diff --git a/include/gpu/GrRecordingContext.h b/include/gpu/GrRecordingContext.h
index 003111ee67..5f29423fff 100644
--- a/include/gpu/GrRecordingContext.h
+++ b/include/gpu/GrRecordingContext.h
@@ -128,8 +128,7 @@ protected:
     };
 
     GrRecordingContext(sk_sp<GrContextThreadSafeProxy>);
-
-    bool init() override;
+    void setupDrawingManager(bool reduceOpsTaskSplitting);
 
     void abandonContext() override;
 
diff --git a/src/gpu/GrDDLContext.cpp b/src/gpu/GrDDLContext.cpp
index 82c547503a..3919df4d9a 100644
--- a/src/gpu/GrDDLContext.cpp
+++ b/src/gpu/GrDDLContext.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,17 @@ public:
     }
 
 private:
+    bool init() override {
+        if (!INHERITED::init()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // DDL contexts/drawing managers always attempt to reduce opsTask splitting.
+        this->setupDrawingManager(/* reduceOpsTaskSplitting */true);
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
     // Add to the set of unique program infos required by this DDL
     void recordProgramInfo(const GrProgramInfo* programInfo) final {
         if (!programInfo) {
diff --git a/src/gpu/GrDirectContext.cpp b/src/gpu/GrDirectContext.cpp
index 1324a466af..5a32bac95a 100644
--- a/src/gpu/GrDirectContext.cpp
+++ b/src/gpu/GrDirectContext.cpp
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@
 #   endif
 #endif
 
+#ifdef SK_DISABLE_REDUCE_OPLIST_SPLITTING
+static const bool kDefaultReduceOpsTaskSplitting = false;
+#else
+static const bool kDefaultReduceOpsTaskSplitting = false;
+#endif
+
 #define ASSERT_SINGLE_OWNER GR_ASSERT_SINGLE_OWNER(this->singleOwner())
 
 GrDirectContext::GrDirectContext(GrBackendApi backend, const GrContextOptions& options)
@@ -207,6 +213,15 @@ bool GrDirectContext::init() {
         fShaderErrorHandler = GrShaderUtils::DefaultShaderErrorHandler();
     }
 
+    bool reduceOpsTaskSplitting = kDefaultReduceOpsTaskSplitting;
+    if (GrContextOptions::Enable::kNo == this->options().fReduceOpsTaskSplitting) {
+        reduceOpsTaskSplitting = false;
+    } else if (GrContextOptions::Enable::kYes == this->options().fReduceOpsTaskSplitting) {
+        reduceOpsTaskSplitting = true;
+    }
+
+    this->setupDrawingManager(reduceOpsTaskSplitting);
+
     GrDrawOpAtlas::AllowMultitexturing allowMultitexturing;
     if (GrContextOptions::Enable::kNo == this->options().fAllowMultipleGlyphCacheTextures ||
         // multitexturing supported only if range can represent the index + texcoords fully
diff --git a/src/gpu/GrDrawingManager.h b/src/gpu/GrDrawingManager.h
index a4cfd9d0d2..9795aad24a 100644
--- a/src/gpu/GrDrawingManager.h
+++ b/src/gpu/GrDrawingManager.h
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ private:
 
     GrTokenTracker                    fTokenTracker;
     bool                              fFlushing;
-    const bool                        fReduceOpsTaskSplitting;
+    bool                              fReduceOpsTaskSplitting;
 
     SkTArray<GrOnFlushCallbackObject*> fOnFlushCBObjects;
 
diff --git a/src/gpu/GrRecordingContext.cpp b/src/gpu/GrRecordingContext.cpp
index bd21b491c3..0ca23e06ed 100644
--- a/src/gpu/GrRecordingContext.cpp
+++ b/src/gpu/GrRecordingContext.cpp
@@ -50,11 +50,7 @@ int GrRecordingContext::maxSurfaceSampleCountForColorType(SkColorType colorType)
     return this->caps()->maxRenderTargetSampleCount(format);
 }
 
-bool GrRecordingContext::init() {
-    if (!INHERITED::init()) {
-        return false;
-    }
-
+void GrRecordingContext::setupDrawingManager(bool reduceOpsTaskSplitting) {
     GrPathRendererChain::Options prcOptions;
     prcOptions.fAllowPathMaskCaching = this->options().fAllowPathMaskCaching;
 #if GR_TEST_UTILS
@@ -68,16 +64,9 @@ bool GrRecordingContext::init() {
         prcOptions.fGpuPathRenderers &= ~GpuPathRenderers::kSmall;
     }
 
-    bool reduceOpsTaskSplitting = false;
-    if (GrContextOptions::Enable::kYes == this->options().fReduceOpsTaskSplitting) {
-        reduceOpsTaskSplitting = true;
-    } else if (GrContextOptions::Enable::kNo == this->options().fReduceOpsTaskSplitting) {
-        reduceOpsTaskSplitting = false;
-    }
     fDrawingManager.reset(new GrDrawingManager(this,
                                                prcOptions,
                                                reduceOpsTaskSplitting));
-    return true;
 }
 
 void GrRecordingContext::abandonContext() {