diff --git a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/menu.lua b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/menu.lua
index b4c26b36..c82c4a96 100644
--- a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/menu.lua
+++ b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/menu.lua
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function menu.open_with_items(context, items)
   menu.items = items
   menu.selected_item_idx = menu.selected_item_idx ~= nil and math.min(menu.selected_item_idx, #items) or nil
 
-  if not menu.renderer then menu.renderer = require('blink.cmp.completion.windows.render').new(context, config.draw) end
+  if not menu.renderer then menu.renderer = require('blink.cmp.completion.windows.render').new(config.draw) end
   menu.renderer:draw(context, menu.win:get_buf(), items, config.draw)
 
   local auto_show = menu.auto_show
diff --git a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/column.lua b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/column.lua
index 34374710..8f5699c7 100644
--- a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/column.lua
+++ b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/column.lua
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 --- @class blink.cmp.DrawColumn
+--- @field component_names string[]
 --- @field components blink.cmp.DrawComponent[]
 --- @field gap number
 --- @field lines string[][]
 --- @field width number
 --- @field ctxs blink.cmp.DrawItemContext[]
 ---
---- @field new fun(components: blink.cmp.DrawComponent[], gap: number): blink.cmp.DrawColumn
+--- @field new fun(component_names: string[], components: blink.cmp.DrawComponent[], gap: number): blink.cmp.DrawColumn
 --- @field render fun(self: blink.cmp.DrawColumn,context: blink.cmp.Context, ctxs: blink.cmp.DrawItemContext[])
 --- @field get_line_text fun(self: blink.cmp.DrawColumn, line_idx: number): string
 --- @field get_line_highlights fun(self: blink.cmp.DrawColumn, line_idx: number): blink.cmp.DrawHighlight[]
@@ -16,8 +17,9 @@ local text_lib = require('blink.cmp.completion.windows.render.text')
 --- @diagnostic disable-next-line: missing-fields
 local column = {}
 
-function column.new(components, gap)
+function column.new(component_names, components, gap)
   local self = setmetatable({}, { __index = column })
+  self.component_names = component_names
   self.components = components
   self.gap = gap
   self.lines = {}
diff --git a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/init.lua b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/init.lua
index 700ac29d..c7dc2961 100644
--- a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/init.lua
+++ b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/init.lua
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@
 --- @field gap number
 --- @field columns blink.cmp.DrawColumn[]
 ---
---- @field new fun(context: blink.cmp.Context, draw: blink.cmp.Draw): blink.cmp.Renderer
---- @field draw fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, context: blink.cmp.Context, bufnr: number, items: blink.cmp.CompletionItem[], draw: blink.cmp.Draw)
---- @field pre_column fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, context: blink.cmp.Context, draw: blink.cmp.Draw)
---- @field get_component_column_location fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, component_name: string): { column_idx: number, component_idx: number }
---- @field get_component_start_col fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, component_name: string): number
+--- @field new fun(draw: blink.cmp.Draw): blink.cmp.Renderer
+--- @field draw fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, context: blink.cmp.Context, bufnr: number, items: blink.cmp.CompletionItem[], draw: blink.cmp.Draw): blink.cmp.DrawColumn[]
+--- @field get_columns fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, context: blink.cmp.Context, draw: blink.cmp.Draw): blink.cmp.DrawColumn[]
+--- @field get_component_column_location fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, columns: blink.cmp.DrawColumn[], component_name: string): { column_idx: number, component_idx: number }
+--- @field get_component_start_col fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer, columns: blink.cmp.DrawColumn[], component_name: string): number
 --- @field get_alignment_start_col fun(self: blink.cmp.Renderer): number
 
 local ns = vim.api.nvim_create_namespace('blink_cmp_renderer')
@@ -16,14 +16,8 @@ local ns = vim.api.nvim_create_namespace('blink_cmp_renderer')
 --- @type blink.cmp.Renderer
 --- @diagnostic disable-next-line: missing-fields
 local renderer = {}
---- @type blink.cmp.DrawColumn[]
-local columns = {}
-
-function renderer.new(context, draw)
-  --- Convert the component names in the columns to the component definitions
-  columns = draw.columns
-  if type(columns) == 'function' then draw.columns = columns(context) end
 
+function renderer.new(draw)
   local padding = type(draw.padding) == 'number' and { draw.padding, draw.padding } or draw.padding
   --- @cast padding number[]
 
@@ -31,12 +25,13 @@ function renderer.new(context, draw)
   self.padding = padding
   self.gap = draw.gap
   self.def = draw
-  renderer:pre_column(context, draw)
   return self
 end
 
-function renderer:pre_column(context, draw)
-  if type(columns) == 'function' then draw.columns = columns(context) end
+function renderer:get_columns(context, draw)
+  local columns = draw.columns
+  if type(columns) == 'function' then columns = columns(context) end
+  --- @cast columns blink.cmp.DrawColumnDefinition[]
 
   --- @type blink.cmp.DrawComponent[][]
   local columns_definitions = vim.tbl_map(function(column)
@@ -47,14 +42,16 @@ function renderer:pre_column(context, draw)
       table.insert(components, draw.components[component_name])
     end
     return {
+      component_names = column,
       components = components,
       gap = column.gap or 0,
     }
-  end, draw.columns)
+  end, columns)
 
-  self.columns = vim.tbl_map(
+  return vim.tbl_map(
     function(column_definition)
       return require('blink.cmp.completion.windows.render.column').new(
+        column_definition.component_names,
         column_definition.components,
         column_definition.gap
       )
@@ -64,11 +61,11 @@ function renderer:pre_column(context, draw)
 end
 
 function renderer:draw(context, bufnr, items)
-  renderer:pre_column(context, self.def)
+  local columns = self:get_columns(context, self.def)
   local draw_contexts = require('blink.cmp.completion.windows.render.context').get_from_items(context, self.def, items)
 
   -- render the columns
-  for _, column in ipairs(self.columns) do
+  for _, column in ipairs(columns) do
     column:render(context, draw_contexts)
   end
 
@@ -78,7 +75,7 @@ function renderer:draw(context, bufnr, items)
     local line = ''
     if self.padding[1] > 0 then line = string.rep(' ', self.padding[1]) end
 
-    for _, column in ipairs(self.columns) do
+    for _, column in ipairs(columns) do
       local text = column:get_line_text(idx)
       if #text > 0 then line = line .. text .. string.rep(' ', self.gap) end
     end
@@ -98,7 +95,7 @@ function renderer:draw(context, bufnr, items)
     on_win = function(_, _, win_bufnr) return bufnr == win_bufnr end,
     on_line = function(_, _, _, line)
       local offset = self.padding[1]
-      for _, column in ipairs(self.columns) do
+      for _, column in ipairs(columns) do
         local text = column:get_line_text(line + 1)
         if #text > 0 then
           local highlights = column:get_line_highlights(line + 1)
@@ -118,28 +115,30 @@ function renderer:draw(context, bufnr, items)
       end
     end,
   })
+
+  self.columns = columns
 end
 
-function renderer:get_component_column_location(component_name)
-  for column_idx, column in ipairs(self.def.columns) do
-    for component_idx, other_component_name in ipairs(column) do
+function renderer:get_component_column_location(columns, component_name)
+  for column_idx, column in ipairs(columns) do
+    for component_idx, other_component_name in ipairs(column.component_names) do
       if other_component_name == component_name then return { column_idx, component_idx } end
     end
   end
   error('No component found with name: ' .. component_name)
 end
 
-function renderer:get_component_start_col(component_name)
-  local column_idx, component_idx = unpack(self:get_component_column_location(component_name))
+function renderer:get_component_start_col(columns, component_name)
+  local column_idx, component_idx = unpack(self:get_component_column_location(columns, component_name))
 
   -- add previous columns
   local start_col = self.padding[1]
   for i = 1, column_idx - 1 do
-    start_col = start_col + self.columns[i].width + self.gap
+    start_col = start_col + columns[i].width + self.gap
   end
 
   -- add previous components
-  local line = self.columns[column_idx].lines[1]
+  local line = columns[column_idx].lines[1]
   if not line then return start_col end
   for i = 1, component_idx - 1 do
     start_col = start_col + #line[i]
@@ -151,7 +150,9 @@ end
 function renderer:get_alignment_start_col()
   local component_name = self.def.align_to
   if component_name == nil or component_name == 'none' or component_name == 'cursor' then return 0 end
-  return self:get_component_start_col(component_name)
+
+  assert(self.columns ~= nil, 'Attempted to get alignment start col before drawing')
+  return self:get_component_start_col(self.columns, component_name)
 end
 
 return renderer
diff --git a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/types.lua b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/types.lua
index 186b3dc3..63310bdf 100644
--- a/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/types.lua
+++ b/lua/blink/cmp/completion/windows/render/types.lua
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 --- @field align_to? string | 'none' | 'cursor' Align the window to the component with the given name, or to the cursor
 --- @field padding? number | number[] Padding on the left and right of the grid
 --- @field gap? number Gap between columns
---- @field columns? { [number]: string, gap?: number }[] Components to render, grouped by column
+--- @field columns? blink.cmp.DrawColumnDefinition[] | fun(context: blink.cmp.Context): blink.cmp.DrawColumnDefinition[] Components to render, grouped by column
 --- @field components? table<string, blink.cmp.DrawComponent> Component definitions
 --- @field treesitter? string[] Use treesitter to highlight the label text of completions from these sources
 ---
@@ -22,3 +22,5 @@
 --- @field ellipsis? boolean Whether to add an ellipsis when truncating the text
 --- @field text? fun(ctx: blink.cmp.DrawItemContext): string? Renders the text of the component
 --- @field highlight? string | fun(ctx: blink.cmp.DrawItemContext, text: string): string | blink.cmp.DrawHighlight[] Renders the highlights of the component
+---
+--- @alias blink.cmp.DrawColumnDefinition { [number]: string, gap?: number }