diff --git a/independent-projects/bootstrap/app-model/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/BootstrapConstants.java b/independent-projects/bootstrap/app-model/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/BootstrapConstants.java
index 9d0a77e3aad46..366b96744a89b 100644
--- a/independent-projects/bootstrap/app-model/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/BootstrapConstants.java
+++ b/independent-projects/bootstrap/app-model/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/BootstrapConstants.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ public interface BootstrapConstants {
     String META_INF = "META-INF";
 
     String DESCRIPTOR_PATH = META_INF + '/' + DESCRIPTOR_FILE_NAME;
+    String BUILD_STEPS_PATH = META_INF + "/quarkus-build-steps.list";
 
     String PROP_DEPLOYMENT_ARTIFACT = "deployment-artifact";
     String PROP_PROVIDES_CAPABILITIES = "provides-capabilities";
diff --git a/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/BootstrapAppModelResolver.java b/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/BootstrapAppModelResolver.java
index 4f7d8ff9b9dfc..c713a2c7cde11 100644
--- a/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/BootstrapAppModelResolver.java
+++ b/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/BootstrapAppModelResolver.java
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.resolver.maven.BootstrapMavenException;
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.resolver.maven.BuildDependencyGraphVisitor;
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.resolver.maven.DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor;
+import io.quarkus.bootstrap.resolver.maven.DeploymentInjectionException;
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.resolver.maven.MavenArtifactResolver;
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.resolver.maven.SimpleDependencyGraphTransformationContext;
+import io.quarkus.bootstrap.util.ZipUtils;
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.workspace.ProcessedSources;
 import io.quarkus.bootstrap.workspace.WorkspaceModule;
 import io.quarkus.maven.dependency.ArtifactCoords;
@@ -21,6 +23,9 @@
 import io.quarkus.maven.dependency.ResolvedDependencyBuilder;
 import io.quarkus.paths.PathCollection;
 import io.quarkus.paths.PathList;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.file.FileSystem;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -191,6 +196,7 @@ private ApplicationModel doResolveModel(ArtifactCoords coords,
         }
 
         final ResolvedDependency appArtifact = resolve(coords, mvnArtifact, managedRepos);
+        final boolean preferWorkspacePaths = !containsExtensionMetadata(appArtifact) && (devmode || test);
 
         final ApplicationModelBuilder appBuilder = new ApplicationModelBuilder().setAppArtifact(appArtifact);
         if (appArtifact.getWorkspaceModule() != null) {
@@ -227,7 +233,8 @@ private ApplicationModel doResolveModel(ArtifactCoords coords,
 
         final DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor deploymentInjector;
         try {
-            deploymentInjector = new DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor(mvn, managedDeps, repos, appBuilder, devmode || test,
+            deploymentInjector = new DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor(mvn, managedDeps, repos, appBuilder,
+                    preferWorkspacePaths,
                     collectReloadableDeps && reloadableModules.isEmpty());
             deploymentInjector.injectDeploymentDependencies(resolvedDeps);
         } catch (BootstrapDependencyProcessingException e) {
@@ -276,7 +283,7 @@ private ApplicationModel doResolveModel(ArtifactCoords coords,
                         }
                     }
                     appBuilder.addDependency(
-                            toAppArtifact(dep.getArtifact(), module, devmode || test)
+                            toAppArtifact(dep.getArtifact(), module, false)
                                     .setScope(dep.getDependency().getScope())
                                     .setFlags(flags).build());
                 }
@@ -288,6 +295,36 @@ private ApplicationModel doResolveModel(ArtifactCoords coords,
         return appBuilder.build();
     }
 
+    private static boolean containsExtensionMetadata(ResolvedDependency dep) {
+        if (!ArtifactCoords.TYPE_JAR.equals(dep.getType())) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        for (Path path : dep.getResolvedPaths()) {
+            if (!Files.exists(path)) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (Files.isDirectory(path)) {
+                if (containsExtensionMetadata(path)) {
+                    return true;
+                }
+            } else {
+                try (FileSystem artifactFs = ZipUtils.newFileSystem(path)) {
+                    if (containsExtensionMetadata(artifactFs.getPath(""))) {
+                        return true;
+                    }
+                } catch (IOException e) {
+                    throw new DeploymentInjectionException("Failed to read " + path, e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    private static boolean containsExtensionMetadata(final Path path) {
+        return Files.exists(path.resolve(BootstrapConstants.BUILD_STEPS_PATH))
+                || Files.exists(path.resolve(BootstrapConstants.DESCRIPTOR_PATH));
+    }
+
     private io.quarkus.maven.dependency.ResolvedDependency resolve(ArtifactCoords appArtifact, Artifact mvnArtifact,
             List<RemoteRepository> managedRepos) throws BootstrapMavenException {
 
diff --git a/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/maven/DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor.java b/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/maven/DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor.java
index 037684a8b9207..ac5e92d03ccda 100644
--- a/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/maven/DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor.java
+++ b/independent-projects/bootstrap/maven-resolver/src/main/java/io/quarkus/bootstrap/resolver/maven/DeploymentInjectingDependencyVisitor.java
@@ -183,31 +183,33 @@ private void visitRuntimeDependency(DependencyNode node) {
         }
 
         Artifact artifact = node.getArtifact();
-        ResolvedDependencyBuilder newRtDep = null;
-        if (allRuntimeDeps.add(getKey(artifact))) {
+        final boolean add = allRuntimeDeps.add(getKey(artifact));
+        if (add) {
             artifact = resolve(artifact);
-            WorkspaceModule module = null;
-            if (resolver.getProjectModuleResolver() != null) {
-                module = resolver.getProjectModuleResolver().getProjectModule(artifact.getGroupId(), artifact.getArtifactId());
-            }
-            newRtDep = toAppArtifact(artifact, module, preferWorkspacePaths)
-                    .setRuntimeCp()
-                    .setDeploymentCp()
-                    .setOptional(node.getDependency().isOptional())
-                    .setScope(node.getDependency().getScope())
-                    .setDirect(collectingDirectDeps);
-            if (module != null) {
-                newRtDep.setWorkspaceModule().setReloadable();
-                if (collectReloadableModules) {
-                    appBuilder.addReloadableWorkspaceModule(new GACT(artifact.getGroupId(), artifact.getArtifactId()));
-                }
-            }
         }
 
         try {
             final ExtensionDependency extDep = getExtensionDependencyOrNull(node, artifact);
 
-            if (newRtDep != null) {
+            if (add) {
+                WorkspaceModule module = null;
+                if (resolver.getProjectModuleResolver() != null) {
+                    module = resolver.getProjectModuleResolver().getProjectModule(artifact.getGroupId(),
+                            artifact.getArtifactId());
+                }
+                final ResolvedDependencyBuilder newRtDep = toAppArtifact(artifact, module,
+                        preferWorkspacePaths && extDep == null && collectingTopExtensionRuntimeNodes)
+                                .setRuntimeCp()
+                                .setDeploymentCp()
+                                .setOptional(node.getDependency().isOptional())
+                                .setScope(node.getDependency().getScope())
+                                .setDirect(collectingDirectDeps);
+                if (module != null) {
+                    newRtDep.setWorkspaceModule().setReloadable();
+                    if (collectReloadableModules) {
+                        appBuilder.addReloadableWorkspaceModule(new GACT(artifact.getGroupId(), artifact.getArtifactId()));
+                    }
+                }
                 if (extDep != null) {
                     newRtDep.setRuntimeExtensionArtifact();
                 }