diff --git a/group_vars/matrix_servers b/group_vars/matrix_servers
index 65f14d501..19e243735 100755
--- a/group_vars/matrix_servers
+++ b/group_vars/matrix_servers
@@ -17,6 +17,17 @@ matrix_container_global_registry_prefix: "docker.io/"
 #
 ######################################################################
 
+matrix_homeserver_enabled_implementations_list: |
+  {{
+    (
+      (['synapse'] if matrix_synapse_enabled else [])
+      +
+      (['dendrite'] if matrix_dendrite_enabled else [])
+    )
+  }}
+
+matrix_homeserver_implementation: "{{ matrix_homeserver_enabled_implementations_list[0] if matrix_homeserver_enabled_implementations_list|length == 1 else '' }}"
+
 matrix_identity_server_url: "{{ ('https://' + matrix_server_fqn_matrix) if matrix_ma1sd_enabled else None }}"
 
 # If Synapse workers are enabled and matrix-nginx-proxy is disabled, certain APIs may not work over 'http://matrix-synapse:{{ matrix_synapse_container_client_api_port }}'.
diff --git a/roles/matrix-base/defaults/main.yml b/roles/matrix-base/defaults/main.yml
index 4767bcf43..34ef0145f 100644
--- a/roles/matrix-base/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/matrix-base/defaults/main.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@
 # Example value: example.com
 matrix_domain: ~
 
+# This will contain the homeserver implementation that is in use.
+# Example values: 'synapse', 'dendrite', etc.
+# You normally don't need to set this variable manually.
+# Its value is automatically set depending on the homeserver implementation that you have enabled via other variables
+# (e.g. `matrix_synapse_enabled`, `matrix_dendrite_enabled`, etc.)
+matrix_homeserver_implementation: ''
+
 # This is where your data lives and what we set up.
 # This and the Element FQN (see below) are expected to be on the same server.
 matrix_server_fqn_matrix: "matrix.{{ matrix_domain }}"
diff --git a/roles/matrix-base/tasks/sanity_check.yml b/roles/matrix-base/tasks/sanity_check.yml
index 265dc282d..1e525b80e 100644
--- a/roles/matrix-base/tasks/sanity_check.yml
+++ b/roles/matrix-base/tasks/sanity_check.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 ---
 
+- name: Fail if 0 or more than 1 homeserver implementations enabled
+  fail:
+    msg: >-
+      You have 0 or more than 1 homeserver implementations enabled
+      ({{ matrix_homeserver_enabled_implementations_list|join(', ') }}).
+
+      If you have more than 1 implementation enabled, you can disable the unnecessary implementations by adding `matrix_IMPLEMENTATION_enabled: false` to your vars.yml file.
+
+      If you have 0 implementations enabled, you can enable one by adding `matrix_IMPLEMENTATION_enabled: false` to your vars.yml file (e.g. `matrix_dendrite_enabled: true`).
+  when: "matrix_homeserver_enabled_implementations_list|length != 1"
+
 # We generally support Ansible 2.7.1 and above.
 - name: Fail if running on Ansible < 2.7.1
   fail:
diff --git a/roles/matrix-base/vars/main.yml b/roles/matrix-base/vars/main.yml
index e4e9c1668..8b99708b7 100644
--- a/roles/matrix-base/vars/main.yml
+++ b/roles/matrix-base/vars/main.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 # This will contain a list of enabled services that the playbook is managing.
 # Each component is expected to append its service name to this list.
-matrix_systemd_services_list: []
\ No newline at end of file
+matrix_systemd_services_list: []