diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/pipeline_handler.h b/include/libcamera/internal/pipeline_handler.h
index e978557036..d7544642fb 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/pipeline_handler.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/pipeline_handler.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ class PipelineHandler : public std::enable_shared_from_this<PipelineHandler>,
 public:
 	struct Options {
 		unsigned int maxQueuedRequestsDevice = 32;
+		bool usesBufferPool = false;
 	};
 
 	PipelineHandler(CameraManager *manager, const Options &options);
@@ -110,9 +111,12 @@ private:
 	void mediaDeviceDisconnected(std::shared_ptr<MediaDevice> media);
 	virtual void disconnect();
 
+	[[nodiscard]] bool prepareRequest(Request *request);
 	void doQueueRequest(Request *request);
 	void doQueueRequests(Camera *camera);
 
+	void buffersAdded(Camera *camera);
+
 	std::vector<std::shared_ptr<MediaDevice>> mediaDevices_;
 	std::vector<std::weak_ptr<Camera>> cameras_;
 
diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/request.h b/include/libcamera/internal/request.h
index 922d14f14c..f5aae3c1dc 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/request.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/request.h
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ public:
 	Camera *camera() const { return camera_; }
 	bool hasPendingBuffers() const { return pending_ > 0; }
 
+	[[nodiscard]] Request::BufferMap &buffers() { return LIBCAMERA_O_PTR()->bufferMap_; } // \todo fixme suboptimal
+
 	ControlList &metadata() { return metadata_; }
 
 	bool completeBuffer(FrameBuffer *buffer);
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp
index efea534649..36e1509b2b 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp
@@ -78,6 +78,16 @@ LOG_DEFINE_CATEGORY(Pipeline)
  * queue, to be queued at a later stage.
  */
 
+/**
+ * \var PipelineHandler::Options::usesBufferPool
+ * \brief Whether or not the pipeline handler uses the camera's buffer pool
+ *
+ * If this option is set to \a false, then the pipeline handler base class
+ * will ensure that the requests have the necessary buffers when queueRequestDevice()
+ * is called. Otherwise it is the responsibility of the derived class to
+ * manage the buffers.
+ */
+
 /**
  * \brief Construct a PipelineHandler instance
  * \param[in] manager The camera manager
@@ -493,6 +503,38 @@ void PipelineHandler::queueRequest(Request *request)
 	doQueueRequests(camera);
 }
 
+bool PipelineHandler::prepareRequest(Request *request)
+{
+	if (!options_.usesBufferPool) {
+		Camera *camera = request->_d()->camera();
+		Camera::Private *data = camera->_d();
+		auto &buffers = request->_d()->buffers();
+
+		ASSERT(request->_d()->pending_ == buffers.size());
+
+		for (auto &[stream, buffer] : buffers) {
+			auto it = data->streamData_.find(stream);
+			ASSERT(it != data->streamData_.end());
+			ASSERT(it->second.active);
+
+			if (buffer)
+				continue;
+
+			auto &pool = it->second.buffers;
+			if (pool.empty())
+				return false;
+
+			buffer = pool.back();
+			pool.pop_back();
+
+			buffer->_d()->setRequest(request);
+			buffer->_d()->stream_ = stream;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true;
+}
+
 /**
  * \brief Queue one requests to the device
  */
@@ -514,6 +556,9 @@ void PipelineHandler::doQueueRequest(Request *request)
 	int ret = queueRequestDevice(camera, request);
 	if (ret)
 		cancelRequest(request);
+		// \todo what to do with buffers from pool? probably nothing?
+		// let's say it's the applications responsibility to process
+		// *all* buffers in *all* completed requests
 }
 
 /**
@@ -530,6 +575,8 @@ void PipelineHandler::doQueueRequests(Camera *camera)
 			break;
 
 		Request *request = data->waitingRequests_.front();
+		if (!prepareRequest(request))
+			break;
 
 		/*
 		 * Pop the request first, in case doQueueRequests() is called
@@ -625,6 +672,12 @@ void PipelineHandler::cancelRequest(Request *request)
 	completeRequest(request);
 }
 
+void PipelineHandler::buffersAdded(Camera *camera)
+{
+	if (!options_.usesBufferPool)
+		doQueueRequests(camera);
+}
+
 /**
  * \fn PipelineHandler::addBuffer()
  * \brief Add buffers to the buffer pool of the camera
@@ -679,18 +732,24 @@ void PipelineHandler::addBuffer(Camera *camera,
 			<< "Waiting on fence:" << buffer->_d()->fence()->fd().get()
 			<< " for stream:" << stream << " buffer:" << buffer;
 
-		it2->notifier.activated.connect(this, [=] {
+		it2->notifier.activated.connect(this, [=, this] {
 			LOG(Pipeline, Debug)
 				<< "Activated fence:" << it2->buffer->_d()->fence()->fd().get()
 				<< " for stream:" << it2->stream << " buffer:" << it2->buffer;
 
+			PipelineHandler *self = this;
+			Camera *cam = camera;
+
 			std::ignore = it2->buffer->releaseFence();
 			it->second.buffers.push_back(it2->buffer);
 			d->pendingFences_.erase(it2);
 			/* Lambda is now destroy, no captured variable should be accessed. */
+
+			self->buffersAdded(cam);
 		});
 	} else {
 		it->second.buffers.push_back(buffer);
+		buffersAdded(camera);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libcamera/request.cpp b/src/libcamera/request.cpp
index 4df8b0f1ad..5bb1617b51 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/request.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/request.cpp
@@ -79,6 +79,11 @@ Request::Private::~Private()
  * otherwise
  */
 
+/**
+ * \fn Request::Private::buffers()
+ * \copydoc Request::buffers()
+ */
+
 /**
  * \fn Request::Private::metadata()
  * \brief Retrieve the request's metadata