diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
index 07e2a24ad8b..c4114bca42f 100644
--- a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ Require-Bundle: org.eclipse.ui,
  org.junit,
  org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core,
  org.eclipse.cdt.core,
- org.eclipse.core.resources
+ org.eclipse.core.resources,
+ org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.tests
 Bundle-ActivationPolicy: lazy
 Bundle-RequiredExecutionEnvironment: JavaSE-1.8
 Export-Package: org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests,
diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/plugin.xml b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/plugin.xml
index cb7d4257433..d344a2f2724 100644
--- a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/plugin.xml
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/plugin.xml
@@ -46,6 +46,68 @@
          <toolchain toolchainID="F"/>
       </wizardPage>
    </extension>
+     <extension
+           id="cdt.test.ToolListContentProvider.toolchain"
+           point="org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.buildDefinitions">
+        <projectType
+              id="cdt.managedbuild.target.ToolListContentProvider.exe"
+              isAbstract="false"
+              isTest="true">
+           <configuration
+                 id="cdt.managedbuild.config.ToolListContentProvider.exe.debug"
+                 name="ToolListContentProvider">
+              <toolChain
+                    id="cdt.managedbuild.toolchain.ToolListContentProvider.exe.debug"
+                    isSystem="true">
+                 <targetPlatform
+                       id="cdt.managedbuild.target.ToolListContentProvider.platform.exe.debug">
+                 </targetPlatform>
+                 <builder
+                       id="cdt.managedbuild.target.ToolListContentProvider.builder.exe.debug">
+                 </builder>
+                 <optionCategory
+                       applicabilityCalculator="org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties.HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator"
+                       id="ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category1"
+                       name="ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category1">
+                 </optionCategory>
+                 <option
+                       category="ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category1"
+                       id="ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.option1"
+                       isAbstract="false"
+                       resourceFilter="all"
+                       valueType="string">
+                 </option>
+                 <optionCategory
+                       applicabilityCalculator="org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties.HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator"
+                       id="ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category2"
+                       name="ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category2">
+                 </optionCategory>
+                 <tool
+                       id="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty1"
+                       isAbstract="false"
+                       superClass=" ">
+                    <optionCategory
+                          applicabilityCalculator="org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties.HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator"
+                          id="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category1"
+                          name="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category1">
+                    </optionCategory>
+                    <option
+                          category="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category1"
+                          id="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.option1"
+                          isAbstract="false"
+                          resourceFilter="all"
+                          valueType="string">
+                    </option>
+                    <optionCategory
+                          applicabilityCalculator="org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties.HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator"
+                          id="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category2"
+                          name="ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category2">
+                    </optionCategory>
+                 </tool>
+              </toolChain>
+           </configuration>
+        </projectType>
+     </extension>
 
 
 
diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/properties/HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator.java b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/properties/HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f24d9bd4e20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/properties/HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2018 STMicroelectronics and others.
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ *
+ * Contributors:
+ * STMicroelectronics
+ *******************************************************************************/
+package org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IBuildObject;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IHoldsOptions;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IOptionCategory;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IOptionCategoryApplicability;
+
+public class HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator implements IOptionCategoryApplicability {
+
+	public HideEmptyOptionCategoryApplicabilityCalculator() {
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	public boolean isOptionCategoryVisible(IBuildObject configuration, IHoldsOptions optHolder,
+			IOptionCategory category) {
+		// Check that the category contains at least one option
+		return Arrays.asList(optHolder.getOptions())
+			.stream()
+			.map((opt) -> opt.getCategory())
+			.anyMatch((cat) -> cat != null && cat.equals(category));
+	}
+}
diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/properties/ToolListContentProviderTests.java b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/properties/ToolListContentProviderTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..81bca2aba95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/properties/ToolListContentProviderTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2018 STMicroelectronics and others.
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ *
+ * Contributors:
+ * STMicroelectronics
+ *******************************************************************************/
+package org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IConfiguration;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IManagedBuildInfo;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.IOptionCategory;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.ITool;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.ManagedBuildManager;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.testplugin.ManagedBuildTestHelper;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.properties.ToolListContentProvider;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.properties.ToolListElement;
+import org.eclipse.core.resources.IProject;
+
+import junit.framework.Test;
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
+import junit.framework.TestSuite;
+
+public class ToolListContentProviderTests extends TestCase {
+
+	private static final String testName = "ToolListContentProvider"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+	private static boolean fHandleValueCalled;
+
+	public static Test suite() {
+		return new TestSuite(ToolListContentProviderTests.class);
+	}
+
+	private void resetValueHandler(){
+		fHandleValueCalled = false;
+	}
+
+	public void testToolListContentProvider(){
+		resetValueHandler();
+
+		IProject project = ManagedBuildTestHelper.createProject(testName,
+								"cdt.managedbuild.target.ToolListContentProvider.exe"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+
+		IManagedBuildInfo info = ManagedBuildManager.getBuildInfo(project);
+		IConfiguration cfg = info.getManagedProject().getConfigurations()[0];
+		assertFalse(fHandleValueCalled);
+
+		doTestToolListContentProvider(cfg);
+
+		ManagedBuildTestHelper.removeProject(testName);
+	}
+
+	private void doTestToolListContentProvider(IConfiguration cfg){
+		ToolListContentProvider provider = new ToolListContentProvider(ToolListContentProvider.PROJECT);
+		provider.inputChanged(null, null, cfg.getRootFolderInfo());
+
+		ToolListElement[] elements = (ToolListElement[])provider.getChildren(cfg);
+
+		// Toolchain level
+		List<String> toolchainOptCats = getOptionCategories(elements);
+		assertTrue(toolchainOptCats.contains("ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category1"));
+		assertFalse(toolchainOptCats.contains("ToolListContentProvider.toolchain.empty.category2"));
+
+		// Tool level
+		for (ToolListElement element : elements) {
+			ITool tool = element.getTool();
+			if (tool != null && tool.getBaseId().equals("ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty1")) {
+				List<String> toolOptCats = getOptionCategories(element.getChildElements());
+				assertTrue(toolOptCats.contains("ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category1"));
+				assertFalse(toolOptCats.contains("ToolListContentProvider.tool.empty.category2"));
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	private List<String> getOptionCategories(ToolListElement[] elements) {
+		List<String> res = new ArrayList<>();
+		for (ToolListElement element : elements) {
+			IOptionCategory cat = element.getOptionCategory();
+			if (cat != null) { // Only list nodes with option category
+				String id = cat.getBaseId();
+				assertNotNull(id);
+				res.add(id);
+			}
+		}
+		return res;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/suite/AutomatedIntegrationSuite.java b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/suite/AutomatedIntegrationSuite.java
index fc7b8a16dec..6f11646356e 100644
--- a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/suite/AutomatedIntegrationSuite.java
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/tests/suite/AutomatedIntegrationSuite.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import junit.framework.TestSuite;
 
 import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.TestCProjectPlatformPage;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.TestCustomPageManager;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui.tests.properties.ToolListContentProviderTests;
 
 /**
  *
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ public class AutomatedIntegrationSuite {
 // TODO uncoment this		
 		suite.addTest(TestCustomPageManager.suite());
 		suite.addTestSuite(TestCProjectPlatformPage.class);
+		suite.addTest(ToolListContentProviderTests.suite());
 		
 		//$JUnit-END$
 		return suite;
diff --git a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/properties/ToolListContentProvider.java b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/properties/ToolListContentProvider.java
index f8a3962deba..947caeaf6d3 100644
--- a/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/properties/ToolListContentProvider.java
+++ b/build/org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/managedbuilder/ui/properties/ToolListContentProvider.java
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ public class ToolListContentProvider implements ITreeContentProvider{
 		for (int i=0; i<cats.length; i++) {
 			ToolListElement e = new ToolListElement(parentElement, optHolder, cats[i]);
 			applicabilityCalculator = e.getOptionCategory().getApplicabilityCalculator();
-			if (applicabilityCalculator == null || applicabilityCalculator.isOptionCategoryVisible(config, optHolder, parent)) {
+			if (applicabilityCalculator == null || applicabilityCalculator.isOptionCategoryVisible(config, e.getHoldOptions(), e.getOptionCategory())) {
 				parentElement.addChildElement(e);
 				createChildElements(e,config);
 			}