diff --git a/sound/soc/soc-compress.c b/sound/soc/soc-compress.c
index 12a9820feac1..bb82bb966000 100644
--- a/sound/soc/soc-compress.c
+++ b/sound/soc/soc-compress.c
@@ -630,6 +630,7 @@ int snd_soc_new_compress(struct snd_soc_pcm_runtime *rtd, int num)
 	struct snd_pcm *be_pcm;
 	char new_name[64];
 	int ret = 0, direction = 0;
+	int playback = 0, capture = 0;
 
 	if (rtd->num_codecs > 1) {
 		dev_err(rtd->card->dev, "Multicodec not supported for compressed stream\n");
@@ -641,11 +642,27 @@ int snd_soc_new_compress(struct snd_soc_pcm_runtime *rtd, int num)
 			rtd->dai_link->stream_name, codec_dai->name, num);
 
 	if (codec_dai->driver->playback.channels_min)
-		direction = SND_COMPRESS_PLAYBACK;
-	else if (codec_dai->driver->capture.channels_min)
-		direction = SND_COMPRESS_CAPTURE;
-	else
+		playback = 1;
+	if (codec_dai->driver->capture.channels_min)
+		capture = 1;
+
+	capture = capture && cpu_dai->driver->capture.channels_min;
+	playback = playback && cpu_dai->driver->playback.channels_min;
+
+	/*
+	 * Compress devices are unidirectional so only one of the directions
+	 * should be set, check for that (xor)
+	 */
+	if (playback + capture != 1) {
+		dev_err(rtd->card->dev, "Invalid direction for compress P %d, C %d\n",
+				playback, capture);
 		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	if(playback)
+		direction = SND_COMPRESS_PLAYBACK;
+	else
+		direction = SND_COMPRESS_CAPTURE;
 
 	compr = kzalloc(sizeof(*compr), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (compr == NULL) {