diff --git a/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanCommands.cpp b/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanCommands.cpp
index 39674fc0b44d..f5b8e9029ab8 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanCommands.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanCommands.cpp
@@ -268,13 +268,18 @@ bool VulkanCommands::flush() {
             VK_NULL_HANDLE,
             VK_NULL_HANDLE,
     };
-
+    uint32_t waitSemaphoreCount = 0;
+    if (mSubmissionSignal) {
+        signals[waitSemaphoreCount++] = mSubmissionSignal;
+    }
+    if (mInjectedSignal) {
+        signals[waitSemaphoreCount++] = mInjectedSignal;
+    }
     VkCommandBuffer const cmdbuffer = currentbuf->buffer();
-
     VkSubmitInfo submitInfo{
             .sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_SUBMIT_INFO,
-            .waitSemaphoreCount = 0,
-            .pWaitSemaphores = signals,
+            .waitSemaphoreCount = waitSemaphoreCount,
+            .pWaitSemaphores = waitSemaphoreCount > 0 ? signals : nullptr,
             .pWaitDstStageMask = waitDestStageMasks,
             .commandBufferCount = 1,
             .pCommandBuffers = &cmdbuffer,
@@ -282,19 +287,6 @@ bool VulkanCommands::flush() {
             .pSignalSemaphores = &renderingFinished,
     };
 
-    if (mSubmissionSignal) {
-        signals[submitInfo.waitSemaphoreCount++] = mSubmissionSignal;
-    }
-
-    if (mInjectedSignal) {
-        signals[submitInfo.waitSemaphoreCount++] = mInjectedSignal;
-    }
-
-    // To address a validation warning.
-    if (submitInfo.waitSemaphoreCount == 0) {
-        submitInfo.pWaitSemaphores = VK_NULL_HANDLE;
-    }
-
 #if FVK_ENABLED(FVK_DEBUG_COMMAND_BUFFER)
     slog.i << "Submitting cmdbuffer=" << cmdbuffer
            << " wait=(" << signals[0] << ", " << signals[1] << ") "
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanSwapChain.cpp b/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanSwapChain.cpp
index e85844f951a5..af18e36fcc61 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanSwapChain.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/vulkan/VulkanSwapChain.cpp
@@ -99,11 +99,16 @@ void VulkanSwapChain::present() {
         mColors[mCurrentSwapIndex]->transitionLayout(cmdbuf, subresources, VulkanLayout::PRESENT);
     }
     mCommands->flush();
-    VkSemaphore const finishedDrawing = mCommands->acquireFinishedSignal();
-    VkResult const result = mPlatform->present(swapChain, mCurrentSwapIndex, finishedDrawing);
-    ASSERT_POSTCONDITION(result == VK_SUCCESS || result == VK_SUBOPTIMAL_KHR
-                                 || result == VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DATE_KHR,
-            "Cannot present in swapchain.");
+
+    // We only present if it is not headless.  No-op for headless (but note that we still need the
+    // flush() in the above line).
+    if (!mHeadless) {
+        VkSemaphore const finishedDrawing = mCommands->acquireFinishedSignal();
+        VkResult const result = mPlatform->present(swapChain, mCurrentSwapIndex, finishedDrawing);
+        ASSERT_POSTCONDITION(result == VK_SUCCESS || result == VK_SUBOPTIMAL_KHR ||
+                                     result == VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DATE_KHR,
+                "Cannot present in swapchain.");
+    }
 
     // We presented the last acquired buffer.
     mAcquired = false;