diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.make.ui/plugin.xml b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.make.ui/plugin.xml
index e836c0d0e41..198ae158db7 100644
--- a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.make.ui/plugin.xml
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.make.ui/plugin.xml
@@ -546,13 +546,17 @@
             class="org.eclipse.cdt.make.core.scannerconfig.AbstractBuildCommandParser"
             icon="icons/obj16/log_obj.gif"
             page="org.eclipse.cdt.make.internal.ui.preferences.GCCBuildCommandParserOptionPage"
-            shared="false">
+            shared="false"
+            ui-clear-entries="true"
+            ui-edit-entries="false">
       </class-association>
       <class-association
             class="org.eclipse.cdt.make.core.scannerconfig.AbstractBuiltinSpecsDetector"
             icon="icons/obj16/inspect_system.gif"
             page="org.eclipse.cdt.make.internal.ui.scannerconfig.BuiltinSpecsDetectorOptionPage"
-            shared="true">
+            shared="true"
+            ui-clear-entries="true"
+            ui-edit-entries="false">
       </class-association>
    </extension>
    <extension
diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/plugin.xml b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/plugin.xml
index 6f1439ed4ee..0d557ef995e 100644
--- a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/plugin.xml
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/plugin.xml
@@ -653,7 +653,9 @@
       <id-association
             id="org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.LanguageSettingsProvider"
             icon="icons/obj16/mbs.gif"
-            shared="true">
+            shared="true"
+            ui-clear-entries="false"
+            ui-edit-entries="false">
       </id-association>
    </extension>
    
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/plugin.xml b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/plugin.xml
index 82eb6ddbfff..c5edfdb366e 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/plugin.xml
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/plugin.xml
@@ -3806,7 +3806,9 @@
 		<id-association
 			id="org.eclipse.cdt.ui.user.LanguageSettingsProvider"
 			icon="icons/obj16/person-me.gif"
-			shared="false">
+			shared="false"
+			ui-clear-entries="true"
+			ui-edit-entries="true">
 		</id-association>
 	</extension>
 	<extension point="org.eclipse.cdt.ui.cPropertyTab">
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsEntriesTab.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsEntriesTab.java
index 183a6df53db..323117a39b1 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsEntriesTab.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsEntriesTab.java
@@ -511,17 +511,20 @@ public class LanguageSettingsEntriesTab extends AbstractCPropertyTab {
 		boolean isEntrySelected = entry!=null;
 		boolean isProviderSelected = !isEntrySelected && (provider!=null);
 
-		boolean isProviderEditable = provider instanceof ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider;
-//		boolean isUserProvider = provider instanceof UserLanguageSettingsProvider;
+		boolean isAllowedEditing = provider instanceof ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider
+				&& LanguageSettingsProviderAssociationManager.isToEditEntries(provider);
 
-		boolean canAdd = isProviderEditable;
-		boolean canEdit = isProviderEditable && isEntrySelected;
-		boolean canDelete = isProviderEditable && isEntrySelected;
-		boolean canClear = isProviderEditable && isProviderSelected && entries!=null && entries.size()>0;
+		boolean isAllowedClearing = provider instanceof ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider
+				&& LanguageSettingsProviderAssociationManager.isToClear(provider);
+
+		boolean canAdd = isAllowedEditing;
+		boolean canEdit = isAllowedEditing && isEntrySelected;
+		boolean canDelete = isAllowedEditing && isEntrySelected;
+		boolean canClear = isAllowedClearing && isProviderSelected && entries!=null && entries.size()>0;
 
 		boolean canMoveUp = false;
 		boolean canMoveDown = false;
-		if (isProviderEditable && isEntrySelected && entries!=null) {
+		if (isAllowedEditing && isEntrySelected && entries!=null) {
 			int last = entries.size()-1;
 			int pos = getExactIndex(entries, entry);
 
@@ -552,7 +555,9 @@ public class LanguageSettingsEntriesTab extends AbstractCPropertyTab {
 		}
 		if (status==null || status==Status.OK_STATUS) {
 			ILanguageSettingsProvider provider = getSelectedProvider();
-			if (provider!=null && !(provider instanceof ILanguageSettingsBroadcastingProvider)) {
+			boolean isAllowedEditing = provider instanceof ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider
+					&& LanguageSettingsProviderAssociationManager.isToEditEntries(provider);
+			if (!isAllowedEditing) {
 				String msg = "Setting entries for this provider are supplied by system and are not editable.";
 				status = new Status(IStatus.INFO, CUIPlugin.PLUGIN_ID, msg);
 			}
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsProviderTab.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsProviderTab.java
index 186e4b4553b..b641d2c7c65 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsProviderTab.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/language/settings/providers/LanguageSettingsProviderTab.java
@@ -652,13 +652,10 @@ public class LanguageSettingsProviderTab extends AbstractCPropertyTab {
 		boolean isRangeOk = pos >= 0 && pos <= last;
 
 		ILanguageSettingsProvider rawProvider = LanguageSettingsManager.getRawProvider(provider);
-		boolean canClear = false;
-		if (rawProvider instanceof ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider) {
-			// TODO - commented out because we need the means to restart failed Spec Detectors
-//			if (!((ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider) rawProvider).isEmpty()) {
-				canClear = canForWorkspace || canForProject;
-//			}
-		}
+		boolean isAllowedClearing = rawProvider instanceof ILanguageSettingsEditableProvider
+				&& LanguageSettingsProviderAssociationManager.isToClear(rawProvider);
+
+		boolean canClear = isAllowedClearing && (canForWorkspace || canForProject);
 
 		boolean canReset = false;
 		if (rawProvider!=null && (canForWorkspace || canForProject)) {