diff --git a/river/OutputManager.zig b/river/OutputManager.zig
index c11acd9..4415352 100644
--- a/river/OutputManager.zig
+++ b/river/OutputManager.zig
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ const c = @import("c.zig");
 const log = @import("log.zig");
 const util = @import("util.zig");
 
+const Output = @import("Output.zig");
 const Root = @import("Root.zig");
 const Server = @import("Server.zig");
 
@@ -56,7 +57,17 @@ fn handleNewOutput(listener: ?*c.wl_listener, data: ?*c_void) callconv(.C) void
     const self = @fieldParentPtr(Self, "listen_new_output", listener.?);
     const wlr_output = util.voidCast(c.wlr_output, data.?);
     log.debug(.output_manager, "new output {}", .{wlr_output.name});
-    self.root.addOutput(wlr_output);
+
+    const node = util.gpa.create(std.TailQueue(Output).Node) catch {
+        c.wlr_output_destroy(wlr_output);
+        return;
+    };
+    node.data.init(self.root, wlr_output) catch {
+        c.wlr_output_destroy(wlr_output);
+        return;
+    };
+
+    self.root.addOutput(node);
 }
 
 fn handleOutputPowerManagementSetMode(listener: ?*c.wl_listener, data: ?*c_void) callconv(.C) void {
diff --git a/river/Root.zig b/river/Root.zig
index 4029992..0c6f6e8 100644
--- a/river/Root.zig
+++ b/river/Root.zig
@@ -91,22 +91,16 @@ pub fn deinit(self: *Self) void {
     if (c.wl_event_source_remove(self.transaction_timer) < 0) unreachable;
 }
 
-pub fn addOutput(self: *Self, wlr_output: *c.wlr_output) void {
-    const node = util.gpa.create(std.TailQueue(Output).Node) catch {
-        c.wlr_output_destroy(wlr_output);
-        return;
-    };
-    node.data.init(self, wlr_output) catch {
-        c.wlr_output_destroy(wlr_output);
-        return;
-    };
+/// Adds the output in node.data to self.outputs
+/// The Output in node.data must be initalized
+pub fn addOutput(self: *Self, node: *std.TailQueue(Output).Node) void {
     self.outputs.append(node);
 
     // Add the new output to the layout. The add_auto function arranges outputs
     // from left-to-right in the order they appear. A more sophisticated
     // compositor would let the user configure the arrangement of outputs in the
     // layout. This automatically creates an output global on the wl_display.
-    c.wlr_output_layout_add_auto(self.wlr_output_layout, wlr_output);
+    c.wlr_output_layout_add_auto(self.wlr_output_layout, node.data.wlr_output);
 
     // if we previously had no real outputs, move focus from the noop output
     // to the new one.