diff --git a/vp9/encoder/vp9_bitstream.c b/vp9/encoder/vp9_bitstream.c
index b4d4ef530..bab6a9767 100644
--- a/vp9/encoder/vp9_bitstream.c
+++ b/vp9/encoder/vp9_bitstream.c
@@ -1090,12 +1090,11 @@ static void write_frame_size(VP9_COMP *cpi,
 static void write_frame_size_with_refs(VP9_COMP *cpi,
                                        struct vp9_write_bit_buffer *wb) {
   VP9_COMMON *const cm = &cpi->common;
-  int refs[REFS_PER_FRAME] = {cpi->lst_fb_idx, cpi->gld_fb_idx,
-                              cpi->alt_fb_idx};
-  int i, found = 0;
+  int found = 0;
 
-  for (i = 0; i < REFS_PER_FRAME; ++i) {
-    YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *cfg = &cm->yv12_fb[cm->ref_frame_map[refs[i]]];
+  MV_REFERENCE_FRAME ref_frame;
+  for (ref_frame = LAST_FRAME; ref_frame <= ALTREF_FRAME; ++ref_frame) {
+    YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *cfg = get_ref_frame_buffer(cpi, ref_frame);
     found = cm->width == cfg->y_crop_width &&
             cm->height == cfg->y_crop_height;
 
@@ -1159,8 +1158,6 @@ static void write_uncompressed_header(VP9_COMP *cpi,
 
     write_frame_size(cpi, wb);
   } else {
-    const int refs[REFS_PER_FRAME] = {cpi->lst_fb_idx, cpi->gld_fb_idx,
-                                      cpi->alt_fb_idx};
     if (!cm->show_frame)
       vp9_wb_write_bit(wb, cm->intra_only);
 
@@ -1173,11 +1170,12 @@ static void write_uncompressed_header(VP9_COMP *cpi,
       vp9_wb_write_literal(wb, get_refresh_mask(cpi), REF_FRAMES);
       write_frame_size(cpi, wb);
     } else {
-      int i;
+      MV_REFERENCE_FRAME ref_frame;
       vp9_wb_write_literal(wb, get_refresh_mask(cpi), REF_FRAMES);
-      for (i = 0; i < REFS_PER_FRAME; ++i) {
-        vp9_wb_write_literal(wb, refs[i], REF_FRAMES_LOG2);
-        vp9_wb_write_bit(wb, cm->ref_frame_sign_bias[LAST_FRAME + i]);
+      for (ref_frame = LAST_FRAME; ref_frame <= ALTREF_FRAME; ++ref_frame) {
+        vp9_wb_write_literal(wb, get_ref_frame_idx(cpi, ref_frame),
+                             REF_FRAMES_LOG2);
+        vp9_wb_write_bit(wb, cm->ref_frame_sign_bias[ref_frame]);
       }
 
       write_frame_size_with_refs(cpi, wb);
diff --git a/vp9/encoder/vp9_encodeframe.c b/vp9/encoder/vp9_encodeframe.c
index 7c5d0bf6d..a4d5fbe84 100644
--- a/vp9/encoder/vp9_encodeframe.c
+++ b/vp9/encoder/vp9_encodeframe.c
@@ -1994,8 +1994,7 @@ static void init_encode_frame_mb_context(VP9_COMP *cpi) {
   vp9_setup_src_planes(x, cpi->Source, 0, 0);
 
   // TODO(jkoleszar): are these initializations required?
-  setup_pre_planes(xd, 0, &cm->yv12_fb[cm->ref_frame_map[cpi->lst_fb_idx]],
-                   0, 0, NULL);
+  setup_pre_planes(xd, 0, get_ref_frame_buffer(cpi, LAST_FRAME), 0, 0, NULL);
   setup_dst_planes(xd, get_frame_new_buffer(cm), 0, 0);
 
   setup_block_dptrs(&x->e_mbd, cm->subsampling_x, cm->subsampling_y);
@@ -2584,8 +2583,8 @@ static void encode_superblock(VP9_COMP *cpi, TOKENEXTRA **t, int output_enabled,
     int ref;
     const int is_compound = has_second_ref(mbmi);
     for (ref = 0; ref < 1 + is_compound; ++ref) {
-      YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *cfg = &cm->yv12_fb[cm->ref_frame_map[
-          get_ref_frame_idx(cpi, mbmi->ref_frame[ref])]];
+      YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *cfg = get_ref_frame_buffer(cpi,
+                                                     mbmi->ref_frame[ref]);
       setup_pre_planes(xd, ref, cfg, mi_row, mi_col, &xd->block_refs[ref]->sf);
     }
     vp9_build_inter_predictors_sb(xd, mi_row, mi_col, MAX(bsize, BLOCK_8X8));
diff --git a/vp9/encoder/vp9_firstpass.c b/vp9/encoder/vp9_firstpass.c
index 44ab95a3a..249cd0ac3 100644
--- a/vp9/encoder/vp9_firstpass.c
+++ b/vp9/encoder/vp9_firstpass.c
@@ -492,10 +492,8 @@ void vp9_first_pass(VP9_COMP *cpi) {
   int i;
 
   int recon_yoffset, recon_uvoffset;
-  const int lst_yv12_idx = cm->ref_frame_map[cpi->lst_fb_idx];
-  const int gld_yv12_idx = cm->ref_frame_map[cpi->gld_fb_idx];
-  YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *const lst_yv12 = &cm->yv12_fb[lst_yv12_idx];
-  YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *const gld_yv12 = &cm->yv12_fb[gld_yv12_idx];
+  YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *const lst_yv12 = get_ref_frame_buffer(cpi, LAST_FRAME);
+  YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *const gld_yv12 = get_ref_frame_buffer(cpi, GOLDEN_FRAME);
   YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *const new_yv12 = get_frame_new_buffer(cm);
   const int recon_y_stride = lst_yv12->y_stride;
   const int recon_uv_stride = lst_yv12->uv_stride;
diff --git a/vp9/encoder/vp9_mbgraph.c b/vp9/encoder/vp9_mbgraph.c
index a9e0dfd37..f3ddd39b6 100644
--- a/vp9/encoder/vp9_mbgraph.c
+++ b/vp9/encoder/vp9_mbgraph.c
@@ -392,8 +392,7 @@ static void separate_arf_mbs(VP9_COMP *cpi) {
 void vp9_update_mbgraph_stats(VP9_COMP *cpi) {
   VP9_COMMON *const cm = &cpi->common;
   int i, n_frames = vp9_lookahead_depth(cpi->lookahead);
-  YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *golden_ref =
-      &cm->yv12_fb[cm->ref_frame_map[cpi->gld_fb_idx]];
+  YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *golden_ref = get_ref_frame_buffer(cpi, GOLDEN_FRAME);
 
   // we need to look ahead beyond where the ARF transitions into
   // being a GF - so exit if we don't look ahead beyond that
diff --git a/vp9/encoder/vp9_onyx_int.h b/vp9/encoder/vp9_onyx_int.h
index c5c67b663..abc2dda11 100644
--- a/vp9/encoder/vp9_onyx_int.h
+++ b/vp9/encoder/vp9_onyx_int.h
@@ -663,6 +663,12 @@ static int get_scale_ref_frame_idx(VP9_COMP *cpi,
   }
 }
 
+static YV12_BUFFER_CONFIG *get_ref_frame_buffer(VP9_COMP *cpi,
+                                                MV_REFERENCE_FRAME ref_frame) {
+  VP9_COMMON *const cm = &cpi->common;
+  return &cm->yv12_fb[cm->ref_frame_map[get_ref_frame_idx(cpi, ref_frame)]];
+}
+
 void vp9_encode_frame(VP9_COMP *cpi);
 
 void vp9_pack_bitstream(VP9_COMP *cpi, uint8_t *dest, size_t *size);
diff --git a/vp9/encoder/vp9_rdopt.c b/vp9/encoder/vp9_rdopt.c
index 69a56e028..fe7b1385e 100644
--- a/vp9/encoder/vp9_rdopt.c
+++ b/vp9/encoder/vp9_rdopt.c
@@ -3115,10 +3115,6 @@ int64_t vp9_rd_pick_inter_mode_sb(VP9_COMP *cpi, MACROBLOCK *x,
   int_mv single_newmv[MAX_REF_FRAMES] = { { 0 } };
   static const int flag_list[4] = { 0, VP9_LAST_FLAG, VP9_GOLD_FLAG,
                                     VP9_ALT_FLAG };
-  int idx_list[4] = {0,
-                     cpi->lst_fb_idx,
-                     cpi->gld_fb_idx,
-                     cpi->alt_fb_idx};
   int64_t best_rd = best_rd_so_far;
   int64_t best_tx_rd[TX_MODES];
   int64_t best_tx_diff[TX_MODES];
@@ -3169,8 +3165,8 @@ int64_t vp9_rd_pick_inter_mode_sb(VP9_COMP *cpi, MACROBLOCK *x,
   for (ref_frame = LAST_FRAME; ref_frame <= ALTREF_FRAME; ref_frame++) {
     x->pred_mv_sad[ref_frame] = INT_MAX;
     if (cpi->ref_frame_flags & flag_list[ref_frame]) {
-      setup_buffer_inter(cpi, x, tile, idx_list[ref_frame], ref_frame,
-                         block_size, mi_row, mi_col,
+      setup_buffer_inter(cpi, x, tile, get_ref_frame_idx(cpi, ref_frame),
+                         ref_frame, block_size, mi_row, mi_col,
                          frame_mv[NEARESTMV], frame_mv[NEARMV], yv12_mb);
     }
     frame_mv[NEWMV][ref_frame].as_int = INVALID_MV;
@@ -3739,10 +3735,6 @@ int64_t vp9_rd_pick_inter_mode_sub8x8(VP9_COMP *cpi, MACROBLOCK *x,
   struct buf_2d yv12_mb[4][MAX_MB_PLANE];
   static const int flag_list[4] = { 0, VP9_LAST_FLAG, VP9_GOLD_FLAG,
                                     VP9_ALT_FLAG };
-  int idx_list[4] = {0,
-                     cpi->lst_fb_idx,
-                     cpi->gld_fb_idx,
-                     cpi->alt_fb_idx};
   int64_t best_rd = best_rd_so_far;
   int64_t best_yrd = best_rd_so_far;  // FIXME(rbultje) more precise
   int64_t best_tx_rd[TX_MODES];
@@ -3792,8 +3784,8 @@ int64_t vp9_rd_pick_inter_mode_sub8x8(VP9_COMP *cpi, MACROBLOCK *x,
 
   for (ref_frame = LAST_FRAME; ref_frame <= ALTREF_FRAME; ref_frame++) {
     if (cpi->ref_frame_flags & flag_list[ref_frame]) {
-      setup_buffer_inter(cpi, x, tile, idx_list[ref_frame], ref_frame,
-                         block_size, mi_row, mi_col,
+      setup_buffer_inter(cpi, x, tile, get_ref_frame_idx(cpi, ref_frame),
+                         ref_frame, block_size, mi_row, mi_col,
                          frame_mv[NEARESTMV], frame_mv[NEARMV],
                          yv12_mb);
     }