diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java
index 0659869770..41fddfbab8 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java
@@ -104,13 +104,13 @@ public class DefaultMaven
         if ( request.getSettings().isOffline() )
         {
             getLogger().info( "\n\nNOTE: Maven is running in offline mode.\n\n" );
-            
+
             WagonManager wagonManager = null;
 
             try
             {
                 wagonManager = (WagonManager) container.lookup( WagonManager.ROLE );
-                
+
                 wagonManager.setOnline( false );
             }
             catch ( ComponentLookupException e )
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
             List files = getProjectFiles( request );
 
             List projects = collectProjects( files, request.getLocalRepository(), request.isRecursive(),
-                                             request.getSettings(), globalProfileManager );
+                                             request.getSettings(), globalProfileManager, !request.isReactorActive() );
 
             // the reasoning here is that the list is still unsorted according to dependency, so the first project
             // SHOULD BE the top-level, or the one we want to start with if we're doing an aggregated build.
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
             catch ( LifecycleExecutionException e )
             {
                 logFatal( e );
-                
+
                 throw new ReactorException( "Error executing project within the reactor", e );
             }
 
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
     }
 
     private List collectProjects( List files, ArtifactRepository localRepository, boolean recursive, Settings settings,
-                                  ProfileManager globalProfileManager )
+                                  ProfileManager globalProfileManager, boolean isRoot )
         throws ProjectBuildingException, ReactorException, IOException, ArtifactResolutionException,
         ProfileActivationException
     {
@@ -371,6 +371,11 @@ public class DefaultMaven
 
             MavenProject project = getProject( file, localRepository, settings, globalProfileManager );
 
+            if ( isRoot )
+            {
+                project.setExecutionRoot( true );
+            }
+
             if ( project.getPrerequisites() != null && project.getPrerequisites().getMaven() != null )
             {
                 DefaultArtifactVersion version = new DefaultArtifactVersion( project.getPrerequisites().getMaven() );
@@ -409,7 +414,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
                 }
 
                 List collectedProjects = collectProjects( moduleFiles, localRepository, recursive, settings,
-                                                          globalProfileManager );
+                                                          globalProfileManager, false );
                 projects.addAll( collectedProjects );
                 project.setCollectedProjects( collectedProjects );
             }
@@ -530,7 +535,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
     // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     // Reporting / Logging
     // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-    
+
     protected void logFatal( Throwable error )
     {
         line();
@@ -540,7 +545,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
         line();
 
         diagnoseError( error );
-        
+
         line();
     }
 
@@ -553,7 +558,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
         line();
 
         diagnoseError( r.getException() );
-        
+
         line();
 
         stats( r.getStart(), r.getFinish() );
diff --git a/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.java b/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.java
index 94db14f790..cc4d4eba27 100644
--- a/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.java
+++ b/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.java
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ public class DefaultMavenProjectBuilder
             try
             {
                 artifactResolver.resolve( projectArtifact, remoteArtifactRepositories, localRepository );
-                
+
                 File file = projectArtifact.getFile();
                 model = readModel( file );
 
@@ -1167,6 +1167,8 @@ public class DefaultMavenProjectBuilder
 
             project = processProjectLogic( "<Super-POM>", project, remoteRepositories, null, null );
 
+            project.setExecutionRoot( true );
+
             return project;
         }
         catch ( ModelInterpolationException e )
diff --git a/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/MavenProject.java b/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/MavenProject.java
index 944fdad447..971b4f2b4a 100644
--- a/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/MavenProject.java
+++ b/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/MavenProject.java
@@ -134,6 +134,8 @@ public class MavenProject
 
     private Build buildOverlay;
 
+    private boolean executionRoot;
+
     public MavenProject( Model model )
     {
         this.model = model;
@@ -181,6 +183,8 @@ public class MavenProject
             this.originalModel = ModelUtils.cloneModel( project.originalModel );
         }
 
+        this.executionRoot = project.executionRoot;
+
         // TODO: need to clone this too?
         this.artifact = project.artifact;
     }
@@ -1449,4 +1453,14 @@ public class MavenProject
     {
         return projectReferences;
     }
+
+    public boolean isExecutionRoot()
+    {
+        return executionRoot;
+    }
+
+    public void setExecutionRoot( boolean executionRoot )
+    {
+        this.executionRoot = executionRoot;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/ProjectSorter.java b/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/ProjectSorter.java
index aee378926b..5807ce5559 100644
--- a/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/ProjectSorter.java
+++ b/maven-project/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/project/ProjectSorter.java
@@ -169,11 +169,14 @@ public class ProjectSorter
     {
         if ( topLevelProject == null )
         {
-            List projectsByFile = new ArrayList( sortedProjects );
-
-            Collections.sort( projectsByFile, new ByProjectFileComparator() );
-
-            topLevelProject = (MavenProject) projectsByFile.get( 0 );
+            for ( Iterator i = sortedProjects.iterator(); i.hasNext() && topLevelProject == null; )
+            {
+                MavenProject project = (MavenProject) i.next();
+                if ( project.isExecutionRoot() )
+                {
+                    topLevelProject = project;
+                }
+            }
         }
 
         return topLevelProject;