diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/annotations/AnnotationAttributeCompletionProcessor.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/annotations/AnnotationAttributeCompletionProcessor.java
index fa970c989..d467c1f08 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/annotations/AnnotationAttributeCompletionProcessor.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/annotations/AnnotationAttributeCompletionProcessor.java
@@ -141,7 +141,15 @@ public class AnnotationAttributeCompletionProcessor implements CompletionProvide
 		String prefix = identifyPropertyPrefix(node.toString(), offset - node.getStartPosition());
 
 		int startOffset = node.getStartPosition();
-		int endOffset = node.getStartPosition() + node.getLength();
+
+		// special adjustment for the case of a $missing$ SimpleName node, e.g. @DependsOn(value = <*>)
+		// where the node starts right after the "=", not at the offset
+		if (node instanceof SimpleName && "$missing$".equals(((SimpleName)node).getIdentifier())) {
+			startOffset = offset;
+			prefix = "";
+		}
+		
+		int endOffset = startOffset + node.getLength();
 
 		String proposalPrefix = "\"";
 		String proposalPostfix = "\"";
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaCompletionEngine.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaCompletionEngine.java
index 952295d0e..cbcfe225c 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaCompletionEngine.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaCompletionEngine.java
@@ -17,13 +17,16 @@ import java.util.Map;
 
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.ASTNode;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.Annotation;
+import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.CompilationUnit;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.ITypeBinding;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.NodeFinder;
+import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.SimpleName;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.boot.java.snippets.JavaSnippetManager;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.boot.java.utils.CompilationUnitCache;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.completion.ICompletionEngine;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.completion.ICompletionProposal;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.util.LanguageSpecific;
+import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.util.BadLocationException;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.util.text.LanguageId;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.util.text.TextDocument;
 
@@ -48,7 +51,7 @@ public class BootJavaCompletionEngine implements ICompletionEngine, LanguageSpec
 	public Collection<ICompletionProposal> getCompletions(TextDocument document, int offset) throws Exception {
 		return cuCache.withCompilationUnit(document, cu -> {
 			if (cu != null) {
-				ASTNode node = NodeFinder.perform(cu, offset, 0);
+				ASTNode node = findNode(document, offset, cu);
 
 				if (node != null) {
 					Collection<ICompletionProposal> completions = new ArrayList<ICompletionProposal>();
@@ -63,6 +66,36 @@ public class BootJavaCompletionEngine implements ICompletionEngine, LanguageSpec
 		});
 	}
 
+	private ASTNode findNode(TextDocument document, int offset, CompilationUnit cu) {
+		ASTNode node = NodeFinder.perform(cu, offset, 0);
+
+		// take special case into account, e.g. @DependsOn(value = <*>)
+		// in this case the NodeFinder returns the outer AST node (the one where the annotation belongs to
+		// (e.g. the type declaration). This happens because the $missing$ SimpleName node is inserted right after
+		// the "=". Therefore, the NodeFinder doesn't find the SimpleName at the position behind the space
+		// and the information about the surrounding annotation is lost.
+		//
+		// For that case, we look for spaces before the offset and a $missing$ SimpleName to identify this
+		// exact situation and pass on the ASTNode for the SimpleName.
+		try {
+			int numberOfSpaces = 0;
+			while (Character.isSpaceChar(document.getChar(offset - numberOfSpaces - 1))) {
+				numberOfSpaces++;
+			}
+
+			if (numberOfSpaces > 0) {
+				ASTNode leftNode = NodeFinder.perform(cu, offset - numberOfSpaces, 0);
+				if (leftNode instanceof SimpleName && "$missing$".equals(((SimpleName)leftNode).getIdentifier())) {
+					node = leftNode;
+				}
+			}
+		} catch (BadLocationException e) {
+			// ignore, keep the original node
+		}
+		
+		return node;
+	}
+
 	private void collectCompletionsForAnnotations(ASTNode node, int offset, TextDocument doc, Collection<ICompletionProposal> completions) {
 		Annotation annotation = null;
 		ASTNode exactNode = node;
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/beans/test/DependsOnCompletionProviderTest.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/beans/test/DependsOnCompletionProviderTest.java
index c2de42c04..fad38e2ee 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/beans/test/DependsOnCompletionProviderTest.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/beans/test/DependsOnCompletionProviderTest.java
@@ -108,11 +108,15 @@ public class DependsOnCompletionProviderTest {
 		assertCompletions("@DependsOn(value=<*>)", 2, "@DependsOn(value=\"bean1\"<*>)");
 	}
 
-	// TODO: not yet working, needs more groundwork due to the parser skipping these non-valid parts of the AST
-//	@Test
-//	public void testDependsOnCompletionWithoutQuotesWithAttributeNameAndDefaultSpaces() throws Exception {
-//		assertCompletions("@DependsOn(value = <*>)", 2, "@DependsOn(value = \"bean1\"<*>)");
-//	}
+	@Test
+	public void testDependsOnCompletionWithoutQuotesWithAttributeNameAndDefaultSpaces() throws Exception {
+		assertCompletions("@DependsOn(value = <*>)", 2, "@DependsOn(value = \"bean1\"<*>)");
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testDependsOnCompletionWithoutQuotesWithAttributeNameAndManySpaces() throws Exception {
+		assertCompletions("@DependsOn(value =    <*>  )", 2, "@DependsOn(value =    \"bean1\"<*>  )");
+	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testDependsOnCompletionInsideOfQuotesWithoutPrefix() throws Exception {