped, respectively.
+	 * The data argument is the weston_surface.
+	 */
+	struct wl_signal map_signal;
+	struct wl_signal unmap_signal;
+
 	/* Parent's list of its sub-surfaces, weston_subsurface:parent_link.
 	 * Contains also the parent itself as a dummy weston_subsurface,
 	 * if the list is not empty.
diff --git a/libweston/compositor.c b/libweston/compositor.c
index e2e91b071..8026a7699 100644
--- a/libweston/compositor.c
+++ b/libweston/compositor.c
@@ -676,6 +676,8 @@ weston_surface_create(struct weston_compositor *compositor)
 
 	wl_signal_init(&surface->destroy_signal);
 	wl_signal_init(&surface->commit_signal);
+	wl_signal_init(&surface->map_signal);
+	wl_signal_init(&surface->unmap_signal);
 
 	surface->compositor = compositor;
 	surface->ref_count = 1;
@@ -2122,6 +2124,7 @@ WL_EXPORT void
 weston_surface_map(struct weston_surface *surface)
 {
 	surface->is_mapped = true;
+	weston_signal_emit_mutable(&surface->map_signal, surface);
 }
 
 WL_EXPORT void
@@ -2133,6 +2136,7 @@ weston_surface_unmap(struct weston_surface *surface)
 	wl_list_for_each(view, &surface->views, surface_link)
 		weston_view_unmap(view);
 	surface->output = NULL;
+	weston_signal_emit_mutable(&surface->unmap_signal, surface);
 }
 
 static void