diff --git a/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.h b/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.h
--- a/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.h
+++ b/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #ifndef TASKSMODEL_H
 #define TASKSMODEL_H
 
+#include <QQmlParserStatus>
 #include <QSortFilterProxyModel>
 
 #include "abstracttasksmodeliface.h"
@@ -53,9 +54,10 @@
  * @author Eike Hein <hein@kde.org>
  **/
 
-class TASKMANAGER_EXPORT TasksModel : public QSortFilterProxyModel, public AbstractTasksModelIface
+class TASKMANAGER_EXPORT TasksModel : public QSortFilterProxyModel, public AbstractTasksModelIface, public QQmlParserStatus
 {
     Q_OBJECT
+    Q_INTERFACES(QQmlParserStatus)
 
     Q_PROPERTY(int count READ rowCount NOTIFY countChanged)
     Q_PROPERTY(int launcherCount READ launcherCount NOTIFY launcherCountChanged)
@@ -809,6 +811,9 @@
      */
     Q_INVOKABLE QModelIndex makeModelIndex(int row, int childRow = -1) const;
 
+    void classBegin() override;
+    void componentComplete() override;
+
 Q_SIGNALS:
     void countChanged() const;
     void launcherCountChanged() const;
diff --git a/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.cpp b/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.cpp
--- a/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.cpp
+++ b/libtaskmanager/tasksmodel.cpp
@@ -80,6 +80,9 @@
     bool groupInline = false;
     int groupingWindowTasksThreshold = -1;
 
+    bool usedByQml = false;
+    bool componentComplete = false;
+
     void initModels();
     void initLauncherTasksModel();
     void updateAnyTaskDemandsAttention();
@@ -438,17 +441,6 @@
     QObject::connect(groupingProxyModel, &QAbstractItemModel::modelReset, q,
         [this]() { updateAnyTaskDemandsAttention(); }
     );
-
-    abstractTasksSourceModel = groupingProxyModel;
-    q->setSourceModel(groupingProxyModel);
-
-    QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsInserted, q, &TasksModel::updateLauncherCount);
-    QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsRemoved, q, &TasksModel::updateLauncherCount);
-    QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::modelReset, q, &TasksModel::updateLauncherCount);
-
-    QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsInserted, q, &TasksModel::countChanged);
-    QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsRemoved, q, &TasksModel::countChanged);
-    QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::modelReset, q, &TasksModel::countChanged);
 }
 
 void TasksModel::Private::updateAnyTaskDemandsAttention()
@@ -637,6 +629,12 @@
 
 void TasksModel::Private::updateGroupInline()
 {
+    if (usedByQml && !componentComplete) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    bool hadSourceModel = (q->sourceModel() != nullptr);
+
     if (q->groupMode() != GroupDisabled && groupInline) {
         if (flattenGroupsProxyModel) {
             return;
@@ -661,7 +659,7 @@
             forceResort();
         }
     } else {
-        if (!flattenGroupsProxyModel) {
+        if (hadSourceModel && !flattenGroupsProxyModel) {
             return;
         }
 
@@ -674,10 +672,28 @@
         delete flattenGroupsProxyModel;
         flattenGroupsProxyModel = nullptr;
 
-        if (sortMode == SortManual) {
+        if (hadSourceModel && sortMode == SortManual) {
             forceResort();
         }
     }
+
+    // Minor optimization: We only make these connections after we populate for
+    // the first time to avoid some churn.
+    if (!hadSourceModel) {
+        QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsInserted, q,
+            &TasksModel::updateLauncherCount, Qt::UniqueConnection);
+        QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsRemoved, q,
+            &TasksModel::updateLauncherCount, Qt::UniqueConnection);
+        QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::modelReset, q,
+            &TasksModel::updateLauncherCount, Qt::UniqueConnection);
+
+        QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsInserted, q,
+            &TasksModel::countChanged, Qt::UniqueConnection);
+        QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::rowsRemoved, q,
+            &TasksModel::countChanged, Qt::UniqueConnection);
+        QObject::connect(q, &QAbstractItemModel::modelReset, q,
+            &TasksModel::countChanged, Qt::UniqueConnection);
+    }
 }
 
 QModelIndex TasksModel::Private::preFilterIndex(const QModelIndex &sourceIndex) const {
@@ -893,6 +909,18 @@
 
     // Start sorting.
     sort(0);
+
+    // Private::updateGroupInline() sets our source model, populating the model. We
+    // delay running this until the QML runtime had a chance to call our implementation
+    // of QQmlParserStatus::classBegin(), setting Private::usedByQml to true. If used
+    // by QML, Private::updateGroupInline() will abort if the component is not yet
+    // complete, instead getting called through QQmlParserStatus::componentComplete()
+    // only after all properties have been set. This avoids delegate churn in Qt Quick
+    // views using the model. If not used by QML, Private::updateGroupInline() will run
+    // directly.
+    QTimer::singleShot(0, this, [this]() {
+        d->updateGroupInline();
+    });
 }
 
 TasksModel::~TasksModel()
@@ -1684,6 +1712,19 @@
     return QModelIndex();
 }
 
+void TasksModel::classBegin()
+{
+    d->usedByQml = true;
+}
+
+void TasksModel::componentComplete()
+{
+    d->componentComplete = true;
+
+    // Sets our source model, populating the model.
+    d->updateGroupInline();
+}
+
 bool TasksModel::filterAcceptsRow(int sourceRow, const QModelIndex &sourceParent) const
 {
     // All our filtering occurs at the top-level; anything below always