diff --git a/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/problem_utils.jl b/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/problem_utils.jl
index 72c2ee86d2..291e8e2e44 100644
--- a/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/problem_utils.jl
+++ b/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/problem_utils.jl
@@ -1901,6 +1901,32 @@ function build_operating_point(sys::AbstractSystem, op; fast_path = false)
     return op
 end
 
+struct MissingNecessaryInitialConditionsError <: Exception
+    missing_ics::NecessaryInitialConditionsT
+end
+
+const MISSING_NECESSARY_ICS_ERR_PRELUDE = """
+Missing necessary initial conditions for some variables. The missing variables are listed \
+below, along with the reason why the initial condition is required:
+"""
+
+function Base.showerror(io::IO, err::MissingNecessaryInitialConditionsError)
+    println(io, MISSING_NECESSARY_ICS_ERR_PRELUDE)
+    for (k, v) in err.missing_ics
+        printstyled(io, k; bold = true)
+        println(io, ": ", v)
+    end
+    return
+end
+
+function check_necessary_initial_conditions(sys::AbstractSystem, op::SymmapT)
+    ics = get_necessary_initial_conditions(sys)
+    isempty(ics) && return
+    missing_ics = filter(!Base.Fix1(has_possibly_indexed_key, op) ∘ first, ics)
+    isempty(missing_ics) || throw(MissingNecessaryInitialConditionsError(missing_ics))
+    return
+end
+
 """
     $(TYPEDSIGNATURES)
 
@@ -1972,6 +1998,7 @@ function __process_SciMLProblem(
     check_inputmap_keys(sys, op)
 
     op = getmetadata(sys, ProblemConstructionHook, identity)(op)::SymmapT
+    check_necessary_initial_conditions(sys, op)
 
     kwargs = NamedTuple(kwargs)
 
diff --git a/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/system.jl b/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/system.jl
index 81ec01e3aa..a4acd868ca 100644
--- a/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/system.jl
+++ b/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/src/systems/system.jl
@@ -1798,3 +1798,42 @@ to `sys` for which [`reverse_transformation_during_initialization`](@ref) is `tr
 function reverse_transformations_for_initialization(sys::System)
     return __reverse_transformations_helper(reverse_transformation_during_initialization, sys)
 end
+
+# Necessary Initial Conditions API
+
+# Metadata key
+abstract type NecessaryInitialConditions end
+const NecessaryInitialConditionsT = OrderedDict{SymbolicT, Union{String, LazyString}}
+
+"""
+    $TYPEDSIGNATURES
+
+Get a map from variables in `sys` whose initial conditions are required to a `String`
+reason for why they are required. This can be mutated to change the necessary
+initial conditions. After mutation, [`set_necessary_initial_conditions`](@ref) MUST
+be called with the mutated map.
+"""
+function get_necessary_initial_conditions(sys::System)
+    if !isempty(get_systems(sys))
+        throw(ArgumentError("This is only valid for flattened systems!"))
+    end
+    return @something(
+        getmetadata(
+            sys, NecessaryInitialConditions, nothing
+        )::Union{NecessaryInitialConditionsT, Nothing},
+        NecessaryInitialConditionsT()
+    )
+end
+
+"""
+    $TYPEDSIGNATURES
+
+See [`get_necessary_initial_conditions`](@ref).
+"""
+function set_necessary_initial_conditions(sys::System, ics)
+    if !isempty(get_systems(sys))
+        throw(ArgumentError("This is only valid for flattened systems!"))
+    end
+    get_necessary_initial_conditions(sys) === ics && return sys
+    return setmetadata(sys, NecessaryInitialConditions, ics)::System
+end
diff --git a/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/test/system_building.jl b/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/test/system_building.jl
index 7910344a72..0113084523 100644
--- a/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/test/system_building.jl
+++ b/lib/ModelingToolkitBase/test/system_building.jl
@@ -53,3 +53,12 @@ end
     @named sys = System([D(x) ~ x'], t)
     @test_nowarn mtkcompile(sys)
 end
+
+@testset "Necessary initial conditions" begin
+    @variables x(t) y(t)
+    @mtkcomplete sys = System([D(x) ~ t, x ~ y], t)
+    ics = ModelingToolkitBase.get_necessary_initial_conditions(sys)
+    ics[y] = "Because I want to"
+    sys = ModelingToolkitBase.set_necessary_initial_conditions(sys, ics)
+    @test_throws ModelingToolkitBase.MissingNecessaryInitialConditionsError ODEProblem(sys, [x => 1], (0.0, 1.0))
+end