diff --git a/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts b/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts
index 4f2fddf0f20c7e..74995d2489366a 100644
--- a/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export type ProjectNameAndRootFormat = 'as-provided' | 'derived';
 export type ProjectGenerationOptions = {
   name: string;
   projectType: ProjectType;
-  callingGenerator: string;
+  callingGenerator: string | undefined;
   directory?: string;
   importPath?: string;
   projectNameAndRootFormat?: ProjectNameAndRootFormat;
diff --git a/packages/node/src/generators/application/application.ts b/packages/node/src/generators/application/application.ts
index 4422139281c5ad..a7349b4c059710 100644
--- a/packages/node/src/generators/application/application.ts
+++ b/packages/node/src/generators/application/application.ts
@@ -466,6 +466,7 @@ async function normalizeOptions(
     directory: options.directory,
     projectNameAndRootFormat: options.projectNameAndRootFormat,
     rootProject: options.rootProject,
+    callingGenerator: '@nx/node:application',
   });
   options.rootProject = appProjectRoot === '.';
   options.projectNameAndRootFormat = projectNameAndRootFormat;
diff --git a/packages/node/src/generators/e2e-project/e2e-project.ts b/packages/node/src/generators/e2e-project/e2e-project.ts
index c3079099146a52..769dec9fa03cb6 100644
--- a/packages/node/src/generators/e2e-project/e2e-project.ts
+++ b/packages/node/src/generators/e2e-project/e2e-project.ts
@@ -168,6 +168,8 @@ async function normalizeOptions(
       projectNameAndRootFormat: options.rootProject
         ? 'as-provided'
         : options.projectNameAndRootFormat,
+      // this is an internal generator, don't save defaults
+      callingGenerator: undefined,
     });
 
   return {
diff --git a/packages/node/src/generators/library/library.ts b/packages/node/src/generators/library/library.ts
index 7b3431bc22032b..237c787b8c7b83 100644
--- a/packages/node/src/generators/library/library.ts
+++ b/packages/node/src/generators/library/library.ts
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ async function normalizeOptions(
     directory: options.directory,
     importPath: options.importPath,
     projectNameAndRootFormat: options.projectNameAndRootFormat,
+    callingGenerator: '@nx/node:library',
   });
   options.projectNameAndRootFormat = projectNameAndRootFormat;