diff --git a/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake b/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
index 1affdd56786..f793096e509 100644
--- a/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
+++ b/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
@@ -91,6 +91,12 @@ while(NOT "${configure_args}" STREQUAL "")
             string(APPEND path "/mkspecs")
         endif()
         push("-DINSTALL_MKSPECSDIR=${path}")
+    elseif(arg STREQUAL "-developer-build")
+        set(developer_build TRUE)
+    elseif(arg STREQUAL "-cmake-file-api")
+        set(cmake_file_api TRUE)
+    elseif(arg STREQUAL "-no-cmake-file-api")
+        set(cmake_file_api FALSE)
     elseif(arg MATCHES "^-host.*dir")
         message(FATAL_ERROR "${arg} is not supported anymore.")
     elseif(arg STREQUAL "--")
@@ -863,6 +869,12 @@ translate_list_input(includes QT_EXTRA_INCLUDEPATHS)
 translate_list_input(lpaths QT_EXTRA_LIBDIRS)
 translate_list_input(rpaths QT_EXTRA_RPATHS)
 
+if(cmake_file_api OR (developer_build AND NOT DEFINED cmake_file_api))
+    foreach(file cache-v2 cmakeFiles-v1 codemodel-v2 toolchains-v1)
+        file(WRITE "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/.cmake/api/v1/query/${file}" "")
+    endforeach()
+endif()
+
 foreach(input ${config_inputs})
     qt_feature_normalize_name("${input}" cmake_input)
     push("-DINPUT_${cmake_input}=${INPUT_${input}}")
diff --git a/config_help.txt b/config_help.txt
index f010cccf1a6..c89479252e7 100644
--- a/config_help.txt
+++ b/config_help.txt
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ Build options:
                          CMake instead of auto-detecting one.
   -cmake-use-default-generator ... Turn off auto-detection of the CMake build
                          system generator.
+  -cmake-file-api ...... Let CMake store build metadata for loading the build
+                         into an IDE. [no; yes if -developer-build]
   -no-guess-compiler ... Do not guess the compiler from the target mkspec.
   -release ............. Build Qt with debugging turned off [yes]
   -debug ............... Build Qt with debugging turned on [no]