diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader.js b/modules/angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader.js
index 8d599d627b..5771c2da6f 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader.js
@@ -30,6 +30,21 @@ export class DirectiveMetadataReader {
 
   componentDirectivesMetadata(annotation:Component):List<Type> {
     var template = annotation.template;
-    return isPresent(template) && isPresent(template.directives) ? template.directives : [];
+    var result:List<Type> = ListWrapper.create();
+    if (isPresent(template) && isPresent(template.directives)) {
+      this._buildList(result, template.directives);
+    }
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  _buildList(out:List<Type>, tree:List<any>) {
+    for (var i = 0; i < tree.length; i++) {
+      var item = tree[i];
+      if (ListWrapper.isList(item)) {
+        this._buildList(out, item);
+      } else {
+        ListWrapper.push(out, item);
+      }
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader_spec.js b/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader_spec.js
index 714d5ea376..a34b7bbb12 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader_spec.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader_spec.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {TemplateConfig} from 'angular2/src/core/annotations/template_config';
 import {DirectiveMetadata} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_metadata';
 import {ShadowDomStrategy, NativeShadowDomStrategy} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/shadow_dom_strategy';
 import {CONST} from 'angular2/src/facade/lang';
+import {If, Foreach} from 'angular2/directives';
 
 
 @Decorator({
@@ -29,7 +30,13 @@ class ComponentWithoutDirectives {}
 })
 class ComponentWithDirectives {}
 
-
+@Component({
+  selector: 'withDirectivesTree',
+  template: new TemplateConfig({
+    directives: [[SomeDirective, [Foreach, If]], ComponentWithoutDirectives]
+  })
+})
+class ComponentWithDirectivesTree {}
 
 export function main() {
   describe("DirectiveMetadataReader", () => {
@@ -61,6 +68,11 @@ export function main() {
         var cmp = reader.read(ComponentWithDirectives);
         expect(cmp.componentDirectives).toEqual([ComponentWithoutDirectives]);
       });
+
+      it("should return a list of directives specified in the template config as a tree", () => {
+        var cmp = reader.read(ComponentWithDirectivesTree);
+        expect(cmp.componentDirectives).toEqual([SomeDirective, Foreach, If, ComponentWithoutDirectives]);
+      });
     });
   });
 }
diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/integration_spec.js b/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/integration_spec.js
index 9be81b64e1..1695bdf00b 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/integration_spec.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/core/compiler/integration_spec.js
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ class PushBasedComp {
 
 @Component({
   template: new TemplateConfig({
-    directives: [MyDir, ChildComp, SomeTemplate, PushBasedComp]
+    directives: [MyDir, [[ChildComp], SomeTemplate, PushBasedComp]]
   })
 })
 class MyComp {
@@ -305,4 +305,3 @@ class MyService {
     this.greeting = 'hello';
   }
 }
-