diff --git a/synapse/api/urls.py b/synapse/api/urls.py
index a299392049..693c0efda6 100644
--- a/synapse/api/urls.py
+++ b/synapse/api/urls.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 """Contains the URL paths to prefix various aspects of the server with. """
 
 CLIENT_PREFIX = "/_matrix/client/api/v1"
+CLIENT_V2_ALPHA_PREFIX = "/_matrix/client/v2_alpha"
 FEDERATION_PREFIX = "/_matrix/federation/v1"
 WEB_CLIENT_PREFIX = "/_matrix/client"
 CONTENT_REPO_PREFIX = "/_matrix/content"
diff --git a/synapse/app/homeserver.py b/synapse/app/homeserver.py
index fabe8ddacb..40d28dcbdc 100755
--- a/synapse/app/homeserver.py
+++ b/synapse/app/homeserver.py
@@ -32,12 +32,13 @@ from synapse.http.server_key_resource import LocalKey
 from synapse.http.matrixfederationclient import MatrixFederationHttpClient
 from synapse.api.urls import (
     CLIENT_PREFIX, FEDERATION_PREFIX, WEB_CLIENT_PREFIX, CONTENT_REPO_PREFIX,
-    SERVER_KEY_PREFIX, MEDIA_PREFIX
+    SERVER_KEY_PREFIX, MEDIA_PREFIX, CLIENT_V2_ALPHA_PREFIX,
 )
 from synapse.config.homeserver import HomeServerConfig
 from synapse.crypto import context_factory
 from synapse.util.logcontext import LoggingContext
 from synapse.rest.client.v1 import ClientV1RestResource
+from synapse.rest.client.v2_alpha import ClientV2AlphaRestResource
 
 from daemonize import Daemonize
 import twisted.manhole.telnet
@@ -62,6 +63,9 @@ class SynapseHomeServer(HomeServer):
     def build_resource_for_client(self):
         return ClientV1RestResource(self)
 
+    def build_resource_for_client_v2_alpha(self):
+        return ClientV2AlphaRestResource(self)
+
     def build_resource_for_federation(self):
         return JsonResource()
 
@@ -105,6 +109,7 @@ class SynapseHomeServer(HomeServer):
         # [ ("/aaa/bbb/cc", Resource1), ("/aaa/dummy", Resource2) ]
         desired_tree = [
             (CLIENT_PREFIX, self.get_resource_for_client()),
+            (CLIENT_V2_ALPHA_PREFIX, self.get_resource_for_client_v2_alpha()),
             (FEDERATION_PREFIX, self.get_resource_for_federation()),
             (CONTENT_REPO_PREFIX, self.get_resource_for_content_repo()),
             (SERVER_KEY_PREFIX, self.get_resource_for_server_key()),
diff --git a/synapse/http/servlet.py b/synapse/http/servlet.py
index d5ccf2742f..a4eb6c817c 100644
--- a/synapse/http/servlet.py
+++ b/synapse/http/servlet.py
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
 
 """ This module contains base REST classes for constructing REST servlets. """
 
+from synapse.api.errors import SynapseError
+
 import logging
 
 
@@ -54,3 +56,58 @@ class RestServlet(object):
                     http_server.register_path(method, pattern, method_handler)
         else:
             raise NotImplementedError("RestServlet must register something.")
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def parse_integer(request, name, default=None, required=False):
+        if name in request.args:
+            try:
+                return int(request.args[name][0])
+            except:
+                message = "Query parameter %r must be an integer" % (name,)
+                raise SynapseError(400, message)
+        else:
+            if required:
+                message = "Missing integer query parameter %r" % (name,)
+                raise SynapseError(400, message)
+            else:
+                return default
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def parse_boolean(request, name, default=None, required=False):
+        if name in request.args:
+            try:
+                return {
+                    "true": True,
+                    "false": False,
+                }[request.args[name][0]]
+            except:
+                message = (
+                    "Boolean query parameter %r must be one of"
+                    " ['true', 'false']"
+                ) % (name,)
+                raise SynapseError(400, message)
+        else:
+            if required:
+                message = "Missing boolean query parameter %r" % (name,)
+                raise SynapseError(400, message)
+            else:
+                return default
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def parse_string(request, name, default=None, required=False,
+                     allowed_values=None, param_type="string"):
+        if name in request.args:
+            value = request.args[name][0]
+            if allowed_values is not None and value not in allowed_values:
+                message = "Query parameter %r must be one of [%s]" % (
+                    name, ", ".join(repr(v) for v in allowed_values)
+                )
+                raise SynapseError(message)
+            else:
+                return value
+        else:
+            if required:
+                message = "Missing %s query parameter %r" % (param_type, name)
+                raise SynapseError(400, message)
+            else:
+                return default
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v2_alpha/__init__.py b/synapse/rest/client/v2_alpha/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bb740e2803
--- /dev/null
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v2_alpha/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+# Copyright 2014, 2015 OpenMarket Ltd
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+
+from synapse.http.server import JsonResource
+
+
+class ClientV2AlphaRestResource(JsonResource):
+    """A resource for version 2 alpha of the matrix client API."""
+
+    def __init__(self, hs):
+        JsonResource.__init__(self)
+        self.register_servlets(self, hs)
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def register_servlets(client_resource, hs):
+        pass
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v2_alpha/_base.py b/synapse/rest/client/v2_alpha/_base.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..22dc5cb862
--- /dev/null
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v2_alpha/_base.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+# Copyright 2014, 2015 OpenMarket Ltd
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+"""This module contains base REST classes for constructing client v1 servlets.
+"""
+
+from synapse.api.urls import CLIENT_V2_ALPHA_PREFIX
+import re
+
+import logging
+
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def client_v2_pattern(path_regex):
+    """Creates a regex compiled client path with the correct client path
+    prefix.
+
+    Args:
+        path_regex (str): The regex string to match. This should NOT have a ^
+        as this will be prefixed.
+    Returns:
+        SRE_Pattern
+    """
+    return re.compile("^" + CLIENT_V2_ALPHA_PREFIX + path_regex)
diff --git a/synapse/server.py b/synapse/server.py
index 32013b1a91..92ed2c5e32 100644
--- a/synapse/server.py
+++ b/synapse/server.py
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ class BaseHomeServer(object):
         'notifier',
         'distributor',
         'resource_for_client',
+        'resource_for_client_v2_alpha',
         'resource_for_federation',
         'resource_for_web_client',
         'resource_for_content_repo',