diff --git a/compositingprefs.cpp b/compositingprefs.cpp
index cf3bc1436b..a6d354a891 100644
--- a/compositingprefs.cpp
+++ b/compositingprefs.cpp
@@ -192,7 +192,8 @@ void CompositingPrefs::detect()
     }
 #else
     // HACK: This is needed for AIGLX
-    if (qstrcmp(qgetenv("KWIN_DIRECT_GL"), "1") != 0) {
+    const bool forceIndirect = qstrcmp(qgetenv("LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT"), "1") == 0;
+    if (!forceIndirect && qstrcmp(qgetenv("KWIN_DIRECT_GL"), "1") != 0) {
         // Start an external helper program that initializes GLX and returns
         // 0 if we can use direct rendering, and 1 otherwise.
         // The reason we have to use an external program is that after GLX
@@ -201,8 +202,14 @@ void CompositingPrefs::detect()
         // Direct rendering is preferred, since not all OpenGL extensions are
         // available with indirect rendering.
         const QString opengl_test = KStandardDirs::findExe("kwin_opengl_test");
-        if (QProcess::execute(opengl_test) != 0)
+        if (QProcess::execute(opengl_test) != 0) {
+            mEnableDirectRendering = false;
             setenv("LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT", "1", true);
+        } else {
+            mEnableDirectRendering = true;
+        }
+    } else {
+        mEnableDirectRendering = !forceIndirect;
     }
     if (!hasGlx()) {
         kDebug(1212) << "No GLX available";
diff --git a/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.cpp b/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.cpp
index f39ace1730..02d9957744 100644
--- a/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.cpp
+++ b/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.cpp
@@ -123,7 +123,6 @@ KWinCompositingConfig::KWinCompositingConfig(QWidget *parent, const QVariantList
     connect(ui.glScaleFilter, SIGNAL(currentIndexChanged(int)), this, SLOT(changed()));
     connect(ui.xrScaleFilter, SIGNAL(currentIndexChanged(int)), this, SLOT(changed()));
 
-    connect(ui.glDirect, SIGNAL(toggled(bool)), this, SLOT(changed()));
     connect(ui.glVSync, SIGNAL(toggled(bool)), this, SLOT(changed()));
     connect(ui.glShaders, SIGNAL(toggled(bool)), this, SLOT(changed()));
 
@@ -395,7 +394,6 @@ void KWinCompositingConfig::loadAdvancedTab()
     ui.xrScaleFilter->setCurrentIndex((int)config.readEntry("XRenderSmoothScale", false));
     ui.glScaleFilter->setCurrentIndex(config.readEntry("GLTextureFilter", 2));
 
-    ui.glDirect->setChecked(config.readEntry("GLDirect", mDefaultPrefs.enableDirectRendering()));
     ui.glVSync->setChecked(config.readEntry("GLVSync", mDefaultPrefs.enableVSync()));
     ui.glShaders->setChecked(!config.readEntry<bool>("GLLegacy", false));
 
@@ -551,8 +549,6 @@ bool KWinCompositingConfig::saveAdvancedTab()
 
     if (config.readEntry("Backend", "OpenGL")
             != ((ui.compositingType->currentIndex() == OPENGL_INDEX) ? "OpenGL" : "XRender")
-            || config.readEntry("GLDirect", mDefaultPrefs.enableDirectRendering())
-            != ui.glDirect->isChecked()
             || config.readEntry("GLVSync", mDefaultPrefs.enableVSync()) != ui.glVSync->isChecked()
             || config.readEntry<bool>("GLLegacy", false) == ui.glShaders->isChecked()) {
         m_showConfirmDialog = true;
@@ -569,7 +565,6 @@ bool KWinCompositingConfig::saveAdvancedTab()
     config.writeEntry("XRenderSmoothScale", ui.xrScaleFilter->currentIndex() == 1);
     config.writeEntry("GLTextureFilter", ui.glScaleFilter->currentIndex());
 
-    config.writeEntry("GLDirect", ui.glDirect->isChecked());
     config.writeEntry("GLVSync", ui.glVSync->isChecked());
     config.writeEntry("GLLegacy", !ui.glShaders->isChecked());
 
@@ -721,7 +716,6 @@ void KWinCompositingConfig::defaults()
     ui.unredirectFullscreen->setChecked(false);
     ui.xrScaleFilter->setCurrentIndex(0);
     ui.glScaleFilter->setCurrentIndex(2);
-    ui.glDirect->setChecked(mDefaultPrefs.enableDirectRendering());
     ui.glVSync->setChecked(mDefaultPrefs.enableVSync());
     ui.glShaders->setChecked(true);
 }
diff --git a/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.ui b/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.ui
index ed3da09314..4954ceff5c 100644
--- a/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.ui
+++ b/kcmkwin/kwincompositing/main.ui
@@ -771,17 +771,7 @@ p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; }
           <bool>true</bool>
          </property>
          <layout class="QGridLayout" name="gridLayout_4">
-          <item row="0" column="0" colspan="2">
-           <widget class="QCheckBox" name="glDirect">
-            <property name="text">
-             <string>Enable direct rendering</string>
-            </property>
-            <property name="checked">
-             <bool>false</bool>
-            </property>
-           </widget>
-          </item>
-          <item row="2" column="0" colspan="2">
+          <item row="1" column="0" colspan="2">
            <widget class="QCheckBox" name="glVSync">
             <property name="text">
              <string>Use VSync</string>
@@ -791,7 +781,7 @@ p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; }
             </property>
            </widget>
           </item>
-          <item row="1" column="0">
+          <item row="0" column="0">
            <widget class="QCheckBox" name="glShaders">
             <property name="toolTip">
              <string>If enabled all rendering will be performed with Shaders written in the OpenGL Shading Language.
diff --git a/options.cpp b/options.cpp
index 09a3163e27..8cd8a87ab5 100644
--- a/options.cpp
+++ b/options.cpp
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ void Options::reloadCompositingSettings(bool force)
     prefs.detect();
 
     useCompositing = config.readEntry("Enabled" , prefs.recommendCompositing());
-    glDirect = config.readEntry("GLDirect", prefs.enableDirectRendering());
+    glDirect = prefs.enableDirectRendering();
     glVSync = config.readEntry("GLVSync", prefs.enableVSync());
     glSmoothScale = qBound(-1, config.readEntry("GLTextureFilter", 2), 2);
     glStrictBinding = config.readEntry("GLStrictBinding", prefs.strictBinding());