diff --git a/data/locale/deutsch.locale b/data/locale/deutsch.locale
index d73810b50..4b40cfc3f 100644
--- a/data/locale/deutsch.locale
+++ b/data/locale/deutsch.locale
@@ -866,6 +866,8 @@ lua.boolparam_deprecated3 für einen Boolean Parameter ist veraltet.\n
 lua.function_deprecated1 Achtung!
 lua.function_deprecated2 Die Funktion
 lua.function_deprecated3 ist veraltet,\n                      bitte nutzen Sie
+lua.versionscheck1 Ihre Lua API Version ist zu alt
+lua.versionscheck2 Erforderlich ist mindestens
 mainmenu.audioplayer Audioplayer
 mainmenu.channels Kanalliste
 mainmenu.clearsectionsd Lösche EPG Cache
diff --git a/data/locale/english.locale b/data/locale/english.locale
index 1131bd941..e0f36c8e8 100644
--- a/data/locale/english.locale
+++ b/data/locale/english.locale
@@ -867,6 +867,8 @@ lua.boolparam_deprecated3 for a Boolean parameter is deprecated.\n
 lua.function_deprecated1 Caution!
 lua.function_deprecated2 Function
 lua.function_deprecated3 is deprecated,\n                      please use
+lua.versionscheck1 Your Lua API version is too old
+lua.versionscheck2 This requires at least
 mainmenu.audioplayer Audioplayer
 mainmenu.channels Channels
 mainmenu.clearsectionsd Clear EPG Cache
diff --git a/src/gui/luainstance.cpp b/src/gui/luainstance.cpp
index 6587ef0c3..18641b641 100644
--- a/src/gui/luainstance.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/luainstance.cpp
@@ -278,6 +278,13 @@ static void set_lua_variables(lua_State *L)
 		{ NULL, 0 }
 	};
 
+	table_key apiversion[] =
+	{
+		{ "MAJOR", LUA_API_VERSION_MAJOR },
+		{ "MINOR", LUA_API_VERSION_MINOR },
+		{ NULL, 0 }
+	};
+
 	/* list of environment variable arrays to be exported */
 	lua_envexport e[] =
 	{
@@ -286,6 +293,7 @@ static void set_lua_variables(lua_State *L)
 		{ "FONT",	fontlist },
 		{ "CORNER",	corners },
 		{ "MENU_RETURN", menureturn },
+		{ "APIVERSION",  apiversion },
 		{ NULL, NULL }
 	};
 
@@ -511,6 +519,7 @@ const luaL_Reg CLuaInstance::methods[] =
 	{ "PlayFile", CLuaInstance::PlayFile },
 	{ "strFind", CLuaInstance::strFind },
 	{ "strSub", CLuaInstance::strSub },
+	{ "checkVersion", CLuaInstance::checkVersion },
 	{ NULL, NULL }
 };
 
@@ -2611,3 +2620,30 @@ int CLuaInstance::LuaConfigFileDelete(lua_State *L)
 }
 
 // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+int CLuaInstance::checkVersion(lua_State *L)
+{
+	int numargs = lua_gettop(L);
+	if (numargs < 3) {
+		printf("CLuaInstance::%s: not enough arguments (%d, expected 2)\n", __func__, numargs);
+		lua_pushnil(L);
+		return 1;
+	}
+	int major=0, minor=0, ret=1;
+	major = luaL_checkint(L, 2);
+	minor = luaL_checkint(L, 3);
+	if ((major > LUA_API_VERSION_MAJOR) || ((major == LUA_API_VERSION_MAJOR) && (minor > LUA_API_VERSION_MINOR))) {
+		ret = 0;
+		char msg[1024];
+		snprintf(msg, sizeof(msg)-1, "%s (v%d.%d)\n%s v%d.%d",
+				g_Locale->getText(LOCALE_LUA_VERSIONSCHECK1),
+				LUA_API_VERSION_MAJOR, LUA_API_VERSION_MINOR,
+				g_Locale->getText(LOCALE_LUA_VERSIONSCHECK2),
+				major, minor);
+		ShowMsg(LOCALE_MESSAGEBOX_ERROR, msg, CMessageBox::mbrBack, CMessageBox::mbBack, NEUTRINO_ICON_ERROR);
+	}
+	lua_pushinteger(L, ret);
+	return 1;
+}
+
+// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/gui/luainstance.h b/src/gui/luainstance.h
index 89956fed2..98389ef58 100644
--- a/src/gui/luainstance.h
+++ b/src/gui/luainstance.h
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ extern "C" {
 #include <configfile.h>
 #include <vector>
 
+#define LUA_API_VERSION_MAJOR 1
+#define LUA_API_VERSION_MINOR 0
+
 /* this is stored as userdata in the lua_State */
 struct CLuaData
 {
@@ -308,6 +311,8 @@ private:
 	static bool tableLookup(lua_State*, const char*, lua_Unsigned&);
 	static bool tableLookup(lua_State*, const char*, void**);
 	static bool tableLookup(lua_State*, const char*, bool &value);
+
+	static int checkVersion(lua_State *L);
 };
 
 #endif /* _LUAINSTANCE_H */
diff --git a/src/system/locals.h b/src/system/locals.h
index ed425dc62..0d018f975 100644
--- a/src/system/locals.h
+++ b/src/system/locals.h
@@ -894,6 +894,8 @@ typedef enum
 	LOCALE_LUA_FUNCTION_DEPRECATED1,
 	LOCALE_LUA_FUNCTION_DEPRECATED2,
 	LOCALE_LUA_FUNCTION_DEPRECATED3,
+	LOCALE_LUA_VERSIONSCHECK1,
+	LOCALE_LUA_VERSIONSCHECK2,
 	LOCALE_MAINMENU_AUDIOPLAYER,
 	LOCALE_MAINMENU_CHANNELS,
 	LOCALE_MAINMENU_CLEARSECTIONSD,
diff --git a/src/system/locals_intern.h b/src/system/locals_intern.h
index a0c126740..cb3bc3013 100644
--- a/src/system/locals_intern.h
+++ b/src/system/locals_intern.h
@@ -894,6 +894,8 @@ const char * locale_real_names[] =
 	"lua.function_deprecated1",
 	"lua.function_deprecated2",
 	"lua.function_deprecated3",
+	"lua.versionscheck1",
+	"lua.versionscheck2",
 	"mainmenu.audioplayer",
 	"mainmenu.channels",
 	"mainmenu.clearsectionsd",