diff --git a/compiler/frontend/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/extensions/AnnotationBasedExtension.kt b/compiler/frontend/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/extensions/AnnotationBasedExtension.kt
index 8b8e8a90c35..5a15b313b93 100644
--- a/compiler/frontend/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/extensions/AnnotationBasedExtension.kt
+++ b/compiler/frontend/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/extensions/AnnotationBasedExtension.kt
@@ -27,12 +27,14 @@ interface AnnotationBasedExtension {
     fun getAnnotationFqNames(modifierListOwner: KtModifierListOwner?): List<String>
 
     fun DeclarationDescriptor.hasSpecialAnnotation(modifierListOwner: KtModifierListOwner?): Boolean {
-        if (annotations.any { it.isASpecialAnnotation(modifierListOwner) }) return true
+        val specialAnnotations = getAnnotationFqNames(modifierListOwner).takeIf { it.isNotEmpty() } ?: return false
+
+        if (annotations.any { it.isASpecialAnnotation(specialAnnotations) }) return true
 
         if (this is ClassDescriptor) {
             for (superType in TypeUtils.getAllSupertypes(defaultType)) {
                 val superTypeDescriptor = superType.constructor.declarationDescriptor as? ClassDescriptor ?: continue
-                if (superTypeDescriptor.annotations.any { it.isASpecialAnnotation(modifierListOwner) }) return true
+                if (superTypeDescriptor.annotations.any { it.isASpecialAnnotation(specialAnnotations) }) return true
             }
         }
 
@@ -40,20 +42,20 @@ interface AnnotationBasedExtension {
     }
 
     private fun AnnotationDescriptor.isASpecialAnnotation(
-            modifierListOwner: KtModifierListOwner?,
+            specialAnnotations: List<String>,
             visitedAnnotations: MutableSet<String> = hashSetOf(),
             allowMetaAnnotations: Boolean = true
     ): Boolean {
         val annotationFqName = fqName?.asString() ?: return false
         if (annotationFqName in visitedAnnotations) return false // Prevent infinite recursion
-        if (annotationFqName in getAnnotationFqNames(modifierListOwner)) return true
+        if (annotationFqName in specialAnnotations) return true
 
         visitedAnnotations.add(annotationFqName)
 
         if (allowMetaAnnotations) {
             val annotationType = annotationClass ?: return false
             for (metaAnnotation in annotationType.annotations) {
-                if (metaAnnotation.isASpecialAnnotation(modifierListOwner, visitedAnnotations, allowMetaAnnotations = true)) {
+                if (metaAnnotation.isASpecialAnnotation(specialAnnotations, visitedAnnotations, allowMetaAnnotations = true)) {
                     return true
                 }
             }