diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/jsonwizard/jsonwizard.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/jsonwizard/jsonwizard.cpp
index fb0de4a3293..a3bad8656f0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/jsonwizard/jsonwizard.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/jsonwizard/jsonwizard.cpp
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@ void JsonWizard::openFiles(const JsonWizard::GeneratorFiles &files)
                 }
                 break;
             }
+            result.project()->setNeedsInitialExpansion(true);
             openedSomething = true;
         }
         if (file.attributes() & Core::GeneratedFile::OpenEditorAttribute) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.cpp
index 4bb5ec1b64c..89550892758 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.cpp
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ public:
     Core::Id m_id;
     bool m_isParsing = false;
     bool m_hasParsingData = false;
+    bool m_needsInitialExpansion = false;
     std::unique_ptr<Core::IDocument> m_document;
     std::unique_ptr<ProjectNode> m_rootProjectNode;
     std::unique_ptr<ContainerNode> m_containerNode;
@@ -306,6 +307,16 @@ void Project::setActiveTarget(Target *target)
     }
 }
 
+bool Project::needsInitialExpansion() const
+{
+    return d->m_needsInitialExpansion;
+}
+
+void Project::setNeedsInitialExpansion(bool needsExpansion)
+{
+    d->m_needsInitialExpansion = needsExpansion;
+}
+
 Target *Project::target(Core::Id id) const
 {
     return Utils::findOrDefault(d->m_targets, Utils::equal(&Target::id, id));
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.h b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.h
index 3864599982b..6e62aa14b46 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.h
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/project.h
@@ -189,6 +189,9 @@ public:
         }, recv, this);
     }
 
+    bool needsInitialExpansion() const;
+    void setNeedsInitialExpansion(bool needsInitialExpansion);
+
 signals:
     void displayNameChanged();
     void fileListChanged();
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectmodels.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectmodels.cpp
index c009925c97e..ab09068e3b9 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectmodels.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/projectmodels.cpp
@@ -239,6 +239,10 @@ void FlatModel::addOrRebuildProjectModel(Project *project)
         if (m_trimEmptyDirectories)
             trimEmptyDirectories(container);
     }
+
+    if (project->needsInitialExpansion())
+        m_toExpand.insert(expandDataForNode(container->m_node));
+
     if (container->childCount() == 0) {
         auto projectFileNode = std::make_unique<FileNode>(project->projectFilePath(),
                                                           FileType::Project, false);