diff --git a/federationapi/consumers/roomserver.go b/federationapi/consumers/roomserver.go
index ff2c8e5d4..80317ee69 100644
--- a/federationapi/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/federationapi/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -146,28 +146,25 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) processInboundPeek(orp api.OutputNewInboundPee
 // processMessage updates the list of currently joined hosts in the room
 // and then sends the event to the hosts that were joined before the event.
 func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) processMessage(ore api.OutputNewRoomEvent) error {
-	eventsRes := &api.QueryEventsByIDResponse{}
-	if len(ore.AddsStateEventIDs) > 0 {
+	addsStateEvents, missingEventIDs := ore.NeededStateEventIDs()
+
+	// Ask the roomserver and add in the rest of the results into the set.
+	// Finally, work out if there are any more events missing.
+	if len(missingEventIDs) > 0 {
 		eventsReq := &api.QueryEventsByIDRequest{
-			EventIDs: ore.AddsStateEventIDs,
+			EventIDs: missingEventIDs,
 		}
+		eventsRes := &api.QueryEventsByIDResponse{}
 		if err := s.rsAPI.QueryEventsByID(s.ctx, eventsReq, eventsRes); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("s.rsAPI.QueryEventsByID: %w", err)
 		}
-
-		found := false
-		for _, event := range eventsRes.Events {
-			if event.EventID() == ore.Event.EventID() {
-				found = true
-				break
-			}
-		}
-		if !found {
-			eventsRes.Events = append(eventsRes.Events, ore.Event)
+		if len(eventsRes.Events) != len(missingEventIDs) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("missing state events")
 		}
+		addsStateEvents = append(addsStateEvents, eventsRes.Events...)
 	}
 
-	addsJoinedHosts, err := joinedHostsFromEvents(gomatrixserverlib.UnwrapEventHeaders(eventsRes.Events))
+	addsJoinedHosts, err := joinedHostsFromEvents(gomatrixserverlib.UnwrapEventHeaders(addsStateEvents))
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/roomserver/api/output.go b/roomserver/api/output.go
index 767611ec4..a82bf8701 100644
--- a/roomserver/api/output.go
+++ b/roomserver/api/output.go
@@ -163,6 +163,19 @@ type OutputNewRoomEvent struct {
 	TransactionID *TransactionID `json:"transaction_id,omitempty"`
 }
 
+func (o *OutputNewRoomEvent) NeededStateEventIDs() ([]*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent, []string) {
+	addsStateEvents := make([]*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent, 0, 1)
+	missingEventIDs := make([]string, 0, len(o.AddsStateEventIDs))
+	for _, eventID := range o.AddsStateEventIDs {
+		if eventID != o.Event.EventID() {
+			missingEventIDs = append(missingEventIDs, eventID)
+		} else {
+			addsStateEvents = append(addsStateEvents, o.Event)
+		}
+	}
+	return addsStateEvents, missingEventIDs
+}
+
 // An OutputOldRoomEvent is written when the roomserver receives an old event.
 // This will typically happen as a result of getting either missing events
 // or backfilling. Downstream components may wish to send these events to
diff --git a/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go b/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
index e1c2ea823..63bde8166 100644
--- a/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
+++ b/syncapi/consumers/roomserver.go
@@ -154,35 +154,20 @@ func (s *OutputRoomEventConsumer) onNewRoomEvent(
 	ctx context.Context, msg api.OutputNewRoomEvent,
 ) error {
 	ev := msg.Event
-	addsStateEvents := []*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent{}
+	addsStateEvents, missingEventIDs := msg.NeededStateEventIDs()
 
 	// Work out the list of events we need to find out about. Either
 	// they will be the event supplied in the request, we will find it
 	// in the sync API database or we'll need to ask the roomserver.
 	knownEventIDs := make(map[string]bool, len(msg.AddsStateEventIDs))
-	for _, eventID := range msg.AddsStateEventIDs {
-		if eventID == ev.EventID() {
-			knownEventIDs[eventID] = true
-			addsStateEvents = append(addsStateEvents, ev)
-		} else {
-			knownEventIDs[eventID] = false
-		}
-	}
-
-	// Work out which events we want to look up in the sync API database.
-	// At this stage the only event that should be excluded is the event
-	// supplied in the request, if it appears in the adds_state_event_ids.
-	missingEventIDs := make([]string, 0, len(msg.AddsStateEventIDs))
-	for eventID, known := range knownEventIDs {
-		if !known {
-			missingEventIDs = append(missingEventIDs, eventID)
-		}
+	for _, eventID := range missingEventIDs {
+		knownEventIDs[eventID] = false
 	}
 
 	// Look the events up in the database. If we know them, add them into
 	// the set of adds state events.
 	if len(missingEventIDs) > 0 {
-		alreadyKnown, err := s.db.Events(ctx, msg.AddsStateEventIDs)
+		alreadyKnown, err := s.db.Events(ctx, missingEventIDs)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("s.db.Events: %w", err)
 		}