--- a/versioning/apichanges.xml	
+++ a/versioning/apichanges.xml	
@@ -108,6 +108,21 @@ 
         
         <change>
             <api name="versioning_spi"/>
+            <summary>refreshRecursively() method added to VCSInterceptor</summary>
+            <version major="1" minor="17"/>
+            <date day="12" month="4" year="2010"/>
+            <author login="ovrabec"/>
+            <compatibility addition="yes"/>
+            <description>
+                <code>VCSInterceptor.refreshRecursively</code> allows a version control system to get better control on behavior of recursive listener.
+                With this method a versioning system can disable recursive listening on specific folders (e.g. versioning system metadata) and on the other hand 
+                learn about and handle external changes inside the folder in its own way.
+            </description>
+            <class package="org.netbeans.modules.versioning.spi" name="VCSInterceptor"/>
+            <issue number="181684"/>
+        </change>
+        <change>
+            <api name="versioning_spi"/>
             <summary>Added getVisibilityQueryImplementation() method to VersioningSystem</summary>
             <version major="1" minor="10"/>
             <date day="8" month="12" year="2009"/>
--- a/versioning/nbproject/project.properties	
+++ a/versioning/nbproject/project.properties	
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ 
 javac.source=1.6
 
 javadoc.name=Versioning
-spec.version.base=1.16.0
+spec.version.base=1.17.0
 is.autoload=true
 
 javadoc.arch=${basedir}/arch.xml
--- a/versioning/src/org/netbeans/modules/versioning/FilesystemInterceptor.java	
+++ a/versioning/src/org/netbeans/modules/versioning/FilesystemInterceptor.java	
@@ -142,6 +142,12 @@ 
         getInterceptor(FileUtil.toFile(fo), fo.isFolder(), "beforeChange").beforeChange(); // NOI18N
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public long refreshRecursively(File dir, long lastTimeStamp, List<? super File> children) {
+        DelegatingInterceptor interceptor = getRefreshInterceptor(dir);
+        return interceptor.refreshRecursively(dir, lastTimeStamp, children);
+    }
+
     private boolean needsLH(String... methodNames) {
         for (String methodName : methodNames) {
             if(master.needsLocalHistory(methodName)) {
@@ -316,6 +322,13 @@ 
         return new DelegatingInterceptor(vsInterceptor, localHistoryInterceptor, from, to, false);
     }
 
+    private DelegatingInterceptor getRefreshInterceptor (File dir) {
+        if (dir == null) return nullDelegatingInterceptor;
+        VersioningSystem vs = master.getOwner(dir);
+        VCSInterceptor vcsInterceptor = vs != null ? vs.getVCSInterceptor() : nullVCSInterceptor;
+        return new DelegatingInterceptor(vcsInterceptor, nullVCSInterceptor, dir, null, true);
+    }
+
     private final DelegatingInterceptor nullDelegatingInterceptor = new DelegatingInterceptor() {
         public boolean beforeDelete() { return false; }
         public void doDelete() throws IOException {  }
@@ -501,9 +514,10 @@ 
                 return false;
             }
         }
-//        VCSInterceptor getInterceptor() {
-//            return interceptor;
-//        }
+
+        public long refreshRecursively (File dir, long lastTimeStamp, List<? super File> children) {
+            return interceptor.refreshRecursively(dir, lastTimeStamp, children);
+        }
     }
 
     private class FileEx {
--- a/versioning/src/org/netbeans/modules/versioning/spi/VCSInterceptor.java	
+++ a/versioning/src/org/netbeans/modules/versioning/spi/VCSInterceptor.java	
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ 
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.List;
 
 /**
  * Versioning systems that need to intercept or listen to file system operations implement this class.  
@@ -226,4 +227,22 @@ 
      */
     public void beforeEdit(File file) {
     }
+
+    /** Allows versioning system to exclude some children from recursive
+     * listening check. Also notifies the versioning whenever a refresh
+     * is required and allows the versioning to provide special timestamp
+     * for a directory.
+     *
+     * @param dir the directory to check timestamp for
+     * @param lastTimeStamp the previously known timestamp or -1
+     * @param children add children that shall be integrated into this array
+     * @return the timestamp that shall represent this directory, it will
+     *   be compared with timestamps of all children and the newest
+     *   one will be kept and next time passed as lastTimeStamp. Return
+     *   0 if the directory does not have any special timestamp
+     * @since 1.17
+     */
+    public long refreshRecursively(File dir, long lastTimeStamp, List<? super File> children) {
+        return -1;
+    }
 }