diff --git a/src/shell-app-system.c b/src/shell-app-system.c
index f632cbe54..127f29ef0 100644
--- a/src/shell-app-system.c
+++ b/src/shell-app-system.c
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@
 #include "shell-app-system-private.h"
 #include "shell-global.h"
 #include "shell-util.h"
+#include "st.h"
+
+/* Rescan for at most RESCAN_TIMEOUT_MS * MAX_RESCAN_RETRIES. That
+ * should be plenty of time for even a slow spinning drive to update
+ * the icon cache.
+ */
+#define RESCAN_TIMEOUT_MS 2500
+#define MAX_RESCAN_RETRIES 6
 
 /* Vendor prefixes are something that can be preprended to a .desktop
  * file name.  Undo this.
@@ -51,6 +59,9 @@ struct _ShellAppSystemPrivate {
   GHashTable *id_to_app;
   GHashTable *startup_wm_class_to_id;
   GList *installed_apps;
+
+  guint rescan_icons_timeout_id;
+  guint n_rescan_retries;
 };
 
 static void shell_app_system_finalize (GObject *object);
@@ -157,12 +168,54 @@ stale_app_remove_func (gpointer key,
   return app_is_stale (value);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+rescan_icon_theme_cb (gpointer user_data)
+{
+  ShellAppSystemPrivate *priv;
+  ShellAppSystem *self;
+  StTextureCache *texture_cache;
+  gboolean rescanned;
+
+  self = (ShellAppSystem *) user_data;
+  priv = self->priv;
+
+  texture_cache = st_texture_cache_get_default ();
+  rescanned = st_texture_cache_rescan_icon_theme (texture_cache);
+
+  priv->n_rescan_retries++;
+
+  if (rescanned || priv->n_rescan_retries >= MAX_RESCAN_RETRIES)
+    {
+      priv->n_rescan_retries = 0;
+      priv->rescan_icons_timeout_id = 0;
+      return G_SOURCE_REMOVE;
+    }
+
+  return G_SOURCE_CONTINUE;
+}
+
+static void
+rescan_icon_theme (ShellAppSystem *self)
+{
+  ShellAppSystemPrivate *priv = self->priv;
+
+  priv->n_rescan_retries = 0;
+
+  if (priv->rescan_icons_timeout_id > 0)
+    return;
+
+  priv->rescan_icons_timeout_id = g_timeout_add (RESCAN_TIMEOUT_MS,
+                                                 rescan_icon_theme_cb,
+                                                 self);
+}
+
 static void
 installed_changed (GAppInfoMonitor *monitor,
                    gpointer         user_data)
 {
   ShellAppSystem *self = user_data;
 
+  rescan_icon_theme (self);
   scan_startup_wm_class_to_id (self);
 
   g_hash_table_foreach_remove (self->priv->id_to_app, stale_app_remove_func, NULL);
@@ -200,6 +253,7 @@ shell_app_system_finalize (GObject *object)
   g_hash_table_destroy (priv->id_to_app);
   g_hash_table_destroy (priv->startup_wm_class_to_id);
   g_list_free_full (priv->installed_apps, g_object_unref);
+  g_clear_handle_id (&priv->rescan_icons_timeout_id, g_source_remove);
 
   G_OBJECT_CLASS (shell_app_system_parent_class)->finalize (object);
 }
diff --git a/src/st/st-texture-cache.c b/src/st/st-texture-cache.c
index bf54c6514..53df7195b 100644
--- a/src/st/st-texture-cache.c
+++ b/src/st/st-texture-cache.c
@@ -1567,3 +1567,11 @@ st_texture_cache_get_default (void)
     instance = g_object_new (ST_TYPE_TEXTURE_CACHE, NULL);
   return instance;
 }
+
+gboolean
+st_texture_cache_rescan_icon_theme (StTextureCache *cache)
+{
+  StTextureCachePrivate *priv = cache->priv;
+
+  return gtk_icon_theme_rescan_if_needed (priv->icon_theme);
+}
diff --git a/src/st/st-texture-cache.h b/src/st/st-texture-cache.h
index 11d1c4e64..a99316da8 100644
--- a/src/st/st-texture-cache.h
+++ b/src/st/st-texture-cache.h
@@ -113,4 +113,6 @@ CoglTexture * st_texture_cache_load (StTextureCache       *cache,
                                      void                 *data,
                                      GError              **error);
 
+gboolean st_texture_cache_rescan_icon_theme (StTextureCache *cache);
+
 #endif /* __ST_TEXTURE_CACHE_H__ */