diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.DesignerTools/Views/ShapeTracing.Wrapper.cshtml b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.DesignerTools/Views/ShapeTracing.Wrapper.cshtml
index e0f45bfdb..761b1face 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.DesignerTools/Views/ShapeTracing.Wrapper.cshtml
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.DesignerTools/Views/ShapeTracing.Wrapper.cshtml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
             Definition: @descriptor.BindingSource  <br />
             Display Type: @(Model.Metadata.DisplayType  ?? "n/a")<br />
             Position: @(Model.Metadata.Position ?? "n/a") <br />
+            Placement Source: @(Model.Metadata.PlacementSource ?? "n/a") <br />
         </div>
 
         <div class="alternates">
diff --git a/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/DefaultContentDisplay.cs b/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/DefaultContentDisplay.cs
index 4eb409277..f71b80ae5 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/DefaultContentDisplay.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/DefaultContentDisplay.cs
@@ -112,10 +112,19 @@ namespace Orchard.ContentManagement {
                         Differentiator = differentiator,
                         Path = VirtualPathUtility.AppendTrailingSlash(VirtualPathUtility.ToAppRelative(request.Path)) // get the current app-relative path, i.e. ~/my-blog/foo
                     };
+
                     var location = descriptor.Placement(placementContext);
-                    return location ?? defaultLocation;
+                    if (location != null) {
+                        return new PlacementInfo {
+                            Location = location,
+                            Source = placementContext.Source
+                        };
+                    }
                 }
-                return defaultLocation;
+                return new PlacementInfo {
+                    Location = defaultLocation,
+                    Source = String.Empty
+                };
             };
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Drivers/ContentShapeResult.cs b/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Drivers/ContentShapeResult.cs
index 1f902d072..6f86f3217 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Drivers/ContentShapeResult.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Drivers/ContentShapeResult.cs
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ namespace Orchard.ContentManagement.Drivers {
         }
 
         private void ApplyImplementation(BuildShapeContext context, string displayType) {
-            var location = context.FindPlacement(_shapeType, _differentiator, _defaultLocation);
-            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(location) || location == "-")
+            var placement = context.FindPlacement(_shapeType, _differentiator, _defaultLocation);
+            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(placement.Location) || placement.Location == "-")
                 return;
 
             dynamic parentShape = context.Shape;
@@ -34,14 +34,15 @@ namespace Orchard.ContentManagement.Drivers {
             ShapeMetadata newShapeMetadata = newShape.Metadata;
             newShapeMetadata.Prefix = _prefix;
             newShapeMetadata.DisplayType = displayType;
+            newShapeMetadata.PlacementSource = placement.Source;
 
-            var delimiterIndex = location.IndexOf(':');
+            var delimiterIndex = placement.Location.IndexOf(':');
             if (delimiterIndex < 0) {
-                parentShape.Zones[location].Add(newShape);
+                parentShape.Zones[placement.Location].Add(newShape);
             }
             else {
-                var zoneName = location.Substring(0, delimiterIndex);
-                var position = location.Substring(delimiterIndex + 1);
+                var zoneName = placement.Location.Substring(0, delimiterIndex);
+                var position = placement.Location.Substring(delimiterIndex + 1);
                 parentShape.Zones[zoneName].Add(newShape, position);
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Handlers/BuildShapeContext.cs b/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Handlers/BuildShapeContext.cs
index 15d890bfe..43ee5d11a 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Handlers/BuildShapeContext.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard/ContentManagement/Handlers/BuildShapeContext.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using Orchard.DisplayManagement;
+using Orchard.DisplayManagement.Descriptors;
+using Orchard.DisplayManagement.Descriptors.ShapePlacementStrategy;
 
 namespace Orchard.ContentManagement.Handlers {
     public class BuildShapeContext {
@@ -7,13 +9,13 @@ namespace Orchard.ContentManagement.Handlers {
             Shape = shape;
             ContentItem = content.ContentItem;
             New = shapeFactory;
-            FindPlacement = (partType, differentiator, defaultLocation) => defaultLocation;
+            FindPlacement = (partType, differentiator, defaultLocation) => new PlacementInfo {Location = defaultLocation, Source = String.Empty};
         }
 
         public dynamic Shape { get; private set; }
         public ContentItem ContentItem { get; private set; }
         public dynamic New { get; private set; }
 
-        public Func<string, string, string, string> FindPlacement { get; set; }
+        public Func<string, string, string, PlacementInfo> FindPlacement { get; set; }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/PlacementInfo.cs b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/PlacementInfo.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6ac999f6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/PlacementInfo.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+namespace Orchard.DisplayManagement.Descriptors {
+    public class PlacementInfo {
+        public string Location { get; set; }
+        public string Source { get; set; }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapeAlterationBuilder.cs b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapeAlterationBuilder.cs
index f5799ac8d..eff4fb95b 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapeAlterationBuilder.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapeAlterationBuilder.cs
@@ -112,5 +112,6 @@ namespace Orchard.DisplayManagement.Descriptors {
         public string DisplayType { get; set; }
         public string Differentiator { get; set; }
         public string Path { get; set; }
+        public string Source { get; set; }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapePlacementStrategy/ShapePlacementParsingStrategy.cs b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapePlacementStrategy/ShapePlacementParsingStrategy.cs
index b8e10e720..a9fdeaff0 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapePlacementStrategy/ShapePlacementParsingStrategy.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Descriptors/ShapePlacementStrategy/ShapePlacementParsingStrategy.cs
@@ -65,12 +65,20 @@ namespace Orchard.DisplayManagement.Descriptors.ShapePlacementStrategy {
                 }
 
                 if (matches.Any()) {
-                    predicate = matches.SelectMany(match => match.Terms).Aggregate(predicate, BuildPredicate);
+                    predicate =  matches.SelectMany(match => match.Terms).Aggregate(predicate, BuildPredicate);
                 }
 
                 builder.Describe(shapeType)
                     .From(feature)
-                    .Placement(predicate, shapeLocation.Location);
+                    .Placement(ctx => {
+                                   var hit = predicate(ctx);
+                                   // generate 'debugging' information to trace which file originated the actual location
+                                    if (hit) {
+                                       var virtualPath = featureDescriptor.Extension.Location + "/" + featureDescriptor.Extension.Id + "/Placement.info";
+                                       ctx.Source = virtualPath;
+                                   }
+                                   return hit;
+                               }, shapeLocation.Location);
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Shapes/ShapeMetadata.cs b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Shapes/ShapeMetadata.cs
index 994c0a671..f514d0411 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Shapes/ShapeMetadata.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard/DisplayManagement/Shapes/ShapeMetadata.cs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ namespace Orchard.DisplayManagement.Shapes {
         public string Type { get; set; }
         public string DisplayType { get; set; }
         public string Position { get; set; }
+        public string PlacementSource { get; set; }
         public string Prefix { get; set; }
         public IList<string> Wrappers { get; set; }
         public IList<string> Alternates { get; set; }
diff --git a/src/Orchard/Orchard.Framework.csproj b/src/Orchard/Orchard.Framework.csproj
index 3626139df..32067969b 100644
--- a/src/Orchard/Orchard.Framework.csproj
+++ b/src/Orchard/Orchard.Framework.csproj
@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@
     <Compile Include="ContentManagement\Handlers\BuildShapeContext.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ContentManagement\IContentBehavior.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ContentManagement\Utilities\ComputedField.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="DisplayManagement\Descriptors\PlacementInfo.cs" />
     <Compile Include="DisplayManagement\Descriptors\ResourceBindingStrategy\StylesheetBindingStrategy.cs" />
     <Compile Include="DisplayManagement\Descriptors\ShapeDescriptor.cs" />
     <Compile Include="DisplayManagement\Descriptors\ShapeAlteration.cs" />