diff --git a/freedreno/freedreno-symbol-check b/freedreno/freedreno-symbol-check
index 002a3989..3216d487 100755
--- a/freedreno/freedreno-symbol-check
+++ b/freedreno/freedreno-symbol-check
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ fd_ringbuffer_emit_reloc_ring_full
 fd_ringbuffer_flush
 fd_ringbuffer_grow
 fd_ringbuffer_new
+fd_ringbuffer_new_flags
 fd_ringbuffer_new_object
 fd_ringbuffer_ref
 fd_ringbuffer_reloc
diff --git a/freedreno/freedreno_priv.h b/freedreno/freedreno_priv.h
index 84dbc5c6..e997ef07 100644
--- a/freedreno/freedreno_priv.h
+++ b/freedreno/freedreno_priv.h
@@ -115,10 +115,6 @@ drm_private int fd_bo_cache_free(struct fd_bo_cache *cache, struct fd_bo *bo);
 /* for where @table_lock is already held: */
 drm_private void fd_device_del_locked(struct fd_device *dev);
 
-enum fd_ringbuffer_flags {
-	FD_RINGBUFFER_OBJECT = 0x1,
-};
-
 struct fd_pipe_funcs {
 	struct fd_ringbuffer * (*ringbuffer_new)(struct fd_pipe *pipe, uint32_t size,
 			enum fd_ringbuffer_flags flags);
diff --git a/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.c b/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.c
index 80af736f..28fcc937 100644
--- a/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.c
+++ b/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.c
@@ -32,12 +32,19 @@
 #include "freedreno_priv.h"
 #include "freedreno_ringbuffer.h"
 
-static struct fd_ringbuffer *
-ringbuffer_new(struct fd_pipe *pipe, uint32_t size,
+drm_public struct fd_ringbuffer *
+fd_ringbuffer_new_flags(struct fd_pipe *pipe, uint32_t size,
 		enum fd_ringbuffer_flags flags)
 {
 	struct fd_ringbuffer *ring;
 
+	/* we can't really support "growable" rb's in general for
+	 * stateobj's since we need a single gpu addr (ie. can't
+	 * do the trick of a chain of IB packets):
+	 */
+	if (flags & FD_RINGBUFFER_OBJECT)
+		assert(size);
+
 	ring = pipe->funcs->ringbuffer_new(pipe, size, flags);
 	if (!ring)
 		return NULL;
@@ -55,18 +62,13 @@ ringbuffer_new(struct fd_pipe *pipe, uint32_t size,
 drm_public struct fd_ringbuffer *
 fd_ringbuffer_new(struct fd_pipe *pipe, uint32_t size)
 {
-	return ringbuffer_new(pipe, size, 0);
+	return fd_ringbuffer_new_flags(pipe, size, 0);
 }
 
 drm_public struct fd_ringbuffer *
 fd_ringbuffer_new_object(struct fd_pipe *pipe, uint32_t size)
 {
-	/* we can't really support "growable" rb's in general for
-	 * stateobj's since we need a single gpu addr (ie. can't
-	 * do the trick of a chain of IB packets):
-	 */
-	assert(size);
-	return ringbuffer_new(pipe, size, FD_RINGBUFFER_OBJECT);
+	return fd_ringbuffer_new_flags(pipe, size, FD_RINGBUFFER_OBJECT);
 }
 
 drm_public void fd_ringbuffer_del(struct fd_ringbuffer *ring)
diff --git a/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.h b/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.h
index b2e8024d..c5aebaf2 100644
--- a/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.h
+++ b/freedreno/freedreno_ringbuffer.h
@@ -39,6 +39,15 @@
 struct fd_ringbuffer_funcs;
 struct fd_ringmarker;
 
+enum fd_ringbuffer_flags {
+
+	/* Ringbuffer is a "state object", which is potentially reused
+	 * many times, rather than being used in one-shot mode linked
+	 * to a parent ringbuffer.
+	 */
+	FD_RINGBUFFER_OBJECT = 0x1,
+};
+
 struct fd_ringbuffer {
 	int size;
 	uint32_t *cur, *end, *start, *last_start;
@@ -52,7 +61,7 @@ struct fd_ringbuffer {
 	 */
 	void *user;
 
-	uint32_t flags;
+	enum fd_ringbuffer_flags flags;
 
 	/* This is a bit gross, but we can't use atomic_t in exported
 	 * headers.  OTOH, we don't need the refcnt to be publicly
@@ -70,8 +79,11 @@ struct fd_ringbuffer {
 
 struct fd_ringbuffer * fd_ringbuffer_new(struct fd_pipe *pipe,
 		uint32_t size);
+will_be_deprecated
 struct fd_ringbuffer * fd_ringbuffer_new_object(struct fd_pipe *pipe,
 		uint32_t size);
+struct fd_ringbuffer * fd_ringbuffer_new_flags(struct fd_pipe *pipe,
+		uint32_t size, enum fd_ringbuffer_flags flags);
 
 struct fd_ringbuffer *fd_ringbuffer_ref(struct fd_ringbuffer *ring);
 void fd_ringbuffer_del(struct fd_ringbuffer *ring);