diff --git a/federationapi/internal/perform.go b/federationapi/internal/perform.go
index 17c00b77d..970a64653 100644
--- a/federationapi/internal/perform.go
+++ b/federationapi/internal/perform.go
@@ -213,7 +213,9 @@ func (r *FederationInternalAPI) performJoinUsingServer(
 	// If the remote server returned an event in the "event" key of
 	// the send_join request then we should use that instead. It may
 	// contain signatures that we don't know about.
-	if respSendJoin.Event != nil {
+	if respSendJoin.Event != nil && isWellFormedMembershipEvent(
+		respSendJoin.Event, roomID, userID, r.cfg.Matrix.ServerName,
+	) {
 		event = respSendJoin.Event
 	}
 
@@ -277,6 +279,26 @@ func (r *FederationInternalAPI) performJoinUsingServer(
 	return nil
 }
 
+// isWellFormedMembershipEvent returns true if the event looks like a legitimate
+// membership event.
+func isWellFormedMembershipEvent(event *gomatrixserverlib.Event, roomID, userID string, origin gomatrixserverlib.ServerName) bool {
+	if membership, err := event.Membership(); err != nil {
+		return false
+	} else if membership != gomatrixserverlib.Join {
+		return false
+	}
+	if event.RoomID() != roomID {
+		return false
+	}
+	if event.Origin() != origin {
+		return false
+	}
+	if !event.StateKeyEquals(userID) {
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
 // PerformOutboundPeekRequest implements api.FederationInternalAPI
 func (r *FederationInternalAPI) PerformOutboundPeek(
 	ctx context.Context,
diff --git a/federationapi/routing/join.go b/federationapi/routing/join.go
index 4b627f21f..9f8d94105 100644
--- a/federationapi/routing/join.go
+++ b/federationapi/routing/join.go
@@ -408,6 +408,17 @@ func SendJoin(
 	}
 }
 
+// checkRestrictedJoin finds out whether or not we can assist in processing
+// a restricted room join. If the room version does not support restricted
+// joins then this function returns with no side effects. This returns three
+// values:
+// * an optional JSON response body (i.e. M_UNABLE_TO_AUTHORISE_JOIN) which
+//   should always be sent back to the client if one is specified
+// * a user ID of an authorising user, typically a user that has power to
+//   issue invites in the room, if one has been found
+// * an error if there was a problem finding out if this was allowable,
+//   like if the room version isn't known or a problem happened talking to
+//   the roomserver
 func checkRestrictedJoin(
 	httpReq *http.Request,
 	rsAPI api.FederationRoomserverAPI,
diff --git a/roomserver/api/api.go b/roomserver/api/api.go
index 01479bec8..f87ff2962 100644
--- a/roomserver/api/api.go
+++ b/roomserver/api/api.go
@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ type ClientRoomserverAPI interface {
 	QueryRoomVersionForRoom(ctx context.Context, req *QueryRoomVersionForRoomRequest, res *QueryRoomVersionForRoomResponse) error
 	QueryPublishedRooms(ctx context.Context, req *QueryPublishedRoomsRequest, res *QueryPublishedRoomsResponse) error
 	QueryRoomVersionCapabilities(ctx context.Context, req *QueryRoomVersionCapabilitiesRequest, res *QueryRoomVersionCapabilitiesResponse) error
-	QueryRestrictedJoinAllowed(ctx context.Context, req *QueryRestrictedJoinAllowedRequest, res *QueryRestrictedJoinAllowedResponse) error
 
 	GetRoomIDForAlias(ctx context.Context, req *GetRoomIDForAliasRequest, res *GetRoomIDForAliasResponse) error
 	GetAliasesForRoomID(ctx context.Context, req *GetAliasesForRoomIDRequest, res *GetAliasesForRoomIDResponse) error
diff --git a/roomserver/api/query.go b/roomserver/api/query.go
index a706f06c4..f157a9025 100644
--- a/roomserver/api/query.go
+++ b/roomserver/api/query.go
@@ -354,10 +354,18 @@ type QueryRestrictedJoinAllowedRequest struct {
 }
 
 type QueryRestrictedJoinAllowedResponse struct {
-	Restricted    bool   `json:"restricted"`               // Is the room membership restricted?
-	Resident      bool   `json:"resident"`                 // Is our homeserver in the relevant rooms?
-	Allowed       bool   `json:"allowed"`                  // Is the join allowed by the rules?
-	AuthorisedVia string `json:"authorised_via,omitempty"` // The user that authorises the join
+	// True if the room membership is restricted by the join rule being set to "restricted"
+	Restricted bool `json:"restricted"`
+	// True if our local server is joined to all of the allowed rooms specified in the "allow"
+	// key of the join rule, false if we are missing from some of them and therefore can't
+	// reliably decide whether or not we can satisfy the join
+	Resident bool `json:"resident"`
+	// True if the restricted join is allowed because we found the membership in one of the
+	// allowed rooms from the join rule, false if not
+	Allowed bool `json:"allowed"`
+	// Contains the user ID of the selected user ID that has power to issue invites, this will
+	// get populated into the "join_authorised_via_users_server" content in the membership
+	AuthorisedVia string `json:"authorised_via,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // MarshalJSON stringifies the room ID and StateKeyTuple keys so they can be sent over the wire in HTTP API mode.
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/query/query.go b/roomserver/internal/query/query.go
index f176476aa..70613baab 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/query/query.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/query/query.go
@@ -809,7 +809,6 @@ func (r *Queryer) QueryRestrictedJoinAllowed(ctx context.Context, req *api.Query
 	// We need to get the power levels content so that we can determine which
 	// users in the room are entitled to issue invites. We need to use one of
 	// these users as the authorising user.
-	// Get the join rules to work out if the join rule is "restricted".
 	powerLevelsEvent, err := r.DB.GetStateEvent(ctx, req.RoomID, gomatrixserverlib.MRoomPowerLevels, "")
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("r.DB.GetStateEvent: %w", err)