diff --git a/playwright/plugins/homeserver/dendrite/index.ts b/playwright/plugins/homeserver/dendrite/index.ts
index acdb45cffff..c9cb3332eb2 100644
--- a/playwright/plugins/homeserver/dendrite/index.ts
+++ b/playwright/plugins/homeserver/dendrite/index.ts
@@ -6,39 +6,32 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Com
 Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
 */
 
-// export const dendriteHomeserver: Fixtures<BaseFixtures, {}, BaseFixtures> & Fixtures<Services, {}, Services> = {
-//     _homeserver: async ({ request }, use) => {
-//         const container = new SynapseContainer(request);
-//         await use(container);
-//
-//         container.withConfig({
-//             oidc_providers: [
-//                 {
-//                     idp_id: "test",
-//                     idp_name: "OAuth test",
-//                     issuer: `http://localhost:${port}/oauth`,
-//                     authorization_endpoint: `http://localhost:${port}/oauth/auth.html`,
-//                     // the token endpoint receives requests from synapse,
-//                     // rather than the webapp, so needs to escape the docker container.
-//                     token_endpoint: `http://host.testcontainers.internal:${port}/oauth/token`,
-//                     userinfo_endpoint: `http://host.testcontainers.internal:${port}/oauth/userinfo`,
-//                     client_id: "synapse",
-//                     discover: false,
-//                     scopes: ["profile"],
-//                     skip_verification: true,
-//                     client_auth_method: "none",
-//                     user_mapping_provider: {
-//                         config: {
-//                             display_name_template: "{{ user.name }}",
-//                         },
-//                     },
-//                 },
-//             ],
-//         });
-//         await use(container);
-//         server.stop();
-//     },
-// };
+import { Fixtures, PlaywrightTestArgs } from "@playwright/test";
+
+import { Fixtures as BaseFixtures } from "../../../element-web-test.ts";
+import { DendriteContainer, PineconeContainer } from "../../../testcontainers/dendrite.ts";
+import { Services } from "../../../services.ts";
+
+type Fixture = PlaywrightTestArgs & Services & BaseFixtures;
+export const dendriteHomeserver: Fixtures<Fixture, {}, Fixture> = {
+    _homeserver: async ({ request }, use) => {
+        const container =
+            process.env["PLAYWRIGHT_HOMESERVER"] === "dendrite"
+                ? new DendriteContainer(request)
+                : new PineconeContainer(request);
+        await use(container);
+    },
+    homeserver: async ({ logger, network, _homeserver: homeserver }, use) => {
+        const container = await homeserver
+            .withNetwork(network)
+            .withNetworkAliases("homeserver")
+            .withLogConsumer(logger.getConsumer("dendrite"))
+            .start();
+
+        await use(container);
+        await container.stop();
+    },
+};
 
 export function isDendrite(): boolean {
     return process.env["PLAYWRIGHT_HOMESERVER"] === "dendrite" || process.env["PLAYWRIGHT_HOMESERVER"] === "pinecone";
diff --git a/playwright/services.ts b/playwright/services.ts
index c05cb2d29dc..58fc21775ea 100644
--- a/playwright/services.ts
+++ b/playwright/services.ts
@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@ import mailhog from "mailhog";
 import { GenericContainer, Network, StartedNetwork, StartedTestContainer, Wait } from "testcontainers";
 import { PostgreSqlContainer, StartedPostgreSqlContainer } from "@testcontainers/postgresql";
 
-import { StartedSynapseContainer, SynapseConfigOptions, SynapseContainer } from "./testcontainers/synapse.ts";
+import { SynapseConfigOptions, SynapseContainer } from "./testcontainers/synapse.ts";
 import { ContainerLogger } from "./testcontainers/utils.ts";
 import { StartedMatrixAuthenticationServiceContainer } from "./testcontainers/mas.ts";
+import { HomeserverContainer, StartedHomeserverContainer } from "./testcontainers/HomeserverContainer.ts";
 
 export interface Services {
     logger: ContainerLogger;
@@ -24,8 +25,8 @@ export interface Services {
     mailhogClient: mailhog.API;
 
     synapseConfigOptions: SynapseConfigOptions;
-    _homeserver: SynapseContainer;
-    homeserver: StartedSynapseContainer;
+    _homeserver: HomeserverContainer<any>;
+    homeserver: StartedHomeserverContainer;
     mas?: StartedMatrixAuthenticationServiceContainer;
 }
 
diff --git a/playwright/testcontainers/HomeserverContainer.ts b/playwright/testcontainers/HomeserverContainer.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bbe075f2c95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playwright/testcontainers/HomeserverContainer.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2024 New Vector Ltd.
+
+SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Commercial
+Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
+*/
+
+import { AbstractStartedContainer, GenericContainer } from "testcontainers";
+
+import { StartedSynapseContainer } from "./synapse.ts";
+import { HomeserverInstance } from "../plugins/homeserver";
+
+export interface HomeserverContainer<Config> extends GenericContainer {
+    withConfigField(key: string, value: any): this;
+    withConfig(config: Partial<Config>): this;
+    start(): Promise<StartedSynapseContainer>;
+}
+
+export interface StartedHomeserverContainer extends AbstractStartedContainer, HomeserverInstance {}
diff --git a/playwright/testcontainers/dendrite.ts b/playwright/testcontainers/dendrite.ts
index 141d96156b6..484b828b524 100644
--- a/playwright/testcontainers/dendrite.ts
+++ b/playwright/testcontainers/dendrite.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { set } from "lodash";
 import { randB64Bytes } from "../plugins/utils/rand.ts";
 import { StartedSynapseContainer } from "./synapse.ts";
 import { deepCopy } from "../plugins/utils/object.ts";
+import { HomeserverContainer } from "./HomeserverContainer.ts";
 
 const DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
     version: 2,
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ const DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
     ],
 };
 
-export class DendriteContainer extends GenericContainer {
+export class DendriteContainer extends GenericContainer implements HomeserverContainer<typeof DEFAULT_CONFIG> {
     private config: typeof DEFAULT_CONFIG;
 
     constructor(
diff --git a/playwright/testcontainers/synapse.ts b/playwright/testcontainers/synapse.ts
index a04041437f3..46a4bcb415c 100644
--- a/playwright/testcontainers/synapse.ts
+++ b/playwright/testcontainers/synapse.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,9 @@ import { set } from "lodash";
 
 import { getFreePort } from "../plugins/utils/port.ts";
 import { randB64Bytes } from "../plugins/utils/rand.ts";
-import { Credentials, HomeserverInstance } from "../plugins/homeserver";
+import { Credentials } from "../plugins/homeserver";
 import { deepCopy } from "../plugins/utils/object.ts";
+import { HomeserverContainer, StartedHomeserverContainer } from "./HomeserverContainer.ts";
 
 const TAG = "develop@sha256:17cc0a301447430624afb860276e5c13270ddeb99a3f6d1c6d519a20b1a8f650";
 
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ const DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
 
 export type SynapseConfigOptions = Partial<typeof DEFAULT_CONFIG>;
 
-export class SynapseContainer extends GenericContainer {
+export class SynapseContainer extends GenericContainer implements HomeserverContainer<typeof DEFAULT_CONFIG> {
     private config: typeof DEFAULT_CONFIG;
 
     constructor(private readonly request: APIRequestContext) {
@@ -225,7 +226,7 @@ export class SynapseContainer extends GenericContainer {
     }
 }
 
-export class StartedSynapseContainer extends AbstractStartedContainer implements HomeserverInstance {
+export class StartedSynapseContainer extends AbstractStartedContainer implements StartedHomeserverContainer {
     private adminToken?: string;
 
     constructor(