diff --git a/syncapi/routing/messages.go b/syncapi/routing/messages.go
index 2ef25e032..3250b0610 100644
--- a/syncapi/routing/messages.go
+++ b/syncapi/routing/messages.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ package routing
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"sort"
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ type messagesReq struct {
 	fromStream       *types.StreamingToken
 	device           *userapi.Device
 	wasToProvided    bool
-	limit            int
+	filter           gomatrixserverlib.RoomEventFilter
 	backwardOrdering bool
 }
 
@@ -143,9 +144,21 @@ func OnIncomingMessagesRequest(
 		wasToProvided = false
 	}
 
-	// Maximum number of events to return; defaults to 10.
-	limit := defaultMessagesLimit
+	// RoomEventFilter
+	filter := gomatrixserverlib.DefaultRoomEventFilter()
+	filter.Limit = defaultMessagesLimit
+	if s := req.URL.Query().Get("filter"); len(s) > 0 {
+		if err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(s), &filter); err != nil {
+			return util.JSONResponse{
+				Code: http.StatusBadRequest,
+				JSON: jsonerror.BadJSON("The filter object could not be decoded into valid JSON: " + err.Error()),
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Maximum number of events to return.
 	if len(req.URL.Query().Get("limit")) > 0 {
+		var limit int
 		limit, err = strconv.Atoi(req.URL.Query().Get("limit"))
 
 		if err != nil {
@@ -154,8 +167,10 @@ func OnIncomingMessagesRequest(
 				JSON: jsonerror.InvalidArgumentValue("limit could not be parsed into an integer: " + err.Error()),
 			}
 		}
+
+		// Overwrite the limit set by the filter
+		filter.Limit = limit
 	}
-	// TODO: Implement filtering (#587)
 
 	// Check the room ID's format.
 	if _, _, err = gomatrixserverlib.SplitID('!', roomID); err != nil {
@@ -176,7 +191,7 @@ func OnIncomingMessagesRequest(
 		to:               &to,
 		fromStream:       fromStream,
 		wasToProvided:    wasToProvided,
-		limit:            limit,
+		filter:           filter,
 		backwardOrdering: backwardOrdering,
 		device:           device,
 	}
@@ -190,7 +205,7 @@ func OnIncomingMessagesRequest(
 	util.GetLogger(req.Context()).WithFields(logrus.Fields{
 		"from":         from.String(),
 		"to":           to.String(),
-		"limit":        limit,
+		"limit":        filter.Limit,
 		"backwards":    backwardOrdering,
 		"return_start": start.String(),
 		"return_end":   end.String(),
@@ -234,19 +249,17 @@ func (r *messagesReq) retrieveEvents() (
 	clientEvents []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent, start,
 	end types.TopologyToken, err error,
 ) {
-	eventFilter := gomatrixserverlib.DefaultRoomEventFilter()
-	eventFilter.Limit = r.limit
 
 	// Retrieve the events from the local database.
 	var streamEvents []types.StreamEvent
 	if r.fromStream != nil {
 		toStream := r.to.StreamToken()
 		streamEvents, err = r.db.GetEventsInStreamingRange(
-			r.ctx, r.fromStream, &toStream, r.roomID, &eventFilter, r.backwardOrdering,
+			r.ctx, r.fromStream, &toStream, r.roomID, &r.filter, r.backwardOrdering,
 		)
 	} else {
 		streamEvents, err = r.db.GetEventsInTopologicalRange(
-			r.ctx, r.from, r.to, r.roomID, r.limit, r.backwardOrdering,
+			r.ctx, r.from, r.to, r.roomID, r.filter.Limit, r.backwardOrdering,
 		)
 	}
 	if err != nil {
@@ -434,7 +447,7 @@ func (r *messagesReq) handleEmptyEventsSlice() (
 	// Check if we have backward extremities for this room.
 	if len(backwardExtremities) > 0 {
 		// If so, retrieve as much events as needed through backfilling.
-		events, err = r.backfill(r.roomID, backwardExtremities, r.limit)
+		events, err = r.backfill(r.roomID, backwardExtremities, r.filter.Limit)
 		if err != nil {
 			return
 		}
@@ -456,7 +469,7 @@ func (r *messagesReq) handleNonEmptyEventsSlice(streamEvents []types.StreamEvent
 	events []*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent, err error,
 ) {
 	// Check if we have enough events.
-	isSetLargeEnough := len(streamEvents) >= r.limit
+	isSetLargeEnough := len(streamEvents) >= r.filter.Limit
 	if !isSetLargeEnough {
 		// it might be fine we don't have up to 'limit' events, let's find out
 		if r.backwardOrdering {
@@ -483,7 +496,7 @@ func (r *messagesReq) handleNonEmptyEventsSlice(streamEvents []types.StreamEvent
 	if len(backwardExtremities) > 0 && !isSetLargeEnough && r.backwardOrdering {
 		var pdus []*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent
 		// Only ask the remote server for enough events to reach the limit.
-		pdus, err = r.backfill(r.roomID, backwardExtremities, r.limit-len(streamEvents))
+		pdus, err = r.backfill(r.roomID, backwardExtremities, r.filter.Limit-len(streamEvents))
 		if err != nil {
 			return
 		}