diff --git a/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.h b/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.h
--- a/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.h
+++ b/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.h
@@ -120,12 +120,10 @@
 //     friend class Private;
     Private* const d;
 
-    Q_PRIVATE_SLOT(d, KJob* eventuallyReadFolder( ProjectFolderItem* item,
-                                                  const bool forceRecursion = false ))
+    Q_PRIVATE_SLOT(d, KJob* eventuallyReadFolder( ProjectFolderItem* item ))
     Q_PRIVATE_SLOT(d, void addJobItems(FileManagerListJob* job,
                                        ProjectFolderItem* baseItem,
-                                       const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries,
-                                       const bool forceRecursion))
+                                       const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries))
 
     Q_PRIVATE_SLOT(d, void deleted(const QString &path))
     Q_PRIVATE_SLOT(d, void created(const QString &path))
diff --git a/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.cpp b/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.cpp
--- a/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.cpp
+++ b/project/abstractfilemanagerplugin.cpp
@@ -74,13 +74,10 @@
 
     AbstractFileManagerPlugin* q;
 
-    /// @p forceRecursion if true, existing folders will be re-read no matter what
-    KIO::Job* eventuallyReadFolder( ProjectFolderItem* item,
-                                const bool forceRecursion = false );
+    KIO::Job* eventuallyReadFolder( ProjectFolderItem* item );
     void addJobItems(FileManagerListJob* job,
                      ProjectFolderItem* baseItem,
-                     const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries,
-                     const bool forceRecursion);
+                     const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries);
 
     void deleted(const QString &path);
     void created(const QString &path);
@@ -118,19 +115,18 @@
     m_filters.remove(project);
 }
 
-KIO::Job* AbstractFileManagerPlugin::Private::eventuallyReadFolder( ProjectFolderItem* item,
-                                                                const bool forceRecursion )
+KIO::Job* AbstractFileManagerPlugin::Private::eventuallyReadFolder( ProjectFolderItem* item )
 {
-    FileManagerListJob* listJob = new FileManagerListJob( item, forceRecursion );
+    FileManagerListJob* listJob = new FileManagerListJob( item );
     m_projectJobs[ item->project() ] << listJob;
     qCDebug(FILEMANAGER) << "adding job" << listJob << item << item->path() << "for project" << item->project();
 
     q->connect( listJob, &FileManagerListJob::finished,
                 q, [&] (KJob* job) { jobFinished(job); } );
 
     q->connect( listJob, &FileManagerListJob::entries,
-                q, [&] (FileManagerListJob* job, ProjectFolderItem* baseItem, const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries, bool forceRecursion) {
-                    addJobItems(job, baseItem, entries, forceRecursion); } );
+                q, [&] (FileManagerListJob* job, ProjectFolderItem* baseItem, const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries) {
+                    addJobItems(job, baseItem, entries); } );
 
     return listJob;
 }
@@ -154,8 +150,7 @@
 
 void AbstractFileManagerPlugin::Private::addJobItems(FileManagerListJob* job,
                                                      ProjectFolderItem* baseItem,
-                                                     const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries,
-                                                     const bool forceRecursion)
+                                                     const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries)
 {
     if ( entries.empty() ) {
         return;
@@ -210,10 +205,8 @@
             } else {
                 // this folder already exists in the view
                 folders.remove( index );
-                if ( forceRecursion ) {
-                    //no need to add this item, but we still want to recurse into it
-                    job->addSubDir( f );
-                }
+                // no need to add this item, but we still want to recurse into it
+                job->addSubDir( f );
                 emit q->reloadedFolderItem( f );
             }
         } else if ( ProjectFileItem* f =  baseItem->child(j)->file() ) {
@@ -273,7 +266,7 @@
                 // exists already in this project, happens e.g. when we restart the dirwatcher
                 // or if we delete and remove folders consecutively https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=260741
                 qCDebug(FILEMANAGER) << "force reload of" << path << folder;
-                eventuallyReadFolder( folder, true );
+                eventuallyReadFolder( folder );
                 found = true;
             }
             if ( found ) {
@@ -494,7 +487,7 @@
 bool AbstractFileManagerPlugin::reload( ProjectFolderItem* item )
 {
     qCDebug(FILEMANAGER) << "reloading item" << item->path();
-    d->eventuallyReadFolder( item->folder(), true );
+    d->eventuallyReadFolder( item->folder() );
     return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/project/filemanagerlistjob.h b/project/filemanagerlistjob.h
--- a/project/filemanagerlistjob.h
+++ b/project/filemanagerlistjob.h
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
     Q_OBJECT
 
 public:
-    FileManagerListJob(ProjectFolderItem* item, const bool forceRecursion);
+    FileManagerListJob(ProjectFolderItem* item);
     ProjectFolderItem* item() const;
 
     void addSubDir(ProjectFolderItem* item);
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 
 signals:
     void entries(FileManagerListJob* job, ProjectFolderItem* baseItem,
-                 const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries, const bool forceRecursion);
+                 const KIO::UDSEntryList& entries);
     void nextJob();
 
 private slots:
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@
     /// current base dir
     ProjectFolderItem* m_item;
     KIO::UDSEntryList entryList;
-    const bool m_forceRecursion;
     // kill does not delete the job instantaniously
     bool m_aborted;
 
diff --git a/project/filemanagerlistjob.cpp b/project/filemanagerlistjob.cpp
--- a/project/filemanagerlistjob.cpp
+++ b/project/filemanagerlistjob.cpp
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
 
 using namespace KDevelop;
 
-FileManagerListJob::FileManagerListJob(ProjectFolderItem* item, const bool forceRecursion)
-    : KIO::Job(), m_item(item), m_forceRecursion(forceRecursion), m_aborted(false)
+FileManagerListJob::FileManagerListJob(ProjectFolderItem* item)
+    : KIO::Job(), m_item(item), m_aborted(false)
 {
     /* the following line is not an error in judgment, apparently starting a
      * listJob while the previous one hasn't self-destructed takes a lot of time,
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
         return;
     }
 
-    emit entries(this, m_item, entryList, m_forceRecursion);
+    emit entries(this, m_item, entryList);
     entryList.clear();
 
     if( job->error() ) {