diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.cpp
index 2a7d2a1b99a..43fdefdfb01 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.cpp
@@ -279,6 +279,11 @@ bool BuildConfiguration::isEnabled() const
     return true;
 }
 
+QString BuildConfiguration::disabledReason() const
+{
+    return QString();
+}
+
 bool BuildConfigMacroExpander::resolveMacro(const QString &name, QString *ret)
 {
     if (name == QLatin1String("sourceDir")) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.h b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.h
index 39816796a17..b7cada3afb0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.h
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/buildconfiguration.h
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ public:
     Target *target() const;
 
     virtual bool isEnabled() const;
+    virtual QString disabledReason() const;
 
     Utils::AbstractMacroExpander *macroExpander() { return &m_macroExpander; }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.cpp b/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.cpp
index a287c155367..2dc21e7691f 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.cpp
@@ -631,6 +631,13 @@ bool Qt4BuildConfiguration::isEnabled() const
     return m_isEnabled;
 }
 
+QString Qt4BuildConfiguration::disabledReason() const
+{
+    if (!m_isEnabled)
+        return tr("Parsing the .pro file");
+    return QString();
+}
+
 void Qt4BuildConfiguration::setEnabled(bool enabled)
 {
     if (m_isEnabled == enabled)
diff --git a/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.h b/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.h
index 9e57e615012..05692b5413a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.h
+++ b/src/plugins/qt4projectmanager/qt4buildconfiguration.h
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ public:
     ProjectExplorer::IOutputParser *createOutputParser() const;
 
     virtual bool isEnabled() const;
+    virtual QString disabledReason() const;
     /// \internal For Qt4Project, since that manages the parsing information
     void setEnabled(bool enabled);