diff --git a/src/DynamoCore/Models/DynamoModel.cs b/src/DynamoCore/Models/DynamoModel.cs
index e1c6dd4b1e7..6df56dafc1a 100644
--- a/src/DynamoCore/Models/DynamoModel.cs
+++ b/src/DynamoCore/Models/DynamoModel.cs
@@ -1693,6 +1693,8 @@ private bool OpenJsonFileFromPath(string fileContents, string filePath, bool for
                             OnComputeModelDeserialized();
 
                             SetPeriodicEvaluation(ws);
+
+                            CurrentWorkspace = ws;
                         }
                     }
                 }
@@ -1771,7 +1773,7 @@ private void OpenWorkspace(WorkspaceModel ws)
             }
 
             AddWorkspace(ws);
-            CurrentWorkspace = ws;
+            //CurrentWorkspace = ws;
             OnWorkspaceOpened(ws);
         }
 
diff --git a/src/DynamoPackages/PackageLoader.cs b/src/DynamoPackages/PackageLoader.cs
index eac5ab32d3d..c087fbc8d50 100644
--- a/src/DynamoPackages/PackageLoader.cs
+++ b/src/DynamoPackages/PackageLoader.cs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 using Dynamo.Core;
 using Dynamo.Exceptions;
 using Dynamo.Extensions;
+using Dynamo.Graph.Workspaces;
 using Dynamo.Interfaces;
 using Dynamo.Logging;
 using Dynamo.Utilities;
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ public PackageLoader(IEnumerable<string> packagesDirectories)
             if (packagesDirectories == null)
                 throw new ArgumentNullException("packagesDirectories");
 
-            this.packagesDirectories.AddRange(packagesDirectories);
+            //this.packagesDirectories.AddRange(packagesDirectories);
             this.packagesDirectories.Add(StandardLibraryDirectory);
             
             var error = PathHelper.CreateFolderIfNotExist(DefaultPackagesDirectory);
@@ -102,6 +103,36 @@ public PackageLoader(IEnumerable<string> packagesDirectories)
             packagesDirectoriesToVerifyCertificates.Add(StandardLibraryDirectory);
         }
 
+        internal void OnWorkspaceOpened(IEnumerable<INodeLibraryDependencyInfo> packageDependencies, 
+            IEnumerable<string> packageDirectories)
+        {
+            var pkgs = new List<Package>();
+            foreach (var root in packageDirectories)
+            {
+                foreach (var dir in
+                    Directory.EnumerateDirectories(root, "*", SearchOption.TopDirectoryOnly))
+                {
+                    var headerPath = Path.Combine(dir, "pkg.json");
+                    if (PathHelper.IsValidPath(headerPath))
+                    {
+                        var discoveredPkg = Package.FromJson(headerPath, AsLogger());
+                        if(discoveredPkg == null) continue;
+
+                        foreach (var info in packageDependencies)
+                        {
+                            // if workspace package dependency is present in downloaded packages, load it.
+                            if (info.Name == discoveredPkg.Name && info.Version.ToString() == discoveredPkg.VersionName)
+                            {
+                                pkgs.Add(discoveredPkg);
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            LoadPackages(pkgs);
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Initialize a new instance of PackageLoader class
         /// </summary>
diff --git a/src/DynamoPackages/PackageManagerExtension.cs b/src/DynamoPackages/PackageManagerExtension.cs
index b5ab3d80d44..c66588d7abb 100644
--- a/src/DynamoPackages/PackageManagerExtension.cs
+++ b/src/DynamoPackages/PackageManagerExtension.cs
@@ -224,6 +224,12 @@ private void OnCurrentWorkspaceChanged(IWorkspaceModel ws)
                 (ws as WorkspaceModel).CollectingCustomNodePackageDependencies += GetCustomNodePackageFromID;
                 (ws as WorkspaceModel).CollectingNodePackageDependencies += GetNodePackageFromAssemblyName;
                 currentWorkspace = ws;
+
+                if (PackageLoader != null && ws is HomeWorkspaceModel model)
+                {
+                    PackageLoader.OnWorkspaceOpened(model.NodeLibraryDependencies,
+                        ReadyParams.StartupParams.PathManager.PackagesDirectories);
+                }
             }
         }