diff --git a/tests/unit/test_web.py b/tests/unit/test_web.py
index aa70176b3c..339ec2169e 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_web.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_web.py
@@ -847,6 +847,7 @@ class TestWeb(BaseTestWeb):
                 'connection_name': 'gerrit',
                 'name': 'org/project1',
                 'metadata': {
+                    'is_template': False,
                     'default_branch': 'master',
                     'merge_mode': 'merge-resolve',
                     'queue_name': 'integrated',
@@ -855,6 +856,7 @@ class TestWeb(BaseTestWeb):
                     'source_context': {'branch': 'master',
                                        'path': 'zuul.yaml',
                                        'project': 'common-config'},
+                    'is_template': False,
                     'templates': [],
                     'default_branch': None,
                     'queue_name': 'integrated',
diff --git a/web/src/actions/project.js b/web/src/actions/project.js
index de1da21970..af7d0e172e 100644
--- a/web/src/actions/project.js
+++ b/web/src/actions/project.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export const receiveProject = (tenant, projectName, project) => {
   const templateIdx = []
   let idx
   project.configs.forEach((config, idx) => {
-    if (config.default_branch === null) {
+    if (config.is_template === true) {
       // This must be a template
       templateIdx.push(idx)
       config.pipelines.forEach(templatePipeline => {
diff --git a/zuul/configloader.py b/zuul/configloader.py
index 2e6b2559a2..09c4fbab89 100644
--- a/zuul/configloader.py
+++ b/zuul/configloader.py
@@ -1162,6 +1162,7 @@ class ProjectTemplateParser(object):
         project_template = model.ProjectConfig(conf.get('name'))
         project_template.source_context = conf['_source_context']
         project_template.start_mark = conf['_start_mark']
+        project_template.is_template = True
         project_template.queue_name = conf.get('queue')
         for pipeline_name, conf_pipeline in conf.items():
             if pipeline_name in self.not_pipelines:
@@ -1284,6 +1285,10 @@ class ProjectParser(object):
 
             project_config.name = project.canonical_name
 
+            # Explicitly override this to False since we're reusing the
+            # project-template loading method which sets it True.
+            project_config.is_template = False
+
             # Pragmas can cause templates to end up with implied
             # branch matchers for arbitrary branches, but project
             # stanzas should not.  They should either have the current
diff --git a/zuul/model.py b/zuul/model.py
index 429ec706a3..9811fd0aef 100644
--- a/zuul/model.py
+++ b/zuul/model.py
@@ -7313,6 +7313,7 @@ class ProjectConfig(ConfigObject):
     def __init__(self, name):
         super(ProjectConfig, self).__init__()
         self.name = name
+        self.is_template = False
         self.templates = []
         # Pipeline name -> ProjectPipelineConfig
         self.pipelines = {}
@@ -7334,6 +7335,7 @@ class ProjectConfig(ConfigObject):
         r = self.__class__(self.name)
         r.source_context = self.source_context
         r.start_mark = self.start_mark
+        r.is_template = self.is_template
         r.templates = self.templates
         r.pipelines = self.pipelines
         r.branch_matcher = self.branch_matcher
@@ -7365,6 +7367,7 @@ class ProjectConfig(ConfigObject):
                                           MERGER_MAP.items()))[0][0]
         else:
             d['merge_mode'] = None
+        d['is_template'] = self.is_template
         d['templates'] = self.templates
         d['queue_name'] = self.queue_name
         return d
@@ -7381,6 +7384,7 @@ class ProjectMetadata:
     def __init__(self):
         self.merge_mode = None
         self._default_branch = None
+        self.is_template = False
         self.queue_name = None
 
     def isDefaultBranchSet(self):
@@ -7398,6 +7402,7 @@ class ProjectMetadata:
         return {
             'merge_mode': self.merge_mode,
             'default_branch': self.default_branch,
+            'is_template': self.is_template,
             'queue_name': self.queue_name,
         }
 
@@ -7406,6 +7411,7 @@ class ProjectMetadata:
         o = cls()
         o.merge_mode = data['merge_mode']
         o.default_branch = data['default_branch']
+        o.is_template = data['is_template']
         o.queue_name = data['queue_name']
         return o