diff --git a/frontend/main.c b/frontend/main.c
index c35a16077..2288b7778 100644
--- a/frontend/main.c
+++ b/frontend/main.c
@@ -4683,6 +4683,8 @@ wet_main(int argc, char *argv[], const struct weston_testsuite_data *test_data)
 		weston_compositor_add_screenshot_authority(wet.compositor,
 							   &wet.screenshot_auth,
 							   screenshot_allow_all);
+
+		weston_compositor_arm_surface_counter_fps(wet.compositor);
 	}
 
 	if (flight_rec)
diff --git a/include/libweston/libweston.h b/include/libweston/libweston.h
index c95287a6e..fd018714a 100644
--- a/include/libweston/libweston.h
+++ b/include/libweston/libweston.h
@@ -2896,6 +2896,12 @@ weston_output_set_vrr_mode(struct weston_output *output,
 uint32_t
 weston_output_get_supported_vrr_modes(struct weston_output *output);
 
+void
+weston_compositor_arm_surface_counter_fps(struct weston_compositor *ec);
+
+void
+weston_compositor_disarm_surface_counter_fps(struct weston_compositor *ec);
+
 #ifdef  __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/libweston/compositor.c b/libweston/compositor.c
index 652517288..bf8620539 100644
--- a/libweston/compositor.c
+++ b/libweston/compositor.c
@@ -9718,11 +9718,23 @@ weston_compositor_create_surface_counter_fps(struct weston_compositor *ec, uint3
 
 	ec->perf_surface_stats.frame_counter_timer =
 		wl_event_loop_add_timer(loop, surface_statistics_timer_handler, ec);
+}
 
+WL_EXPORT void
+weston_compositor_arm_surface_counter_fps(struct weston_compositor *ec)
+{
+	assert(ec->perf_surface_stats.frame_counter_timer);
 	wl_event_source_timer_update(ec->perf_surface_stats.frame_counter_timer,
 				     1000 * ec->perf_surface_stats.frame_counter_interval);
 }
 
+WL_EXPORT void
+weston_compositor_disarm_surface_counter_fps(struct weston_compositor *ec)
+{
+	assert(ec->perf_surface_stats.frame_counter_timer);
+	wl_event_source_timer_update(ec->perf_surface_stats.frame_counter_timer, 0);
+}
+
 /**
  * Called when the 'scene-graph' debug scope is bound by a client. This
  * one-shot weston-debug scope prints the current scene graph when bound,