diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/model/org/eclipse/cdt/core/model/CoreModel.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/model/org/eclipse/cdt/core/model/CoreModel.java
index 873bec74763..fd365685a43 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/model/org/eclipse/cdt/core/model/CoreModel.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/model/org/eclipse/cdt/core/model/CoreModel.java
@@ -1240,17 +1240,19 @@ public class CoreModel {
 					if (pe.getEntryKind() == IPathEntry.CDT_CONTAINER) {
 						IPathEntryContainer peContainer = CoreModel.getPathEntryContainer(
 								pe.getPath(), cProject);
-						if (peContainer instanceof IPathEntryContainerExtension) {
-							IPathEntryContainerExtension contExt = (IPathEntryContainerExtension) peContainer;
-							if (!contExt.isEmpty(resPath)) {
+						if (peContainer != null) {
+							if (peContainer instanceof IPathEntryContainerExtension) {
+								IPathEntryContainerExtension contExt = (IPathEntryContainerExtension) peContainer;
+								if (!contExt.isEmpty(resPath)) {
+									rc = false;
+									break;
+								}
+							}
+							else if (peContainer.getPathEntries().length > 0) {
 								rc = false;
 								break;
 							}
 						}
-						else if (peContainer.getPathEntries().length > 0) {
-							rc = false;
-							break;
-						}
 					}
 					// then the user specified scanner info
 					else if ((pe.getEntryKind() & PATH_ENTRY_MASK) != 0) {