diff --git a/generator/templates/dawn_wire/client/ApiProcs.cpp b/generator/templates/dawn_wire/client/ApiProcs.cpp
index 1b98d02..9273155 100644
--- a/generator/templates/dawn_wire/client/ApiProcs.cpp
+++ b/generator/templates/dawn_wire/client/ApiProcs.cpp
@@ -207,29 +207,27 @@
             }
         {% endfor %}
 
-        {% if not type.name.canonical_case() == "device" %}
-            //* When an object's refcount reaches 0, notify the server side of it and delete it.
-            void Client{{as_MethodSuffix(type.name, Name("release"))}}({{cType}} cObj) {
-                {{Type}}* obj = reinterpret_cast<{{Type}}*>(cObj);
-                obj->refcount --;
+        //* When an object's refcount reaches 0, notify the server side of it and delete it.
+        void Client{{as_MethodSuffix(type.name, Name("release"))}}({{cType}} cObj) {
+            {{Type}}* obj = reinterpret_cast<{{Type}}*>(cObj);
+            obj->refcount --;
 
-                if (obj->refcount > 0) {
-                    return;
-                }
-
-                DestroyObjectCmd cmd;
-                cmd.objectType = ObjectType::{{type.name.CamelCase()}};
-                cmd.objectId = obj->id;
-
-                obj->client->SerializeCommand(cmd);
-                obj->client->{{type.name.CamelCase()}}Allocator().Free(obj);
+            if (obj->refcount > 0) {
+                return;
             }
 
-            void Client{{as_MethodSuffix(type.name, Name("reference"))}}({{cType}} cObj) {
-                {{Type}}* obj = reinterpret_cast<{{Type}}*>(cObj);
-                obj->refcount ++;
-            }
-        {% endif %}
+            DestroyObjectCmd cmd;
+            cmd.objectType = ObjectType::{{type.name.CamelCase()}};
+            cmd.objectId = obj->id;
+
+            obj->client->SerializeCommand(cmd);
+            obj->client->{{type.name.CamelCase()}}Allocator().Free(obj);
+        }
+
+        void Client{{as_MethodSuffix(type.name, Name("reference"))}}({{cType}} cObj) {
+            {{Type}}* obj = reinterpret_cast<{{Type}}*>(cObj);
+            obj->refcount ++;
+        }
     {% endfor %}
 
     namespace {
@@ -238,12 +236,6 @@
             return nullptr;
         }
 
-        void ClientDeviceReference(WGPUDevice) {
-        }
-
-        void ClientDeviceRelease(WGPUDevice) {
-        }
-
         struct ProcEntry {
             WGPUProc proc;
             const char* name;
diff --git a/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerBase.h b/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerBase.h
index 19bf1aa..4c488ee 100644
--- a/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerBase.h
+++ b/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerBase.h
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
       protected:
         void DestroyAllObjects(const DawnProcTable& procs) {
             //* Free all objects when the server is destroyed
-            {% for type in by_category["object"] if type.name.canonical_case() != "device" %}
+            {% for type in by_category["object"] %}
                 {
                     std::vector<{{as_cType(type.name)}}> handles = mKnown{{type.name.CamelCase()}}.AcquireAllHandles();
                     for ({{as_cType(type.name)}} handle : handles) {
diff --git a/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerDoers.cpp b/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerDoers.cpp
index 3ebdedf..08b407a 100644
--- a/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerDoers.cpp
+++ b/generator/templates/dawn_wire/server/ServerDoers.cpp
@@ -73,23 +73,18 @@
         switch(objectType) {
             {% for type in by_category["object"] %}
                 case ObjectType::{{type.name.CamelCase()}}: {
-                    {% if type.name.CamelCase() == "Device" %}
-                        //* Freeing the device has to be done out of band.
+                    auto* data = {{type.name.CamelCase()}}Objects().Get(objectId);
+                    if (data == nullptr) {
                         return false;
-                    {% else %}
-                        auto* data = {{type.name.CamelCase()}}Objects().Get(objectId);
-                        if (data == nullptr) {
-                            return false;
-                        }
-                        {% if type.name.CamelCase() in server_reverse_lookup_objects %}
-                            {{type.name.CamelCase()}}ObjectIdTable().Remove(data->handle);
-                        {% endif %}
-                        if (data->handle != nullptr) {
-                            mProcs.{{as_varName(type.name, Name("release"))}}(data->handle);
-                        }
-                        {{type.name.CamelCase()}}Objects().Free(objectId);
-                        return true;
+                    }
+                    {% if type.name.CamelCase() in server_reverse_lookup_objects %}
+                        {{type.name.CamelCase()}}ObjectIdTable().Remove(data->handle);
                     {% endif %}
+                    if (data->handle != nullptr) {
+                        mProcs.{{as_varName(type.name, Name("release"))}}(data->handle);
+                    }
+                    {{type.name.CamelCase()}}Objects().Free(objectId);
+                    return true;
                 }
             {% endfor %}
             default:
diff --git a/src/dawn_wire/client/Client.cpp b/src/dawn_wire/client/Client.cpp
index d12bc57..51af5a6 100644
--- a/src/dawn_wire/client/Client.cpp
+++ b/src/dawn_wire/client/Client.cpp
@@ -61,12 +61,6 @@
             ObjectType objectType = static_cast<ObjectType>(&objectList - mObjects.data());
             while (!objectList.empty()) {
                 ObjectBase* object = objectList.head()->value();
-                if (object == mDevice) {
-                    // Note: We don't send a DestroyObject command for the device
-                    // since freeing a device object is done out of band.
-                    DeviceAllocator().Free(mDevice);
-                    continue;
-                }
 
                 DestroyObjectCmd cmd;
                 cmd.objectType = objectType;
diff --git a/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.cpp b/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.cpp
index a344581..bb5644b 100644
--- a/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.cpp
+++ b/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
                    MemoryTransferService* memoryTransferService)
         : mSerializer(serializer),
           mProcs(procs),
+          mDeviceOnCreation(device),
           mMemoryTransferService(memoryTransferService),
           mIsAlive(std::make_shared<bool>(true)) {
         if (mMemoryTransferService == nullptr) {
@@ -34,6 +35,10 @@
         auto* deviceData = DeviceObjects().Allocate(1);
         deviceData->handle = device;
 
+        // Take an extra ref. All objects may be freed by the client, but this
+        // one is externally owned.
+        mProcs.deviceReference(device);
+
         // Note: these callbacks are manually inlined here since they do not acquire and
         // free their userdata.
         mProcs.deviceSetUncapturedErrorCallback(
@@ -55,9 +60,8 @@
     Server::~Server() {
         // Un-set the error and lost callbacks since we cannot forward them
         // after the server has been destroyed.
-        WGPUDevice device = DeviceObjects().Get(1)->handle;
-        mProcs.deviceSetUncapturedErrorCallback(device, nullptr, nullptr);
-        mProcs.deviceSetDeviceLostCallback(device, nullptr, nullptr);
+        mProcs.deviceSetUncapturedErrorCallback(mDeviceOnCreation, nullptr, nullptr);
+        mProcs.deviceSetDeviceLostCallback(mDeviceOnCreation, nullptr, nullptr);
 
         DestroyAllObjects(mProcs);
     }
diff --git a/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.h b/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.h
index d503e81..867f29b 100644
--- a/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.h
+++ b/src/dawn_wire/server/Server.h
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@
         WireDeserializeAllocator mAllocator;
         ChunkedCommandSerializer mSerializer;
         DawnProcTable mProcs;
+        WGPUDevice mDeviceOnCreation;
         std::unique_ptr<MemoryTransferService> mOwnedMemoryTransferService = nullptr;
         MemoryTransferService* mMemoryTransferService = nullptr;
 
diff --git a/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireDisconnectTests.cpp b/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireDisconnectTests.cpp
index e68fbab..4c99ced 100644
--- a/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireDisconnectTests.cpp
+++ b/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireDisconnectTests.cpp
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@
     DeleteClient();
 
     // Expect release on all objects created by the client.
+    EXPECT_CALL(api, DeviceRelease(apiDevice)).Times(1);
     EXPECT_CALL(api, QueueRelease(apiQueue)).Times(1);
     EXPECT_CALL(api, CommandEncoderRelease(apiCommandEncoder)).Times(1);
     EXPECT_CALL(api, SamplerRelease(apiSampler)).Times(1);
diff --git a/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireMultipleDeviceTests.cpp b/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireMultipleDeviceTests.cpp
index f51354e..75cedcd 100644
--- a/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireMultipleDeviceTests.cpp
+++ b/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireMultipleDeviceTests.cpp
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
             serverDesc.procs = &mockProcs;
             serverDesc.serializer = mS2cBuf.get();
 
+            EXPECT_CALL(mApi, DeviceReference(mServerDevice));
             mWireServer.reset(new WireServer(serverDesc));
             mC2sBuf->SetHandler(mWireServer.get());
 
diff --git a/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireTest.cpp b/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireTest.cpp
index 2106b04..2609511 100644
--- a/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireTest.cpp
+++ b/src/tests/unittests/wire/WireTest.cpp
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
     serverDesc.serializer = mS2cBuf.get();
     serverDesc.memoryTransferService = GetServerMemoryTransferService();
 
+    EXPECT_CALL(api, DeviceReference(mockDevice));
     mWireServer.reset(new WireServer(serverDesc));
     mC2sBuf->SetHandler(mWireServer.get());
 
@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@
 
 void WireTest::DeleteServer() {
     EXPECT_CALL(api, QueueRelease(apiQueue)).Times(1);
+    EXPECT_CALL(api, DeviceRelease(apiDevice)).Times(1);
 
     if (mWireServer) {
         // These are called on server destruction to clear the callbacks. They must not be