diff --git a/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh b/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh
index 7d3eb56a5..ea0291280 100644
--- a/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh
+++ b/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh
@@ -559,7 +559,12 @@ struct AlternateSet
 
     /* If alt_index is MAX_VALUE, randomize feature if it is the rand feature. */
     if (alt_index == HB_OT_MAP_MAX_VALUE && c->random)
+    {
+      /* Maybe we can do better than unsafe-to-break all; but since we are
+       * changing random state, it would be hard to track that.  Good 'nough. */
+      c->buffer->unsafe_to_break_all ();
       alt_index = c->random_number () % count + 1;
+    }
 
     if (unlikely (alt_index > count || alt_index == 0)) return_trace (false);
 
diff --git a/src/hb-ot-layout.cc b/src/hb-ot-layout.cc
index f68e5206c..8b80aca05 100644
--- a/src/hb-ot-layout.cc
+++ b/src/hb-ot-layout.cc
@@ -1933,8 +1933,6 @@ inline void hb_ot_map_t::apply (const Proxy &proxy,
       c.set_auto_zwj (lookups[table_index][i].auto_zwj);
       c.set_auto_zwnj (lookups[table_index][i].auto_zwnj);
       c.set_random (lookups[table_index][i].random);
-      if (c.random)
-	buffer->unsafe_to_break_all ();
 
       apply_string<Proxy> (&c,
 			   proxy.table.get_lookup (lookup_index),