diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/LoomGradleExtension.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/LoomGradleExtension.java
index b21de99a..22c59b11 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/LoomGradleExtension.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/LoomGradleExtension.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.LoomDependencyManager;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.accesswidener.AccessWidenerFile;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.LayeredMappingsFactory;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.MappingConfiguration;
+import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftMetadataProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.library.LibraryProcessorManager;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.mapped.IntermediaryMinecraftProvider;
@@ -68,6 +69,10 @@ public interface LoomGradleExtension extends LoomGradleExtensionAPI {
 
 	LoomDependencyManager getDependencyManager();
 
+	MinecraftMetadataProvider getMetadataProvider();
+
+	void setMetadataProvider(MinecraftMetadataProvider metadataProvider);
+
 	MinecraftProvider getMinecraftProvider();
 
 	void setMinecraftProvider(MinecraftProvider minecraftProvider);
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/CompileConfiguration.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/CompileConfiguration.java
index 743091ac..5cf753ec 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/CompileConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/CompileConfiguration.java
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.processors.MinecraftJarProcessorManager;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.processors.ModJavadocProcessor;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.LayeredMappingsFactory;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.MappingConfiguration;
-import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftJarConfiguration;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftMetadataProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftSourceSets;
@@ -69,7 +68,6 @@ import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.mapped.IntermediaryMi
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.mapped.NamedMinecraftProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.extension.MixinExtension;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.Checksum;
-import net.fabricmc.loom.util.Constants;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.ExceptionUtil;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.ProcessUtil;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.gradle.GradleUtils;
@@ -154,13 +152,10 @@ public abstract class CompileConfiguration implements Runnable {
 		final LoomGradleExtension extension = configContext.extension();
 
 		final MinecraftMetadataProvider metadataProvider = MinecraftMetadataProvider.create(configContext);
+		extension.setMetadataProvider(metadataProvider);
 
 		var jarConfiguration = extension.getMinecraftJarConfiguration().get();
 
-		if (jarConfiguration == MinecraftJarConfiguration.MERGED && !metadataProvider.getVersionMeta().isVersionOrNewer(Constants.RELEASE_TIME_1_3)) {
-			jarConfiguration = MinecraftJarConfiguration.LEGACY_MERGED;
-		}
-
 		// Provide the vanilla mc jars
 		final MinecraftProvider minecraftProvider = jarConfiguration.createMinecraftProvider(metadataProvider, configContext);
 		extension.setMinecraftProvider(minecraftProvider);
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java
index 170188e6..64d7524e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java
@@ -68,8 +68,10 @@ import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.LayeredMappingSpecBuil
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.LayeredMappingsFactory;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.ManifestLocations;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftJarConfiguration;
+import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftMetadataProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftSourceSets;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.task.GenerateSourcesTask;
+import net.fabricmc.loom.util.Constants;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.DeprecationHelper;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.MirrorUtil;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.util.fmj.FabricModJson;
@@ -151,7 +153,23 @@ public abstract class LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl implements LoomGradleExtensionA
 		this.minecraftJarProcessors.finalizeValueOnRead();
 
 		//noinspection unchecked
-		this.minecraftJarConfiguration = project.getObjects().property((Class<MinecraftJarConfiguration<?, ?, ?>>) (Class<?>) MinecraftJarConfiguration.class).convention(MinecraftJarConfiguration.MERGED);
+		this.minecraftJarConfiguration = project.getObjects().property((Class<MinecraftJarConfiguration<?, ?, ?>>) (Class<?>) MinecraftJarConfiguration.class)
+				.convention(project.provider(() -> {
+					final LoomGradleExtension extension = LoomGradleExtension.get(project);
+					final MinecraftMetadataProvider metadataProvider = extension.getMetadataProvider();
+
+					// if no configuration is selected by the user, attempt to select one
+					// based on the mc version and which sides are present for it
+					if (!metadataProvider.getVersionMeta().downloads().containsKey("server")) {
+						return MinecraftJarConfiguration.CLIENT_ONLY;
+					} else if (!metadataProvider.getVersionMeta().downloads().containsKey("client")) {
+						return MinecraftJarConfiguration.SERVER_ONLY;
+					} else if (metadataProvider.getVersionMeta().isVersionOrNewer(Constants.RELEASE_TIME_1_3)) {
+						return MinecraftJarConfiguration.MERGED;
+					} else {
+						return MinecraftJarConfiguration.LEGACY_MERGED;
+					}
+				}));
 		this.minecraftJarConfiguration.finalizeValueOnRead();
 
 		this.accessWidener.finalizeValueOnRead();
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionImpl.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionImpl.java
index 18920a00..94dabe73 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionImpl.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.IntermediaryMappingsPr
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.LayeredMappingsFactory;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.MappingConfiguration;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.mappings.NoOpIntermediateMappingsProvider;
+import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftMetadataProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.MinecraftProvider;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.library.LibraryProcessorManager;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.mapped.IntermediaryMinecraftProvider;
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ public abstract class LoomGradleExtensionImpl extends LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl
 	private final List<AccessWidenerFile> transitiveAccessWideners = new ArrayList<>();
 
 	private LoomDependencyManager dependencyManager;
+	private MinecraftMetadataProvider metadataProvider;
 	private MinecraftProvider minecraftProvider;
 	private MappingConfiguration mappingConfiguration;
 	private NamedMinecraftProvider<?> namedMinecraftProvider;
@@ -130,6 +132,16 @@ public abstract class LoomGradleExtensionImpl extends LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl
 		return Objects.requireNonNull(dependencyManager, "Cannot get LoomDependencyManager before it has been setup");
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public MinecraftMetadataProvider getMetadataProvider() {
+		return Objects.requireNonNull(metadataProvider, "Cannot get MinecraftMetadataProvider before it has been setup");
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	public void setMetadataProvider(MinecraftMetadataProvider metadataProvider) {
+		this.metadataProvider = metadataProvider;
+	}
+
 	@Override
 	public MinecraftProvider getMinecraftProvider() {
 		return Objects.requireNonNull(minecraftProvider, "Cannot get MinecraftProvider before it has been setup");