diff --git a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/kotlin/io/gitpod/jetbrains/remote/maven/GitpodMavenProjectManager.kt b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/kotlin/io/gitpod/jetbrains/remote/optional/GitpodMavenProjectManagerListener.kt
similarity index 66%
rename from components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/kotlin/io/gitpod/jetbrains/remote/maven/GitpodMavenProjectManager.kt
rename to components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/kotlin/io/gitpod/jetbrains/remote/optional/GitpodMavenProjectManagerListener.kt
index 696ba4a2995a05..a6a686b3910c91 100644
--- a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/kotlin/io/gitpod/jetbrains/remote/maven/GitpodMavenProjectManager.kt
+++ b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/kotlin/io/gitpod/jetbrains/remote/optional/GitpodMavenProjectManagerListener.kt
@@ -2,18 +2,18 @@
 // Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).
 // See License-AGPL.txt in the project root for license information.
 
-package io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.maven
+package io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.optional
 
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project
 import org.jetbrains.idea.maven.project.MavenProjectsManager
 import com.intellij.openapi.diagnostic.thisLogger
+import com.intellij.openapi.project.ProjectManagerListener
 
-class GitpodMavenProjectManager(project: Project) {
-
-    init {
+class GitpodMavenProjectManagerListener : ProjectManagerListener {
+    @Deprecated("Deprecated. Need to findout the best way to replace it")
+    override fun projectOpened(project: Project) {
         thisLogger().warn("gitpod: forcing initialization of maven project")
         MavenProjectsManager.getInstance(project).forceUpdateAllProjectsOrFindAllAvailablePomFiles()
         thisLogger().warn("gitpod: forced!")
     }
-
 }
diff --git a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources-latest/META-INF/extensions.xml b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources-latest/META-INF/extensions.xml
index 9df186909089fb..75be843a63235b 100644
--- a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources-latest/META-INF/extensions.xml
+++ b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources-latest/META-INF/extensions.xml
@@ -5,14 +5,12 @@
 -->
 <!--suppress PluginXmlValidity -->
 <idea-plugin>
-    <depends optional="true">org.jetbrains.idea.maven</depends>
     <extensions defaultExtensionNs="com.intellij">
         <applicationService serviceInterface="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.GitpodIgnoredPortsForNotificationService" serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.latest.GitpodIgnoredPortsForNotificationServiceImpl" preload="true"/>
         <applicationService serviceInterface="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.GitpodCLIHelper" serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.latest.GitpodCLIHelperImpl"/>
         <applicationService serviceInterface="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.GitpodPortForwardingService" serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.latest.GitpodPortForwardingServiceImpl" client="controller" preload="true"/>
         <projectService serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.GitpodClientProjectSessionTracker" client="controller" preload="true"/>
         <projectService serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.GitpodTerminalService" client="controller" preload="true"/>
-        <projectService serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.maven.GitpodMavenProjectManager" client="controller" preload="true"/>
     </extensions>
     <actions>
         <action id="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.latest.GitpodCopyUrlAction"
diff --git a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/maven.xml b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/maven.xml
index 5479f7963d59e3..1809aebaaa9ccf 100644
--- a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/maven.xml
+++ b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/maven.xml
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 -->
 <!--suppress PluginXmlValidity -->
 <idea-plugin>
-    <extensions defaultExtensionNs="com.intellij">
-        <projectService serviceImplementation="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.maven.GitpodMavenProjectManager" preload="true"/>
-    </extensions>
+    <applicationListeners>
+        <listener class="io.gitpod.jetbrains.remote.optional.GitpodMavenProjectManagerListener"
+                  topic="com.intellij.openapi.project.ProjectManagerListener"/>
+    </applicationListeners>
 </idea-plugin>
diff --git a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
index 5c3f2c6a3e8476..896fdeefbb5e4f 100644
--- a/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
+++ b/components/ide/jetbrains/backend-plugin/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@
     <vendor>Gitpod</vendor>
     <description>Provides integrations within a Gitpod workspace.</description>
 
-
     <!-- Product and plugin compatibility requirements -->
     <!-- https://plugins.jetbrains.com/docs/intellij/plugin-compatibility.html -->
     <depends>com.intellij.modules.platform</depends>
+    <depends optional="true" config-file="maven.xml">org.jetbrains.idea.maven</depends>
     <dependencies>
         <plugin id="Git4Idea"/>
         <plugin id="org.jetbrains.plugins.terminal"/>