diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -127,26 +127,52 @@
 
 #########################################################################
 
-set(Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES
+# TODO: create ECM macro for automoc & json things
+set(Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_NO_JSON
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_SERVICE"
-    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_SERVICE_WITH_JSON"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_APPLET"
-    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_APPLET_WITH_JSON"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_PACKAGE"
-    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_PACKAGE_WITH_JSON"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_APPLETSCRIPTENGINE"
-    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_APPLETSCRIPTENGINE_WITH_JSON"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_DATAENGINESCRIPTENGINE"
+    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_DATAENGINE"
+)
+set(Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG2
+    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_PACKAGE_WITH_JSON"
+)
+set(Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG3
+    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_SERVICE_WITH_JSON"
+    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_APPLET_WITH_JSON"
+    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_APPLETSCRIPTENGINE_WITH_JSON"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_DATAENGINESCRIPTENGINE_WITH_JSON"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_CONTAINMENTACTIONS_WITH_JSON"
-    "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_DATAENGINE"
     "K_EXPORT_PLASMA_DATAENGINE_WITH_JSON"
 )
+set(Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES
+    ${Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_NO_JSON}
+    ${Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG2}
+    ${Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG3}
+)
 if(NOT CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS "3.10.0")
     # CMake 3.9+ warns about automoc on files without Q_OBJECT, and doesn't know about other macros.
     # 3.10+ lets us provide more macro names that require automoc.
     list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES ${Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES})
 endif()
+if(NOT CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS "3.9.0")
+    foreach(macro_name  ${Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG2})
+        # tell automoc how to find names of plugin metadata files
+        list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
+            "${macro_name}"
+            "[\n^][ \t]*${macro_name}[ \t\n]*\\([^,]*,[ \t\n]*\"([^\"]+)\""
+        )
+    endforeach()
+    foreach(macro_name  ${Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG3})
+        # tell automoc how to find names of plugin metadata files
+        list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
+            "${macro_name}"
+            "[\n^][ \t]*${macro_name}[ \t\n]*\\([^,]*,[^,]*,[ \t\n]*\"([^\"]+)\""
+        )
+    endforeach()
+endif()
 
 add_definitions(-DQT_DISABLE_DEPRECATED_BEFORE=0)
 
diff --git a/KF5PlasmaConfig.cmake.in b/KF5PlasmaConfig.cmake.in
--- a/KF5PlasmaConfig.cmake.in
+++ b/KF5PlasmaConfig.cmake.in
@@ -25,5 +25,21 @@
     # 3.10+ lets us provide more macro names that require automoc.
     list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES @Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES@)
 endif()
+if(NOT CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS "3.9.0")
+    foreach(macro_name  @Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG2@)
+        # tell automoc how to find names of plugin metadata files
+        list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
+            "${macro_name}"
+            "[\n^][ \t]*${macro_name}[ \t\n]*\\([^,]*,[ \t\n]*\"([^\"]+)\""
+        )
+    endforeach()
+    foreach(macro_name  @Plasma_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES_WITH_JSON_ARG3@)
+        # tell automoc how to find names of plugin metadata files
+        list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
+            "${macro_name}"
+            "[\n^][ \t]*${macro_name}[ \t\n]*\\([^,]*,[^,]*,[ \t\n]*\"([^\"]+)\""
+        )
+    endforeach()
+endif()
 
 include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/KF5PlasmaMacros.cmake")