diff --git a/event.c b/event.c
index 4dfe28895..3028e32d6 100644
--- a/event.c
+++ b/event.c
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ event_handle_mousegrabber(int x, int y, uint16_t mask)
     if(globalconf.mousegrabber != LUA_REFNIL)
     {
         lua_rawgeti(globalconf.L, LUA_REGISTRYINDEX, globalconf.mousegrabber);
-        mousegrabber_handleevent(globalconf.L, x, y, mask);
+        luaA_mouse_pushstatus(globalconf.L, x, y);
         if(lua_pcall(globalconf.L, 1, 1, 0))
         {
             warn("error running function: %s", lua_tostring(globalconf.L, -1));
@@ -156,6 +156,37 @@ event_emit_button(xcb_button_press_event_t *ev)
     luaA_object_emit_signal(globalconf.L, -5, name, 4);
 }
 
+/** Update the global button state
+ * \param response_type XCB_BUTTON_PRESS or XCB_BUTTON_RELEASE
+ * \param button Button being changed
+ */
+static void
+event_update_button_state(uint8_t response_type, uint8_t button)
+{
+    /* There is no button 0! */
+    const unsigned int max_button = sizeof(globalconf.buttons_pressed) * 8;
+    uint32_t mask = 1 << (button - 1);
+
+    if (button > max_button) {
+        warn("Button %d pressed, but we only support %d buttons", button, max_button);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    switch(response_type)
+    {
+    case XCB_BUTTON_PRESS:
+        /* Set the (button-1)-st bit */
+        globalconf.buttons_pressed |= mask;
+        break;
+    case XCB_BUTTON_RELEASE:
+        /* Clear the (button-1)-st bit */
+        globalconf.buttons_pressed &= ~mask;
+        break;
+    default:
+        fatal("Invalid event type");
+    }
+}
+
 /** The button press event handler.
  * \param ev The event.
  */
@@ -167,6 +198,8 @@ event_handle_button(xcb_button_press_event_t *ev)
 
     globalconf.timestamp = ev->time;
 
+    event_update_button_state(ev->response_type, ev->detail);
+
     if(event_handle_mousegrabber(ev->root_x, ev->root_y, 1 << (ev->detail - 1 + 8)))
         return;
 
diff --git a/globalconf.h b/globalconf.h
index 3d78cfb6b..27ba51041 100644
--- a/globalconf.h
+++ b/globalconf.h
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ typedef struct
     button_array_t buttons;
     /** Modifiers masks */
     uint16_t numlockmask, shiftlockmask, capslockmask, modeswitchmask;
+    /** Bitmask for currently pressed buttons */
+    uint32_t buttons_pressed;
     /** Check for XTest extension */
     bool have_xtest;
     /** Clients list */
diff --git a/mouse.c b/mouse.c
index a1779aa15..6c6856448 100644
--- a/mouse.c
+++ b/mouse.c
@@ -32,11 +32,10 @@
  * \param x will be set to the Pointer-x-coordinate relative to window
  * \param y will be set to the Pointer-y-coordinate relative to window
  * \param child Will be set to the window under the pointer.
- * \param mask will be set to the current buttons state
  * \return true on success, false if an error occurred
  **/
-bool
-mouse_query_pointer(xcb_window_t window, int16_t *x, int16_t *y, xcb_window_t *child, uint16_t *mask)
+static bool
+mouse_query_pointer(xcb_window_t window, int16_t *x, int16_t *y, xcb_window_t *child)
 {
     xcb_query_pointer_cookie_t query_ptr_c;
     xcb_query_pointer_reply_t *query_ptr_r;
@@ -49,8 +48,6 @@ mouse_query_pointer(xcb_window_t window, int16_t *x, int16_t *y, xcb_window_t *c
 
     *x = query_ptr_r->win_x;
     *y = query_ptr_r->win_y;
-    if(mask)
-        *mask = query_ptr_r->mask;
     if(child)
         *child = query_ptr_r->child;
 
@@ -67,11 +64,11 @@ mouse_query_pointer(xcb_window_t window, int16_t *x, int16_t *y, xcb_window_t *c
  * \return True on success, false if an error occurred.
  */
 static bool
-mouse_query_pointer_root(int16_t *x, int16_t *y, xcb_window_t *child, uint16_t *mask)
+mouse_query_pointer_root(int16_t *x, int16_t *y, xcb_window_t *child)
 {
     xcb_window_t root = globalconf.screen->root;
 
-    if(mouse_query_pointer(root, x, y, child, mask))
+    if(mouse_query_pointer(root, x, y, child))
     {
         return true;
     }
@@ -106,7 +103,7 @@ luaA_mouse_index(lua_State *L)
 
     if(a_strcmp(attr, "screen") == 0)
     {
-        if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, NULL, NULL))
+        if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, NULL))
             return 0;
 
         screen  = screen_getbycoord(mouse_x, mouse_y);
@@ -150,7 +147,7 @@ luaA_mouse_newindex(lua_State *L)
  * \param mask The button mask.
  */
 int
-luaA_mouse_pushstatus(lua_State *L, int x, int y, uint16_t mask)
+luaA_mouse_pushstatus(lua_State *L, int x, int y)
 {
     lua_createtable(L, 0, 2);
     lua_pushnumber(L, x);
@@ -160,15 +157,15 @@ luaA_mouse_pushstatus(lua_State *L, int x, int y, uint16_t mask)
 
     lua_createtable(L, 5, 0);
 
-    int i = 1;
-
-    for(uint16_t maski = XCB_BUTTON_MASK_1; maski <= XCB_BUTTON_MASK_5; maski <<= 1)
+    const int max_button = sizeof(globalconf.buttons_pressed) * 8;
+    int mask = 1;
+    for (int i = 1; i <= max_button; i++, mask <<= 1)
     {
-        if(mask & maski)
+        if(globalconf.buttons_pressed & mask)
             lua_pushboolean(L, true);
         else
             lua_pushboolean(L, false);
-        lua_rawseti(L, -2, i++);
+        lua_rawseti(L, -2, i);
     }
     lua_setfield(L, -2, "buttons");
     return 1;
@@ -181,7 +178,6 @@ luaA_mouse_pushstatus(lua_State *L, int x, int y, uint16_t mask)
 static int
 luaA_mouse_coords(lua_State *L)
 {
-    uint16_t mask;
     int x, y;
     int16_t mouse_x, mouse_y;
 
@@ -190,7 +186,7 @@ luaA_mouse_coords(lua_State *L)
         luaA_checktable(L, 1);
         bool ignore_enter_notify = (lua_gettop(L) == 2 && luaA_checkboolean(L, 2));
 
-        if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, NULL, &mask))
+        if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, NULL))
             return 0;
 
         x = luaA_getopt_number(L, 1, "x", mouse_x);
@@ -207,10 +203,10 @@ luaA_mouse_coords(lua_State *L)
         lua_pop(L, 1);
     }
 
-    if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, NULL, &mask))
+    if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, NULL))
         return 0;
 
-    return luaA_mouse_pushstatus(L, mouse_x, mouse_y, mask);
+    return luaA_mouse_pushstatus(L, mouse_x, mouse_y);
 }
 
 /** Get the client which is under the pointer.
@@ -225,7 +221,7 @@ luaA_mouse_object_under_pointer(lua_State *L)
     int16_t mouse_x, mouse_y;
     xcb_window_t child;
 
-    if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, &child, NULL))
+    if(!mouse_query_pointer_root(&mouse_x, &mouse_y, &child))
         return 0;
 
     drawin_t *drawin;
diff --git a/mouse.h b/mouse.h
index db6909846..2a310a700 100644
--- a/mouse.h
+++ b/mouse.h
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@
 #include <xcb/xcb.h>
 #include <lua.h>
 
-bool mouse_query_pointer(xcb_window_t, int16_t *, int16_t *, xcb_window_t *, uint16_t *);
-int luaA_mouse_pushstatus(lua_State *, int, int, uint16_t);
+int luaA_mouse_pushstatus(lua_State *, int, int);
 
 #endif
 // vim: filetype=c:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=8:softtabstop=4:encoding=utf-8:textwidth=80
diff --git a/mousegrabber.c b/mousegrabber.c
index f603b3e4a..5cac8e918 100644
--- a/mousegrabber.c
+++ b/mousegrabber.c
@@ -59,18 +59,6 @@ mousegrabber_grab(xcb_cursor_t cursor)
     return false;
 }
 
-/** Handle mouse motion events.
- * \param L Lua stack to push the pointer motion.
- * \param x The received mouse event x component.
- * \param y The received mouse event y component.
- * \param mask The received mouse event bit mask.
- */
-void
-mousegrabber_handleevent(lua_State *L, int x, int y, uint16_t mask)
-{
-    luaA_mouse_pushstatus(L, x, y, mask);
-}
-
 /** Grab the mouse pointer and list motions, calling callback function at each
  * motion. The callback function must return a boolean value: true to
  * continue grabbing, false to stop.
diff --git a/mousegrabber.h b/mousegrabber.h
index 87f8d7c6b..04eee3140 100644
--- a/mousegrabber.h
+++ b/mousegrabber.h
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 #include <xcb/xcb.h>
 
 int luaA_mousegrabber_stop(lua_State *);
-void mousegrabber_handleevent(lua_State *, int, int, uint16_t);
 
 #endif
 // vim: filetype=c:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=8:softtabstop=4:encoding=utf-8:textwidth=80