diff --git a/app/Jobs/CommonFunctions.php b/app/Jobs/CommonFunctions.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8ede1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Jobs/CommonFunctions.php
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Jobs;
+
+use App\Models\Device;
+use App\Models\Plugin;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
+use Ramsey\Uuid\Uuid;
+use Spatie\Browsershot\Browsershot;
+use Wnx\SidecarBrowsershot\BrowsershotLambda;
+
+class CommonFunctions
+{
+    public static function generateImage(string $markup): string {
+        $uuid = Uuid::uuid4()->toString();
+        $pngPath = Storage::disk('public')->path('/images/generated/'.$uuid.'.png');
+        $bmpPath = Storage::disk('public')->path('/images/generated/'.$uuid.'.bmp');
+
+        // Generate PNG
+        if (config('app.puppeteer_mode') === 'sidecar-aws') {
+            try {
+                BrowsershotLambda::html($markup)
+                    ->windowSize($device->width ?? 800, $device->height ?? 480)
+                    ->save($pngPath);
+            } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                throw new \RuntimeException('Failed to generate PNG: '.$e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
+            }
+        } else {
+            try {
+                Browsershot::html($markup)
+                    ->setOption('args', config('app.puppeteer_docker') ? ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox', '--disable-gpu'] : [])
+                    ->windowSize($device->width ?? 800, $device->height ?? 480)
+                    ->save($pngPath);
+            } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                throw new \RuntimeException('Failed to generate PNG: '.$e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
+            }
+        }
+
+        try {
+            CommonFunctions::convertToBmpImageMagick($pngPath, $bmpPath);
+        } catch (\ImagickException $e) {
+            throw new \RuntimeException('Failed to convert image to BMP: '.$e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
+        }
+        return $uuid;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @throws \ImagickException
+     */
+    private static function convertToBmpImageMagick(string $pngPath, string $bmpPath): void
+    {
+        $imagick = new \Imagick($pngPath);
+        $imagick->setImageType(\Imagick::IMGTYPE_GRAYSCALE);
+        $imagick->quantizeImage(2, \Imagick::COLORSPACE_GRAY, 0, true, false);
+        $imagick->setImageDepth(1);
+        $imagick->stripImage();
+        $imagick->setFormat('BMP3');
+        $imagick->writeImage($bmpPath);
+        $imagick->clear();
+    }
+
+    public static function cleanupFolder(): void
+    {
+        $activeDeviceImageUuids = Device::pluck('current_screen_image')->filter()->toArray();
+        $activePluginImageUuids = Plugin::pluck('current_image')->filter()->toArray();
+        $activeImageUuids = array_merge($activeDeviceImageUuids, $activePluginImageUuids);
+
+        $files = Storage::disk('public')->files('/images/generated/');
+        foreach ($files as $file) {
+            if (basename($file) === '.gitignore') {
+                continue;
+            }
+            // Get filename without path and extension
+            $fileUuid = pathinfo($file, PATHINFO_FILENAME);
+            // If the UUID is not in use by any device, move it to archive
+            if (! in_array($fileUuid, $activeImageUuids)) {
+                Storage::disk('public')->delete($file);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Jobs/GeneratePluginJob.php b/app/Jobs/GeneratePluginJob.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1e254b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Jobs/GeneratePluginJob.php
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Jobs;
+
+use App\Models\Plugin;
+use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Bus\Dispatchable;
+use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;
+use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;
+
+class GeneratePluginJob implements ShouldQueue
+{
+    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new job instance.
+     */
+    public function __construct(
+        private readonly int $pluginId,
+        private readonly string $markup
+    ) {}
+
+    /**
+     * Execute the job.
+     */
+    public function handle(): void
+    {
+        $newImageUuid = CommonFunctions::generateImage($this->markup);
+
+        Plugin::find($this->pluginId)->update(['current_image' => $newImageUuid]);
+        \Log::info("Plugin $this->pluginId: updated with new image: $newImageUuid");
+
+        CommonFunctions::cleanupFolder();
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/app/Jobs/GenerateScreenJob.php b/app/Jobs/GenerateScreenJob.php
index 4dcf876..166af8d 100644
--- a/app/Jobs/GenerateScreenJob.php
+++ b/app/Jobs/GenerateScreenJob.php
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Bus\Dispatchable;
 use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;
 use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;
-use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
-use Ramsey\Uuid\Uuid;
-use Spatie\Browsershot\Browsershot;
-use Wnx\SidecarBrowsershot\BrowsershotLambda;
 
 class GenerateScreenJob implements ShouldQueue
 {
@@ -30,72 +26,11 @@ class GenerateScreenJob implements ShouldQueue
      */
     public function handle(): void
     {
-        $device = Device::find($this->deviceId);
-        $uuid = Uuid::uuid4()->toString();
-        $pngPath = Storage::disk('public')->path('/images/generated/'.$uuid.'.png');
-        $bmpPath = Storage::disk('public')->path('/images/generated/'.$uuid.'.bmp');
+        $newImageUuid = CommonFunctions::generateImage($this->markup);
 
-        // Generate PNG
-        if (config('app.puppeteer_mode') === 'sidecar-aws') {
-            try {
-                BrowsershotLambda::html($this->markup)
-                    ->windowSize($device->width ?? 800, $device->height ?? 480)
-                    ->save($pngPath);
-            } catch (\Exception $e) {
-                throw new \RuntimeException('Failed to generate PNG: '.$e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
-            }
-        } else {
-            try {
-                Browsershot::html($this->markup)
-                    ->setOption('args', config('app.puppeteer_docker') ? ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox', '--disable-gpu'] : [])
-                    ->windowSize($device->width ?? 800, $device->height ?? 480)
-                    ->save($pngPath);
-            } catch (\Exception $e) {
-                throw new \RuntimeException('Failed to generate PNG: '.$e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
-            }
-        }
+        Device::find($this->deviceId)->update(['current_screen_image' => $newImageUuid]);
+        \Log::info("Device $this->deviceId: updated with new image: $newImageUuid");
 
-        try {
-            $this->convertToBmpImageMagick($pngPath, $bmpPath);
-        } catch (\ImagickException $e) {
-            throw new \RuntimeException('Failed to convert image to BMP: '.$e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
-        }
-        $device->update(['current_screen_image' => $uuid]);
-        \Log::info("Device $this->deviceId: updated with new image: $uuid");
-
-        $this->cleanupFolder();
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * @throws \ImagickException
-     */
-    private function convertToBmpImageMagick(string $pngPath, string $bmpPath): void
-    {
-        $imagick = new \Imagick($pngPath);
-        $imagick->setImageType(\Imagick::IMGTYPE_GRAYSCALE);
-        $imagick->quantizeImage(2, \Imagick::COLORSPACE_GRAY, 0, true, false);
-        $imagick->setImageDepth(1);
-        $imagick->stripImage();
-        $imagick->setFormat('BMP3');
-        $imagick->writeImage($bmpPath);
-        $imagick->clear();
-    }
-
-    private function cleanupFolder(): void
-    {
-        $activeImageUuids = Device::pluck('current_screen_image')->filter()->toArray();
-
-        $files = Storage::disk('public')->files('/images/generated/');
-        foreach ($files as $file) {
-            if (basename($file) === '.gitignore') {
-                continue;
-            }
-            // Get filename without path and extension
-            $fileUuid = pathinfo($file, PATHINFO_FILENAME);
-            // If the UUID is not in use by any device, move it to archive
-            if (! in_array($fileUuid, $activeImageUuids)) {
-                Storage::disk('public')->delete($file);
-            }
-        }
+        CommonFunctions::cleanupFolder();
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Models/Plugin.php b/app/Models/Plugin.php
index fa5dbd6..63ac7ba 100644
--- a/app/Models/Plugin.php
+++ b/app/Models/Plugin.php
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ class Plugin extends Model
         'data_payload' => 'json',
         'data_payload_updated_at' => 'datetime',
         'is_native' => 'boolean',
+        'current_image' => 'string',
     ];
 
     protected static function boot()
diff --git a/database/migrations/2025_05_10_182724_add_plugin_cache.php b/database/migrations/2025_05_10_182724_add_plugin_cache.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a24f436
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2025_05_10_182724_add_plugin_cache.php
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * Run the migrations.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('plugins', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->string('current_image')->nullable()->after('data_payload_updated_at');
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reverse the migrations.
+     */
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('plugins', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->dropColumn('current_image');
+        });
+    }
+};
diff --git a/routes/api.php b/routes/api.php
index f884059..50f0d12 100644
--- a/routes/api.php
+++ b/routes/api.php
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 
 use App\Jobs\GenerateScreenJob;
+use App\Jobs\GeneratePluginJob;
 use App\Models\Device;
 use App\Models\User;
 use Illuminate\Http\Request;
@@ -46,28 +47,31 @@ Route::get('/display', function (Request $request) {
     // Get current screen image from mirror device or continue if not available
     if (! $image_uuid = $device->mirrorDevice?->current_screen_image) {
         $refreshTimeOverride = null;
+        $nextPlaylistItem = $device->getNextPlaylistItem();
         // Skip if cloud proxy is enabled for the device
-        if (! $device->proxy_cloud || $device->getNextPlaylistItem()) {
-            $playlistItem = $device->getNextPlaylistItem();
+        if (! $device->proxy_cloud && $nextPlaylistItem) {
+            $refreshTimeOverride = $nextPlaylistItem->playlist()->first()->refresh_time;
+            $plugin = $nextPlaylistItem->plugin;
 
-            if ($playlistItem) {
-                $refreshTimeOverride = $playlistItem->playlist()->first()->refresh_time;
+            // Check and update stale data if needed
+            if ($plugin->isDataStale() || $plugin->current_image == null) {
+                $plugin->updateDataPayload();
 
-                $plugin = $playlistItem->plugin;
-
-                // Check and update stale data if needed
-                if ($plugin->isDataStale()) {
-                    $plugin->updateDataPayload();
-                }
-
-                $playlistItem->update(['last_displayed_at' => now()]);
                 if ($plugin->render_markup) {
                     $markup = Blade::render($plugin->render_markup, ['data' => $plugin->data_payload]);
                 } elseif ($plugin->render_markup_view) {
                     $markup = view($plugin->render_markup_view, ['data' => $plugin->data_payload])->render();
                 }
 
-                GenerateScreenJob::dispatchSync($device->id, $markup);
+                GeneratePluginJob::dispatchSync($plugin->id, $markup);
+            }
+
+            $plugin->refresh();
+
+            if ($plugin->current_image != null)
+            {
+                $nextPlaylistItem->update(['last_displayed_at' => now()]);
+                $device->update(['current_screen_image' => $plugin->current_image]);
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Api/DeviceEndpointsTest.php b/tests/Feature/Api/DeviceEndpointsTest.php
index 54d0514..f1b75e8 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/Api/DeviceEndpointsTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/Api/DeviceEndpointsTest.php
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 <?php
 
 use App\Models\Device;
+use App\Models\Playlist;
+use App\Models\PlaylistItem;
+use App\Models\Plugin;
 use App\Models\User;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
 use Laravel\Sanctum\Sanctum;
@@ -9,6 +12,7 @@ uses(\Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase::class);
 
 beforeEach(function () {
     Storage::fake('public');
+    Storage::disk('public')->makeDirectory('/images/generated');
 });
 
 test('device can fetch display data with valid credentials', function () {
@@ -464,3 +468,78 @@ test('authenticated user can fetch their devices', function () {
         ]
     ]);
 });
+
+test('plugin doesn\'t update image unless required', function () {
+    // Create source device with a playlist
+    $device = Device::factory()->create([
+        'mac_address' => '55:11:22:33:44:55',
+        'api_key' => 'source-api-key',
+        'proxy_cloud' => false,
+    ]);
+
+    $plugin = Plugin::factory()->create([
+        'name' => 'Zen Quotes',
+        'polling_url' => 'https://zenquotes.io/api/today',
+        'data_stale_minutes' => 1,
+        'data_strategy' => 'polling',
+        'polling_verb' => 'get',
+        'render_markup_view' => 'recipes.zen',
+        'is_native' => false,
+        'data_payload_updated_at' => null,
+    ]);
+
+    $playlist = Playlist::factory()->create([
+        'device_id' => $device->id,
+        'name' => 'update_test',
+        'is_active' => true,
+        'weekdays' => null,
+        'active_from' => null,
+        'active_until' => null,
+    ]);
+
+    PlaylistItem::factory()->create([
+        'playlist_id' => $playlist->id,
+        'plugin_id' => $plugin->id,
+        'order' => 1,
+        'is_active' => true,
+        'last_displayed_at' => null,
+    ]);
+
+    // initial request, generates the image
+    $firstResponse = $this->withHeaders([
+        'id' => $device->mac_address,
+        'access-token' => $device->api_key,
+        'rssi' => -70,
+        'battery_voltage' => 3.8,
+        'fw-version' => '1.0.0',
+    ])->get('/api/display');
+
+    $firstResponse->assertOk();
+    expect($firstResponse['filename'])->not->toBe('setup-logo.bmp');
+
+    // second request after 15 seconds, shouldn't generate a new image
+    $plugin->update(['data_payload_updated_at' => now()->addSeconds(-15)]);
+    $secondResponse = $this->withHeaders([
+        'id' => $device->mac_address,
+        'access-token' => $device->api_key,
+        'rssi' => -70,
+        'battery_voltage' => 3.8,
+        'fw-version' => '1.0.0',
+    ])->get('/api/display');
+
+    expect($secondResponse['filename'])
+        ->toBe($firstResponse['filename']);
+
+    // third request after 75 seconds, should generate a new image
+    $plugin->update(['data_payload_updated_at' => now()->addSeconds(-75)]);
+    $thirdResponse = $this->withHeaders([
+        'id' => $device->mac_address,
+        'access-token' => $device->api_key,
+        'rssi' => -70,
+        'battery_voltage' => 3.8,
+        'fw-version' => '1.0.0',
+    ])->get('/api/display');
+
+    expect($thirdResponse['filename'])
+        ->not->toBe($firstResponse['filename']);
+})->skipOnGitHubActions();