diff --git a/android/sdk.go b/android/sdk.go
index 873e08942..36afc3df2 100644
--- a/android/sdk.go
+++ b/android/sdk.go
@@ -342,9 +342,15 @@ type SdkMemberType interface {
 	//
 	// * The variant property structs are analysed to find exported (capitalized) fields which
 	//   have common values. Those fields are cleared and the common value added to the common
-	//   properties. A field annotated with a tag of `sdk:"keep"` will be treated as if it
+	//   properties.
+	//
+	//   A field annotated with a tag of `sdk:"keep"` will be treated as if it
 	//   was not capitalized, i.e. not optimized for common values.
 	//
+	//   A field annotated with a tag of `android:"arch_variant"` will be allowed to have
+	//   values that differ by arch, fields not tagged as such must have common values across
+	//   all variants.
+	//
 	// * The sdk module type populates the BpModule structure, creating the arch specific
 	//   structure and calls AddToPropertySet(...) on the properties struct to add the member
 	//   specific properties in the correct place in the structure.
diff --git a/cc/library_sdk_member.go b/cc/library_sdk_member.go
index 2c8e31158..730012c5b 100644
--- a/cc/library_sdk_member.go
+++ b/cc/library_sdk_member.go
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ type nativeLibInfoProperties struct {
 	// The list of possibly common exported include dirs.
 	//
 	// This field is exported as its contents may not be arch specific.
-	ExportedIncludeDirs android.Paths
+	ExportedIncludeDirs android.Paths `android:"arch_variant"`
 
 	// The list of arch specific exported generated include dirs.
 	//
@@ -322,23 +322,23 @@ type nativeLibInfoProperties struct {
 	// The list of possibly common exported system include dirs.
 	//
 	// This field is exported as its contents may not be arch specific.
-	ExportedSystemIncludeDirs android.Paths
+	ExportedSystemIncludeDirs android.Paths `android:"arch_variant"`
 
 	// The list of possibly common exported flags.
 	//
 	// This field is exported as its contents may not be arch specific.
-	ExportedFlags []string
+	ExportedFlags []string `android:"arch_variant"`
 
 	// The set of shared libraries
 	//
 	// This field is exported as its contents may not be arch specific.
-	SharedLibs []string
+	SharedLibs []string `android:"arch_variant"`
 
 	// The set of system shared libraries. Note nil and [] are semantically
 	// distinct - see BaseLinkerProperties.System_shared_libs.
 	//
 	// This field is exported as its contents may not be arch specific.
-	SystemSharedLibs []string
+	SystemSharedLibs []string `android:"arch_variant"`
 
 	// The specific stubs version for the lib variant, or empty string if stubs
 	// are not in use.
diff --git a/java/java.go b/java/java.go
index b3170b622..2150c5b88 100644
--- a/java/java.go
+++ b/java/java.go
@@ -1910,7 +1910,7 @@ func (mt *librarySdkMemberType) CreateVariantPropertiesStruct() android.SdkMembe
 type librarySdkMemberProperties struct {
 	android.SdkMemberPropertiesBase
 
-	JarToExport     android.Path
+	JarToExport     android.Path `android:"arch_variant"`
 	AidlIncludeDirs android.Paths
 }
 
diff --git a/sdk/sdk_test.go b/sdk/sdk_test.go
index 095f83607..898ecea68 100644
--- a/sdk/sdk_test.go
+++ b/sdk/sdk_test.go
@@ -226,8 +226,8 @@ func TestSDkInstall(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 type EmbeddedPropertiesStruct struct {
-	S_Embedded_Common    string
-	S_Embedded_Different string
+	S_Embedded_Common    string `android:"arch_variant"`
+	S_Embedded_Different string `android:"arch_variant"`
 }
 
 type testPropertiesStruct struct {
@@ -235,11 +235,11 @@ type testPropertiesStruct struct {
 	private     string
 	Public_Kept string `sdk:"keep"`
 	S_Common    string
-	S_Different string
+	S_Different string `android:"arch_variant"`
 	A_Common    []string
-	A_Different []string
+	A_Different []string `android:"arch_variant"`
 	F_Common    *bool
-	F_Different *bool
+	F_Different *bool `android:"arch_variant"`
 	EmbeddedPropertiesStruct
 }
 
@@ -346,3 +346,26 @@ func TestCommonValueOptimization(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		structs[1])
 }
+
+func TestCommonValueOptimization_InvalidArchSpecificVariants(t *testing.T) {
+	common := &testPropertiesStruct{name: "common"}
+	structs := []propertiesContainer{
+		&testPropertiesStruct{
+			name:     "struct-0",
+			S_Common: "should-be-but-is-not-common0",
+		},
+		&testPropertiesStruct{
+			name:     "struct-1",
+			S_Common: "should-be-but-is-not-common1",
+		},
+	}
+
+	extractor := newCommonValueExtractor(common)
+
+	h := TestHelper{t}
+
+	err := extractor.extractCommonProperties(common, structs)
+	h.AssertErrorMessageEquals("unexpected error", `field "S_Common" is not tagged as "arch_variant" but has arch specific properties:
+    "struct-0" has value "should-be-but-is-not-common0"
+    "struct-1" has value "should-be-but-is-not-common1"`, err)
+}
diff --git a/sdk/update.go b/sdk/update.go
index 03a5c0379..bcc2c778b 100644
--- a/sdk/update.go
+++ b/sdk/update.go
@@ -1225,6 +1225,9 @@ type extractorProperty struct {
 
 	// The empty value for the field.
 	emptyValue reflect.Value
+
+	// True if the property can support arch variants false otherwise.
+	archVariant bool
 }
 
 func (p extractorProperty) String() string {
@@ -1303,6 +1306,7 @@ func (e *commonValueExtractor) gatherFields(structType reflect.Type, containingS
 				name,
 				fieldGetter,
 				reflect.Zero(field.Type),
+				proptools.HasTag(field, "android", "arch_variant"),
 			}
 			e.properties = append(e.properties, property)
 		}
@@ -1370,10 +1374,16 @@ func (e *commonValueExtractor) extractCommonProperties(commonProperties interfac
 		fieldGetter := property.getter
 
 		// Check to see if all the structures have the same value for the field. The commonValue
-		// is nil on entry to the loop and if it is nil on exit then there is no common value,
-		// otherwise it points to the common value.
+		// is nil on entry to the loop and if it is nil on exit then there is no common value or
+		// all the values have been filtered out, otherwise it points to the common value.
 		var commonValue *reflect.Value
 
+		// Assume that all the values will be the same.
+		//
+		// While similar to this is not quite the same as commonValue == nil. If all the values
+		// have been filtered out then this will be false but commonValue == nil will be true.
+		valuesDiffer := false
+
 		for i := 0; i < sliceValue.Len(); i++ {
 			container := sliceValue.Index(i).Interface().(propertiesContainer)
 			itemValue := reflect.ValueOf(container.optimizableProperties())
@@ -1387,12 +1397,13 @@ func (e *commonValueExtractor) extractCommonProperties(commonProperties interfac
 				// no value in common so break out.
 				if !reflect.DeepEqual(fieldValue.Interface(), commonValue.Interface()) {
 					commonValue = nil
+					valuesDiffer = true
 					break
 				}
 			}
 		}
 
-		// If the fields all have a common value then store it in the common struct field
+		// If the fields all have common value then store it in the common struct field
 		// and set the input struct's field to the empty value.
 		if commonValue != nil {
 			emptyValue := property.emptyValue
@@ -1404,6 +1415,21 @@ func (e *commonValueExtractor) extractCommonProperties(commonProperties interfac
 				fieldValue.Set(emptyValue)
 			}
 		}
+
+		if valuesDiffer && !property.archVariant {
+			// The values differ but the property does not support arch variants so it
+			// is an error.
+			var details strings.Builder
+			for i := 0; i < sliceValue.Len(); i++ {
+				container := sliceValue.Index(i).Interface().(propertiesContainer)
+				itemValue := reflect.ValueOf(container.optimizableProperties())
+				fieldValue := fieldGetter(itemValue)
+
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(&details, "\n    %q has value %q", container.String(), fieldValue.Interface())
+			}
+
+			return fmt.Errorf("field %q is not tagged as \"arch_variant\" but has arch specific properties:%s", property.String(), details.String())
+		}
 	}
 
 	return nil