diff --git a/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/android/RenderParamsFlags.java b/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/android/RenderParamsFlags.java
index b98f96f27c916..bd17a2fe6ca2d 100644
--- a/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/android/RenderParamsFlags.java
+++ b/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/android/RenderParamsFlags.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package com.android.layoutlib.bridge.android;
 
+import com.android.ide.common.rendering.api.LayoutlibCallback;
 import com.android.ide.common.rendering.api.RenderParams;
 import com.android.ide.common.rendering.api.SessionParams.Key;
 
@@ -42,11 +43,16 @@ public final class RenderParamsFlags {
     public static final Key<Boolean> FLAG_KEY_RECYCLER_VIEW_SUPPORT =
             new Key<Boolean>("recyclerViewSupport", Boolean.class);
     /**
-     * The application package name. Used via
-     * {@link com.android.ide.common.rendering.api.LayoutlibCallback#getFlag(Key)}
+     * The application package name. Used via {@link LayoutlibCallback#getFlag(Key)}
      */
     public static final Key<String> FLAG_KEY_APPLICATION_PACKAGE =
             new Key<String>("applicationPackage", String.class);
+    /**
+     * To tell LayoutLib that IDE supports providing XML Parser for a file (useful for getting in
+     * memory contents of the file). Used via {@link LayoutlibCallback#getFlag(Key)}
+     */
+    public static final Key<Boolean> FLAG_KEY_XML_FILE_PARSER_SUPPORT =
+            new Key<Boolean>("xmlFileParser", Boolean.class);
 
     // Disallow instances.
     private RenderParamsFlags() {}
diff --git a/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/impl/ResourceHelper.java b/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/impl/ResourceHelper.java
index 494b3d2492f90..a21de56066cb2 100644
--- a/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/impl/ResourceHelper.java
+++ b/tools/layoutlib/bridge/src/com/android/layoutlib/bridge/impl/ResourceHelper.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import com.android.internal.util.XmlUtils;
 import com.android.layoutlib.bridge.Bridge;
 import com.android.layoutlib.bridge.android.BridgeContext;
 import com.android.layoutlib.bridge.android.BridgeXmlBlockParser;
+import com.android.layoutlib.bridge.android.RenderParamsFlags;
 import com.android.ninepatch.NinePatch;
 import com.android.ninepatch.NinePatchChunk;
 import com.android.resources.Density;
@@ -142,8 +143,13 @@ public final class ResourceHelper {
             return null;
         }
 
+        XmlPullParser parser = null;
         // first check if the value is a file (xml most likely)
-        XmlPullParser parser = context.getLayoutlibCallback().getXmlFileParser(value);
+        Boolean psiParserSupport = context.getLayoutlibCallback().getFlag(
+                RenderParamsFlags.FLAG_KEY_XML_FILE_PARSER_SUPPORT);
+        if (psiParserSupport != null && psiParserSupport) {
+            parser = context.getLayoutlibCallback().getXmlFileParser(value);
+        }
         if (parser == null) {
             File f = new File(value);
             if (f.isFile()) {