diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts
index 55d5960bb9657..5ccf3ed3c7c99 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts
@@ -555,7 +555,7 @@ export interface TransferQuickInputButton extends theia.QuickInputButton {
     handle?: number;
 }
 
-export type TransferQuickInput<T extends theia.QuickPickItem> = TransferQuickPick<T> | TransferInputBox;
+export type TransferQuickInput = TransferQuickPick | TransferInputBox;
 
 export interface BaseTransferQuickInput {
     [key: string]: any;
@@ -566,14 +566,14 @@ export interface BaseTransferQuickInput {
     visible?: boolean;
 }
 
-export interface TransferQuickPick<T extends theia.QuickPickItem> extends BaseTransferQuickInput {
+export interface TransferQuickPick extends BaseTransferQuickInput {
     type?: 'quickPick';
     value?: string;
     placeholder?: string;
     buttons?: TransferQuickInputButton[];
     items?: TransferQuickPickItems[];
-    activeItems?: ReadonlyArray<T>;
-    selectedItems?: ReadonlyArray<T>;
+    activeItems?: ReadonlyArray<theia.QuickPickItem>;
+    selectedItems?: ReadonlyArray<theia.QuickPickItem>;
     canSelectMany?: boolean;
     ignoreFocusOut?: boolean;
     matchOnDescription?: boolean;
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ export interface QuickOpenMain {
     $setItems(instance: number, items: TransferQuickPickItems[]): Promise<any>;
     $setError(instance: number, error: Error): Promise<void>;
     $input(options: theia.InputBoxOptions, validateInput: boolean, token: CancellationToken): Promise<string | undefined>;
-    $createOrUpdate<T extends theia.QuickPickItem>(params: TransferQuickInput<T>): Promise<void>;
+    $createOrUpdate<T extends theia.QuickPickItem>(params: TransferQuickInput): Promise<void>;
     $dispose(id: number): Promise<void>;
 
     $hide(): void;
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/main/browser/quick-open-main.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/main/browser/quick-open-main.ts
index 5c2fd8d46213f..a31d26c46a0ba 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/main/browser/quick-open-main.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/main/browser/quick-open-main.ts
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ export class QuickOpenMainImpl implements QuickOpenMain, Disposable {
 
     private sessions = new Map<number, QuickInputSession>();
 
-    $createOrUpdate<T extends theia.QuickPickItem>(params: TransferQuickInput<T>): Promise<void> {
+    $createOrUpdate<T extends theia.QuickPickItem>(params: TransferQuickInput): Promise<void> {
         const sessionId = params.id;
         let session = this.sessions.get(sessionId);
         if (!session) {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/quick-open.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/quick-open.ts
index c4d900f7c167d..172571a9ec495 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/quick-open.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/quick-open.ts
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ export class QuickInputExt implements QuickInput {
     private onDidHideEmitter: Emitter<void>;
     private onDidTriggerButtonEmitter: Emitter<theia.QuickInputButton>;
     private _updateTimeout: any;
-    private _pendingUpdate: TransferQuickInput<any> = { id: this._id };
+    private _pendingUpdate: TransferQuickInput = { id: this._id };
 
     constructor(readonly quickOpen: QuickOpenExtImpl, readonly quickOpenMain: QuickOpenMain, readonly plugin: Plugin, private _onDidDispose: () => void) {
         this.title = undefined;
@@ -613,9 +613,16 @@ export class QuickPickExt<T extends theia.QuickPickItem> extends QuickInputExt i
             this._handlesToItems.set(i, item);
             this._itemsToHandles.set(item, i);
         });
-        items.forEach((item, i) => Object.assign(item, { handle: i }));
         this.update({
-            items
+            items: items.map((item, i) => ({
+                type: item.type,
+                label: item.label,
+                description: item.description,
+                handle: i,
+                detail: item.detail,
+                picked: item.picked,
+                alwaysShow: item.alwaysShow
+            }))
         });
     }