diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/AnnotationParamReconciler.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/AnnotationParamReconciler.java
index 66620aff6..0e75cccf7 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/AnnotationParamReconciler.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/AnnotationParamReconciler.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 package org.springframework.ide.vscode.boot.java.handlers;
 
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.Expression;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.ITypeBinding;
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.MemberValuePair;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.NormalAnnotation;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.SingleMemberAnnotation;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.dom.StringLiteral;
+import org.springframework.ide.vscode.boot.java.annotations.AnnotationHierarchies;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.reconcile.IProblemCollector;
 
 /**
@@ -44,9 +46,9 @@ public class AnnotationParamReconciler {
 		if (this.paramName != null) {
 			return;
 		}
-
-		String qname = typeBinding.getQualifiedName();
-		if (!this.annotationType.equals(qname)) {
+		
+		Set<String> allAnnotations = AnnotationHierarchies.getTransitiveSuperAnnotations(typeBinding);
+		if (!allAnnotations.contains(this.annotationType)) {
 			return;
 		}
 		
@@ -62,8 +64,8 @@ public class AnnotationParamReconciler {
 			return;
 		}
 		
-		String qname = typeBinding.getQualifiedName();
-		if (!this.annotationType.equals(qname)) {
+		Set<String> allAnnotations = AnnotationHierarchies.getTransitiveSuperAnnotations(typeBinding);
+		if (!allAnnotations.contains(this.annotationType)) {
 			return;
 		}
 			
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaReconcileEngine.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaReconcileEngine.java
index ff0a725ef..03b649aff 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaReconcileEngine.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/handlers/BootJavaReconcileEngine.java
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.java.IJavaProject;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.java.JavaProjectFinder;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.reconcile.IProblemCollector;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.languageserver.reconcile.IReconcileEngine;
-import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.util.StringUtil;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.util.text.IDocument;
 
 /**
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/value/test/ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/value/test/ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest.java
index 2c07d5666..129a3c029 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/value/test/ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/value/test/ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest.java
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ public class ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest {
 	
 	@Test
 	public void testIncorrectSpelExpressionFoundOnSpelParamOfCachableAnnotation() throws Exception {
-		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(condition=\"#{new String('hello world).toUpperCase()}\")");
+		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(condition=\"new String('hello world).toUpperCase()\")");
 		assertNotNull(doc);
 		
 		reconcileEngine.reconcile(doc, problemCollector);
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ public class ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest {
 	
 	@Test
 	public void testIncorrectSpelExpressionNotFoundOnNonSpelParamOfCachableAnnotation() throws Exception {
-		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(keyGenerator=\"#{new String('hello world).toUpperCase()}\")");
+		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(keyGenerator=\"new String('hello world).toUpperCase()\")");
 		assertNotNull(doc);
 		
 		reconcileEngine.reconcile(doc, problemCollector);
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ public class ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest {
 	
 	@Test
 	public void testIncorrectSpelExpressionFoundOnSpelParamOfCachableAnnotationAmongOtherParams() throws Exception {
-		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(keyGenerator=\"somekey\", condition=\"#{new String('hello world).toUpperCase()}\")");
+		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(keyGenerator=\"somekey\", condition=\"new String('hello world).toUpperCase()\")");
 		assertNotNull(doc);
 		
 		reconcileEngine.reconcile(doc, problemCollector);
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ public class ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest {
 	
 	@Test
 	public void testIncorrectSpelExpressionFoundOnMultipleSpelParamsOfCachableAnnotation() throws Exception {
-		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(unless=\"#{new String('hello world).toUpperCase()}\", condition=\"#{new String('hello world).toUpperCase()}\")");
+		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onField\")", "@Cacheable(unless=\"new String('hello world).toUpperCase()\", condition=\"new String('hello world).toUpperCase()\")");
 		assertNotNull(doc);
 		
 		reconcileEngine.reconcile(doc, problemCollector);
@@ -275,6 +275,30 @@ public class ValueSpelExpressionValidationTest {
 		assertEquals(2, problems.size());
 	}
 	
+	@Test
+	public void testCorrectSpelExpressionFoundOnCustomAnnotation() throws Exception {
+		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onMethod\")", "@CustomEventListener(condition=\"new String('hello world').toUpperCase()\")");
+		assertNotNull(doc);
+		
+		reconcileEngine.reconcile(doc, problemCollector);
+		
+		List<ReconcileProblem> problems = problemCollector.getCollectedProblems();
+		assertEquals(0, problems.size());
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testIncorrectSpelExpressionFoundOnCustomAnnotation() throws Exception {
+		TextDocument doc = prepareDocument("@Value(\"onMethod\")", "@CustomEventListener(condition=\"new String('hello world).toUpperCase()\")");
+		assertNotNull(doc);
+		
+		reconcileEngine.reconcile(doc, problemCollector);
+		
+		List<ReconcileProblem> problems = problemCollector.getCollectedProblems();
+		assertEquals(1, problems.size());
+	}
+	
+
+	
 	private TextDocument prepareDocument(String selectedAnnotation, String annotationStatementBeforeTest) throws Exception {
 		String content = IOUtils.toString(new URI(docUri));
 
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/resources/test-projects/test-annotations/src/main/java/org/test/CustomEventListener.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/resources/test-projects/test-annotations/src/main/java/org/test/CustomEventListener.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..616b82e19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/resources/test-projects/test-annotations/src/main/java/org/test/CustomEventListener.java
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package org.test;
+
+import org.springframework.context.event.EventListener;
+
+@EventListener
+public @interface CustomEventListener {
+}