diff --git a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.cpp b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.cpp
index f7e27b8b60d..c4ab94f5858 100644
--- a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.cpp
@@ -55,53 +55,31 @@ AutotoolsBuildSystem::~AutotoolsBuildSystem()
 {
     delete m_cppCodeModelUpdater;
 
-    if (m_makefileParserThread) {
+    if (m_makefileParserThread)
         m_makefileParserThread->wait();
-        delete m_makefileParserThread;
-        m_makefileParserThread = nullptr;
-    }
 }
 
 void AutotoolsBuildSystem::triggerParsing()
 {
-    if (m_makefileParserThread) {
-        // The thread is still busy parsing a previous configuration.
-        // Wait until the thread has been finished and delete it.
-        // TODO: Discuss whether blocking is acceptable.
-        disconnect(m_makefileParserThread,
-                   &QThread::finished,
-                   this,
-                   &AutotoolsBuildSystem::makefileParsingFinished);
+    // The thread is still busy parsing a previous configuration.
+    // Wait until the thread has been finished and delete it.
+    // TODO: Discuss whether blocking is acceptable.
+    if (m_makefileParserThread)
         m_makefileParserThread->wait();
-        delete m_makefileParserThread;
-        m_makefileParserThread = nullptr;
-    }
 
     // Parse the makefile asynchronously in a thread
-    m_makefileParserThread = new MakefileParserThread(this);
+    m_makefileParserThread.reset(new MakefileParserThread(this));
 
-    connect(m_makefileParserThread,
-            &MakefileParserThread::finished,
-            this,
-            &AutotoolsBuildSystem::makefileParsingFinished);
+    connect(m_makefileParserThread.get(), &MakefileParserThread::done,
+            this, &AutotoolsBuildSystem::makefileParsingFinished);
     m_makefileParserThread->start();
 }
 
 void AutotoolsBuildSystem::makefileParsingFinished()
 {
-    // The finished() signal is from a previous makefile-parser-thread
-    // and can be skipped. This can happen, if the thread has emitted the
-    // finished() signal during the execution of AutotoolsBuildSystem::loadProjectTree().
-    // In this case the signal is in the message queue already and deleting
-    // the thread of course does not remove the signal again.
-    if (sender() != m_makefileParserThread)
-        return;
-
+    // The parsing has been cancelled by the user. Don't show any project data at all.
     if (m_makefileParserThread->isCanceled()) {
-        // The parsing has been cancelled by the user. Don't show any
-        // project data at all.
-        m_makefileParserThread->deleteLater();
-        m_makefileParserThread = nullptr;
+        m_makefileParserThread.release()->deleteLater();
         return;
     }
 
@@ -151,8 +129,7 @@ void AutotoolsBuildSystem::makefileParsingFinished()
 
     updateCppCodeModel();
 
-    m_makefileParserThread->deleteLater();
-    m_makefileParserThread = nullptr;
+    m_makefileParserThread.release()->deleteLater();
 
     emitBuildSystemUpdated();
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.h b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.h
index 09cd656b772..078e01e7ecd 100644
--- a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.h
+++ b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/autotoolsbuildsystem.h
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
 
 #include <projectexplorer/buildsystem.h>
 
+#include <memory>
+
 namespace CppEditor { class CppProjectUpdater; }
 
 namespace AutotoolsProjectManager {
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ private:
     QStringList m_files;
 
     /// Responsible for parsing the makefiles asynchronously in a thread
-    MakefileParserThread *m_makefileParserThread = nullptr;
+    std::unique_ptr<MakefileParserThread> m_makefileParserThread;
 
     CppEditor::CppProjectUpdater *m_cppCodeModelUpdater = nullptr;
 };
diff --git a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.cpp b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.cpp
index 1a88febbf84..183e396aa1a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.cpp
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ MakefileParserThread::MakefileParserThread(ProjectExplorer::BuildSystem *bs)
     : m_parser(bs->projectFilePath().toString()),
       m_guard(bs->guardParsingRun())
 {
-    connect(&m_parser, &MakefileParser::status,
-            this, &MakefileParserThread::status);
+    connect(&m_parser, &MakefileParser::status, this, &MakefileParserThread::status);
+    connect(this, &QThread::finished, this, &MakefileParserThread::done, Qt::QueuedConnection);
 }
 
 QStringList MakefileParserThread::sources() const
diff --git a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.h b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.h
index 75547af1dc5..cf2b448eeb9 100644
--- a/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.h
+++ b/src/plugins/autotoolsprojectmanager/makefileparserthread.h
@@ -131,6 +131,13 @@ signals:
      */
     void status(const QString &status);
 
+    /**
+      * Similar to finished, but emitted from MakefileParserThread thread, i.e. from the
+      * thread where the MakefileParserThread lives in, not the tread that it creates.
+      * This helps to avoid race condition when connecting to finished() signal.
+      */
+    void done();
+
 private:
     MakefileParser m_parser;    ///< Is not accessible outside the thread