diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
index ade8ffbddb0e..13d7971da409 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
@@ -1049,6 +1049,12 @@ int PipelineHandlerIPU3::registerCameras()
 		/* Initialize the camera properties. */
 		data->properties_ = cio2->sensor()->properties();
 
+		/*
+		 * \todo Make sure this is correct even after the stream is
+		 * configured to CIO2
+		 */
+		data->properties_.set(properties::MinNumRequests, 1);
+
 		ret = initControls(data.get());
 		if (ret)
 			continue;
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/raspberrypi/raspberrypi.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/raspberrypi/raspberrypi.cpp
index b22564938cdc..ccc8a2bedcc6 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/raspberrypi/raspberrypi.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/raspberrypi/raspberrypi.cpp
@@ -1035,6 +1035,12 @@ bool PipelineHandlerRPi::match(DeviceEnumerator *enumerator)
 	/* Initialize the camera properties. */
 	data->properties_ = data->sensor_->properties();
 
+	/*
+	 * \todo Make sure this is correct after the stream is configured for
+	 * any of the roles
+	 */
+	data->properties_.set(properties::MinNumRequests, 1);
+
 	/*
 	 * Set a default value for the ScalerCropMaximum property to show
 	 * that we support its use, however, initialise it to zero because
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/rkisp1/rkisp1.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/rkisp1/rkisp1.cpp
index adebe8b5c8cd..9a1b6d4f239f 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/rkisp1/rkisp1.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/rkisp1/rkisp1.cpp
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include <libcamera/ipa/core_ipa_interface.h>
 #include <libcamera/ipa/rkisp1_ipa_interface.h>
 #include <libcamera/ipa/rkisp1_ipa_proxy.h>
+#include <libcamera/property_ids.h>
 #include <libcamera/request.h>
 #include <libcamera/stream.h>
 
@@ -943,6 +944,7 @@ int PipelineHandlerRkISP1::createCamera(MediaEntity *sensor)
 
 	/* Initialize the camera properties. */
 	data->properties_ = data->sensor_->properties();
+	data->properties_.set(properties::MinNumRequests, 3);
 
 	/*
 	 * \todo Read dealy values from the sensor itself or from a
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/simple/simple.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/simple/simple.cpp
index e1ee640b0a92..42c53af28097 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/simple/simple.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/simple/simple.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 #include <libcamera/camera.h>
 #include <libcamera/control_ids.h>
+#include <libcamera/property_ids.h>
 #include <libcamera/request.h>
 #include <libcamera/stream.h>
 
@@ -425,6 +426,7 @@ int SimpleCameraData::init()
 	}
 
 	properties_ = sensor_->properties();
+	properties_.set(properties::MinNumRequests, 3);
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/uvcvideo/uvcvideo.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/uvcvideo/uvcvideo.cpp
index faa8d6b05f46..cb8f40dca279 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/uvcvideo/uvcvideo.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/uvcvideo/uvcvideo.cpp
@@ -525,6 +525,8 @@ int UVCCameraData::init(MediaDevice *media)
 	properties_.set(properties::PixelArraySize, resolution);
 	properties_.set(properties::PixelArrayActiveAreas, { Rectangle(resolution) });
 
+	properties_.set(properties::MinNumRequests, 1);
+
 	/* Initialise the supported controls. */
 	ControlInfoMap::Map ctrls;
 
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/vimc/vimc.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/vimc/vimc.cpp
index ce83dcaab8ea..ec991083b104 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/vimc/vimc.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/vimc/vimc.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <libcamera/formats.h>
 #include <libcamera/ipa/ipa_interface.h>
 #include <libcamera/ipa/ipa_module_info.h>
+#include <libcamera/property_ids.h>
 #include <libcamera/request.h>
 #include <libcamera/stream.h>
 
@@ -516,6 +517,8 @@ int VimcCameraData::init()
 	/* Initialize the camera properties. */
 	properties_ = sensor_->properties();
 
+	properties_.set(properties::MinNumRequests, 2);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libcamera/property_ids.yaml b/src/libcamera/property_ids.yaml
index 104e9aaf4fa3..55f96a78d1e7 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/property_ids.yaml
+++ b/src/libcamera/property_ids.yaml
@@ -678,6 +678,15 @@ controls:
         \todo Turn this property into a "maximum control value" for the
         ScalerCrop control once "dynamic" controls have been implemented.
 
+  - MinNumRequests:
+      type: int32_t
+      description: |
+        The bare minimum number of requests needed in the camera pipeline for
+        capture to be possible, as required by the driver. Note that this
+        quantity does not guarantee that frames won't be dropped or that manual
+        per-frame controls will be applied properly.
+
+
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   # Draft properties section