diff --git a/roomserver/internal/api.go b/roomserver/internal/api.go
index 91001e418..f96cefcb3 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/api.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/api.go
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ func (r *RoomserverInternalAPI) SetFederationAPI(fsAPI fsAPI.FederationInternalA
 	r.KeyRing = keyRing
 
 	r.Inputer = &input.Inputer{
+		Cfg:                  r.Cfg,
 		ProcessContext:       r.ProcessContext,
 		DB:                   r.DB,
 		InputRoomEventTopic:  r.InputRoomEventTopic,
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/input/input.go b/roomserver/internal/input/input.go
index 70edcf1df..d267599ec 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/input/input.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/input/input.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/internal/query"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/setup/config"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/setup/jetstream"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/setup/process"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ var keyContentFields = map[string]string{
 }
 
 type Inputer struct {
+	Cfg                  *config.RoomServer
 	ProcessContext       *process.ProcessContext
 	DB                   storage.Database
 	NATSClient           *nats.Conn
@@ -69,7 +71,7 @@ type worker struct {
 	subscription *nats.Subscription
 }
 
-func (r *Inputer) workerForRoom(roomID string) *worker {
+func (r *Inputer) startWorkerForRoom(roomID string) {
 	v, loaded := r.workers.LoadOrStore(roomID, &worker{
 		r:      r,
 		roomID: roomID,
@@ -77,23 +79,43 @@ func (r *Inputer) workerForRoom(roomID string) *worker {
 	w := v.(*worker)
 	if !loaded {
 		consumer := "DendriteRoomInputConsumerPull" + jetstream.Tokenise(w.roomID)
+		subject := jetstream.InputRoomEventSubj(w.roomID)
+
+		if info, err := w.r.JetStream.ConsumerInfo(
+			jetstream.InputRoomEvent,
+			consumer,
+		); err != nil || info == nil {
+			if _, err := w.r.JetStream.AddConsumer(
+				r.Cfg.Matrix.JetStream.TopicFor(jetstream.InputRoomEvent),
+				&nats.ConsumerConfig{
+					Durable:       consumer,
+					AckPolicy:     nats.AckExplicitPolicy,
+					DeliverPolicy: nats.DeliverAllPolicy,
+					FilterSubject: subject,
+					AckWait:       MaximumMissingProcessingTime + (time.Second * 10),
+				},
+			); err != nil {
+				logrus.WithError(err).Errorf("Failed to create consumer for room %q", w.roomID)
+				return
+			}
+		}
+
 		sub, err := w.r.JetStream.PullSubscribe(
-			jetstream.InputRoomEventSubj(w.roomID), consumer,
+			subject, consumer,
 			nats.ManualAck(),
 			nats.DeliverAll(),
-			nats.MaxAckPending(-1),
 			nats.AckWait(MaximumMissingProcessingTime+(time.Second*10)),
 			nats.Bind(r.InputRoomEventTopic, consumer),
 		)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.WithError(err).Errorf("Failed to subscribe to stream for room %q", w.roomID)
-			return nil
+			return
 		}
-		logrus.Infof("Subscribed to stream for room %q", w.roomID)
+
+		logrus.Infof("Started stream for room %q", w.roomID)
 		w.subscription = sub
 		w.Act(nil, w.next)
 	}
-	return w
 }
 
 // onMessage is called when a new event arrives in the roomserver input stream.
@@ -102,7 +124,7 @@ func (r *Inputer) Start() error {
 		"", // don't supply a subject because we're using BindStream
 		func(m *nats.Msg) {
 			roomID := m.Header.Get(jetstream.RoomID)
-			r.workerForRoom(roomID) // start the room worker
+			r.startWorkerForRoom(roomID)
 		},
 		nats.DeliverAll(),
 		nats.AckNone(),