diff --git a/packages/core/src/events/eventBase.ts b/packages/core/src/events/eventBase.ts
index f37f3719a..93916c355 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/events/eventBase.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/events/eventBase.ts
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ export type RedactedEvent = EventBase & {
 
 export const isRedactedEvent = (
 	event: Pdu,
-): event is PduForType<'m.room.redaction'> & {} => {
-	return event.type === 'm.room.redaction';
+): event is PduForType<'m.room.redaction'> => {
+	return event.type === 'm.room.redaction' && 'redacts' in event;
 };
 
 export interface Events {}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.spec.ts b/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.spec.ts
index db6ab78ff..34475b853 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.spec.ts
@@ -70,9 +70,9 @@ test('redactionEvent', async () => {
 		prev_events: ['$8ftnUd9WTPTQGbdPgfOPea8bOEQ21qPvbcGqeOApQxA'],
 		depth: 4,
 		content: {
-			redacts: '$8ftnUd9WTPTQGbdPgfOPea8bOEQ21qPvbcGqeOApQxA',
 			reason: 'Inappropriate content',
 		},
+		redacts: '$8ftnUd9WTPTQGbdPgfOPea8bOEQ21qPvbcGqeOApQxA',
 		origin: 'rc1',
 		ts: 1747837631863,
 	});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.ts b/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.ts
index 0389978fc..61b23649a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/events/m.room.redaction.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export const redactionEvent = ({
 	prev_events,
 	depth,
 	content,
+	redacts,
 	origin,
 	ts = Date.now(),
 	unsigned,
@@ -51,15 +52,14 @@ export const redactionEvent = ({
 	prev_events: EventID[];
 	depth: number;
 	content: {
-		redacts: EventID;
 		reason?: string;
 	};
+	redacts: EventID;
 	origin?: string;
 	ts?: number;
 	unsigned?: { age_ts?: number };
 }): RedactionEvent => {
 	// Extract redacts from content - it must be at top level only
-	const { redacts } = content;
 	const { reason } = content;
 
 	const baseEvent = createEventBase('m.room.redaction', {
diff --git a/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/message.service.ts b/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/message.service.ts
index 3a8e4c3b1..d113cdab8 100644
--- a/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/message.service.ts
+++ b/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/message.service.ts
@@ -355,8 +355,8 @@ export class MessageService {
 					type: 'm.room.redaction',
 					content: {
 						reason: 'Unsetting reaction',
-						redacts: eventIdReactedTo,
 					},
+					redacts: eventIdReactedTo,
 					room_id: roomId,
 					auth_events: [],
 					depth: 0,
@@ -422,7 +422,6 @@ export class MessageService {
 	async redactMessage(
 		roomId: string,
 		eventIdToRedact: EventID,
-		senderUserId: string,
 	): Promise<string> {
 		const isTombstoned = await this.roomService.isRoomTombstoned(roomId);
 		if (isTombstoned) {
@@ -434,20 +433,25 @@ export class MessageService {
 
 		const roomInfo = await this.stateService.getRoomInformation(roomId);
 
+		const senderUserId = await this.eventService.getEventById(eventIdToRedact);
+		if (!senderUserId?.event.sender) {
+			throw new Error(`Sender user ID not found for event ${eventIdToRedact}`);
+		}
+
 		const redactionEvent =
 			await this.stateService.buildEvent<'m.room.redaction'>(
 				{
 					type: 'm.room.redaction',
 					content: {
 						reason: `Deleting message: ${eventIdToRedact}`,
-						redacts: eventIdToRedact,
 					},
+					redacts: eventIdToRedact,
 					room_id: roomId,
 					auth_events: [],
 					depth: 0,
 					prev_events: [],
 					origin_server_ts: Date.now(),
-					sender: senderUserId,
+					sender: senderUserId.event.sender,
 				},
 				roomInfo.room_version,
 			);
diff --git a/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/room.service.ts b/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/room.service.ts
index 222e87132..8e00948eb 100644
--- a/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/room.service.ts
+++ b/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/room.service.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import { RoomRepository } from '../repositories/room.repository';
 import { ConfigService } from './config.service';
 import { EventService } from './event.service';
 
+import { EventEmitterService } from './event-emitter.service';
 import { InviteService } from './invite.service';
 import { StateService } from './state.service';
 
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ export class RoomService {
 		private readonly federationService: FederationService,
 		private readonly stateService: StateService,
 		private readonly inviteService: InviteService,
+		private readonly eventEmitterService: EventEmitterService,
 	) {}
 
 	private validatePowerLevelChange(
@@ -469,7 +471,11 @@ export class RoomService {
 		// Ensure critical auth events were found
 		if (!createAuthResult || !powerLevelsAuthResult || !memberAuthResult) {
 			logger.error(
-				`Critical auth events missing for power level update. Create: ${createAuthResult?._id ?? 'missing'}, PowerLevels: ${powerLevelsAuthResult?._id ?? 'missing'}, Member: ${memberAuthResult?._id ?? 'missing'}`,
+				`Critical auth events missing for power level update. Create: ${
+					createAuthResult?._id ?? 'missing'
+				}, PowerLevels: ${powerLevelsAuthResult?._id ?? 'missing'}, Member: ${
+					memberAuthResult?._id ?? 'missing'
+				}`,
 			);
 			throw new HttpException(
 				'Internal server error: Missing auth events for power level update.',
@@ -617,7 +623,9 @@ export class RoomService {
 		reason?: string,
 	): Promise<string> {
 		logger.info(
-			`User ${senderId} kicking user ${kickedUserId} from room ${roomId}. Reason: ${reason || 'No reason specified'}`,
+			`User ${senderId} kicking user ${kickedUserId} from room ${roomId}. Reason: ${
+				reason || 'No reason specified'
+			}`,
 		);
 
 		const roomInfo = await this.stateService.getRoomInformation(roomId);
@@ -696,7 +704,9 @@ export class RoomService {
 		reason?: string,
 	): Promise<string> {
 		logger.info(
-			`User ${senderId} banning user ${bannedUserId} from room ${roomId}. Reason: ${reason || 'No reason specified'}`,
+			`User ${senderId} banning user ${bannedUserId} from room ${roomId}. Reason: ${
+				reason || 'No reason specified'
+			}`,
 		);
 
 		const roomInfo = await this.stateService.getRoomInformation(roomId);
@@ -809,6 +819,15 @@ export class RoomService {
 
 			await stateService.persistStateEvent(membershipEvent);
 
+			this.eventEmitterService.emit('homeserver.matrix.membership', {
+				room_id: roomId,
+				state_key: userId,
+				content: { membership: 'join' },
+				sender: userId,
+				event_id: membershipEvent.eventId,
+				origin_server_ts: Date.now(),
+			});
+
 			if (membershipEvent.rejected) {
 				throw new Error(membershipEvent.rejectedReason);
 			}
@@ -909,7 +928,11 @@ export class RoomService {
 				if (!authEvent) {
 					for (const stateEvent of eventMap.keys()) {
 						console.log(
-							`${stateEvent} -> ${JSON.stringify(eventMap.get(stateEvent)?.event, null, 2)}`,
+							`${stateEvent} -> ${JSON.stringify(
+								eventMap.get(stateEvent)?.event,
+								null,
+								2,
+							)}`,
 						);
 					}
 					throw new Error(`Auth event ${authEventId} not found`);
@@ -936,11 +959,9 @@ export class RoomService {
 
 			// persist as normal
 			logger.info(
-				`Persisting state event after auth events have been persisted, ${event.eventId}, ${JSON.stringify(
-					event.event,
-					null,
-					2,
-				)}`,
+				`Persisting state event after auth events have been persisted, ${
+					event.eventId
+				}, ${JSON.stringify(event.event, null, 2)}`,
 			);
 
 			const eventToPersist = copyEvent(event);
@@ -983,7 +1004,10 @@ export class RoomService {
 		const state = await stateService.getFullRoomState(roomId);
 
 		logger.info(
-			`State before join event has been persisted, ${state.keys().toArray().join(', ')}`,
+			`State before join event has been persisted, ${state
+				.keys()
+				.toArray()
+				.join(', ')}`,
 		);
 
 		// try to persist the join event now, should succeed with state in place
diff --git a/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/staging-area.service.ts b/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/staging-area.service.ts
index 25cddf4ab..6fd2f154f 100644
--- a/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/staging-area.service.ts
+++ b/packages/federation-sdk/src/services/staging-area.service.ts
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ export class StagingAreaService {
 					room_id: roomId,
 					sender: event.event.sender,
 					origin_server_ts: event.event.origin_server_ts,
-					redacts: event.event.content.redacts,
+					redacts: event.event.redacts,
 					content: {
 						reason: event.event.content?.reason as string | undefined,
 					},
diff --git a/packages/homeserver/src/controllers/internal/message.controller.ts b/packages/homeserver/src/controllers/internal/message.controller.ts
index 75a5b51c3..c3317f7d5 100644
--- a/packages/homeserver/src/controllers/internal/message.controller.ts
+++ b/packages/homeserver/src/controllers/internal/message.controller.ts
@@ -152,11 +152,10 @@ export const internalMessagePlugin = (app: Elysia) => {
 				params,
 				body,
 			}): Promise<InternalRedactMessageResponse | ErrorResponse> => {
-				const { roomId, senderUserId } = body;
+				const { roomId } = body;
 				const eventId = await messageService.redactMessage(
 					roomId,
 					params.messageId as EventID,
-					senderUserId,
 				);
 
 				return {
diff --git a/packages/homeserver/src/dtos/internal/message.dto.ts b/packages/homeserver/src/dtos/internal/message.dto.ts
index 9e00d9ab7..683157854 100644
--- a/packages/homeserver/src/dtos/internal/message.dto.ts
+++ b/packages/homeserver/src/dtos/internal/message.dto.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ export const InternalRedactMessageParamsDto = t.Object({
 
 export const InternalRedactMessageBodyDto = t.Object({
 	roomId: RoomIdDto,
-	senderUserId: UsernameDto,
 });
 
 export const InternalRedactMessageResponseDto = InternalMessageResponseDto;
diff --git a/packages/room/src/types/v3-11.ts b/packages/room/src/types/v3-11.ts
index 8cc078539..60dbdbc56 100644
--- a/packages/room/src/types/v3-11.ts
+++ b/packages/room/src/types/v3-11.ts
@@ -197,7 +197,6 @@ export type PduRoomTopicEventContent = z.infer<
 
 export const PduRoomRedactionContentSchema = z.object({
 	reason: z.string().optional(),
-	redacts: eventIdSchema.describe('event id'),
 });
 
 export type PduRoomRedactionContent = z.infer<
@@ -692,6 +691,7 @@ const EventPduTypeRoomRedaction = z.object({
 	...PduNoContentTimelineEventSchema,
 	type: z.literal('m.room.redaction'),
 	content: PduRoomRedactionContentSchema,
+	redacts: eventIdSchema.describe('event id'),
 });
 
 export const PduSchema = z.discriminatedUnion('type', [