diff --git a/terraform/instance_expanders.go b/terraform/instance_expanders.go
index 7dd5496a0..b3733afb0 100644
--- a/terraform/instance_expanders.go
+++ b/terraform/instance_expanders.go
@@ -1,19 +1,7 @@
 package terraform
 
-import "github.com/hashicorp/terraform/addrs"
-
-// instanceExpander is implemented by nodes that causes instances to be
-// registered in the instances.Expander.
-// This is used to determine during apply whether a node is required to be in
-// the graph, by checking if it has any requiresInstanceExpansion dependents.
-// This prevents unnecessary nodes from being evaluated, and if the module is
-// being removed, we may not be able to evaluate the expansion at all.
-type instanceExpander interface {
-	expandsInstances() addrs.Module
-}
-
-// requiresInstanceExpansion is implemented by nodes that require their address
-// be previously registered in the instances.Expander in order to evaluate.
-type requiresInstanceExpansion interface {
-	requiresExpansion()
+// graphNodeExpandsInstances is implemented by nodes that causes instances to
+// be registered in the instances.Expander.
+type graphNodeExpandsInstances interface {
+	expandsInstances()
 }
diff --git a/terraform/node_local.go b/terraform/node_local.go
index d0a15c7ff..06651de20 100644
--- a/terraform/node_local.go
+++ b/terraform/node_local.go
@@ -23,15 +23,11 @@ var (
 	_ GraphNodeReferencer        = (*nodeExpandLocal)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeDynamicExpandable = (*nodeExpandLocal)(nil)
 	_ graphNodeTemporaryValue    = (*nodeExpandLocal)(nil)
-	_ requiresInstanceExpansion  = (*nodeExpandLocal)(nil)
+
+	_ graphNodeExpandsInstances = (*nodeExpandLocal)(nil)
 )
 
-func (n *nodeExpandLocal) expandsInstances() addrs.Module {
-	return n.Module
-}
-
-// requiresInstanceExpansion implementation
-func (n *nodeExpandLocal) requiresExpansion() {}
+func (n *nodeExpandLocal) expandsInstances() {}
 
 // graphNodeTemporaryValue
 func (n *nodeExpandLocal) temporaryValue() bool {
diff --git a/terraform/node_module_expand.go b/terraform/node_module_expand.go
index 676a23049..99827f428 100644
--- a/terraform/node_module_expand.go
+++ b/terraform/node_module_expand.go
@@ -26,19 +26,10 @@ var (
 	_ GraphNodeReferencer       = (*nodeExpandModule)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeReferenceOutside = (*nodeExpandModule)(nil)
 
-	// modules both record their expansion, and require expansion from their
-	// parent modules.
-	_ requiresInstanceExpansion = (*nodeExpandModule)(nil)
-	_ instanceExpander          = (*nodeExpandModule)(nil)
+	_ graphNodeExpandsInstances = (*nodeExpandModule)(nil)
 )
 
-// requiresInstanceExpansion implementation
-func (n *nodeExpandModule) requiresExpansion() {}
-
-// instanceExander implementation
-func (n *nodeExpandModule) expandsInstances() addrs.Module {
-	return n.Addr
-}
+func (n *nodeExpandModule) expandsInstances() {}
 
 func (n *nodeExpandModule) Name() string {
 	return n.Addr.String() + " (expand)"
diff --git a/terraform/node_module_variable.go b/terraform/node_module_variable.go
index 6d16ef90a..063ab201e 100644
--- a/terraform/node_module_variable.go
+++ b/terraform/node_module_variable.go
@@ -27,15 +27,11 @@ var (
 	_ GraphNodeReferencer        = (*nodeExpandModuleVariable)(nil)
 	_ graphNodeTemporaryValue    = (*nodeExpandModuleVariable)(nil)
 	_ RemovableIfNotTargeted     = (*nodeExpandModuleVariable)(nil)
-	_ requiresInstanceExpansion  = (*nodeExpandModuleVariable)(nil)
+
+	_ graphNodeExpandsInstances = (*nodeExpandModuleVariable)(nil)
 )
 
-// requiresInstanceExpansion implementation
-func (n *nodeExpandModuleVariable) requiresExpansion() {}
-
-func (n *nodeExpandModuleVariable) expandsInstances() addrs.Module {
-	return n.Module
-}
+func (n *nodeExpandModuleVariable) expandsInstances() {}
 
 func (n *nodeExpandModuleVariable) temporaryValue() bool {
 	return true
diff --git a/terraform/node_output.go b/terraform/node_output.go
index 75e438986..ef5e6cd5e 100644
--- a/terraform/node_output.go
+++ b/terraform/node_output.go
@@ -24,14 +24,10 @@ var (
 	_ GraphNodeReferencer        = (*nodeExpandOutput)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeDynamicExpandable = (*nodeExpandOutput)(nil)
 	_ graphNodeTemporaryValue    = (*nodeExpandOutput)(nil)
-	_ requiresInstanceExpansion  = (*nodeExpandOutput)(nil)
+	_ graphNodeExpandsInstances  = (*nodeExpandOutput)(nil)
 )
 
-func (n *nodeExpandOutput) expandsInstances() addrs.Module {
-	return n.Module
-}
-
-func (m *nodeExpandOutput) requiresExpansion() {}
+func (n *nodeExpandOutput) expandsInstances() {}
 
 func (n *nodeExpandOutput) temporaryValue() bool {
 	// this must always be evaluated if it is a root module output
diff --git a/terraform/node_resource_apply.go b/terraform/node_resource_apply.go
index b4de20c01..d02dc09c8 100644
--- a/terraform/node_resource_apply.go
+++ b/terraform/node_resource_apply.go
@@ -22,19 +22,10 @@ var (
 	_ GraphNodeReferencer           = (*nodeExpandApplyableResource)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeConfigResource       = (*nodeExpandApplyableResource)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeAttachResourceConfig = (*nodeExpandApplyableResource)(nil)
-
-	// Resource both expand instances and require module path expansion.
-	_ requiresInstanceExpansion = (*nodeExpandApplyableResource)(nil)
-	_ instanceExpander          = (*nodeExpandApplyableResource)(nil)
+	_ graphNodeExpandsInstances     = (*nodeExpandApplyableResource)(nil)
 )
 
-// requiresInstanceExpansion implementation
-func (n *nodeExpandApplyableResource) requiresExpansion() {}
-
-// instanceExpander implementation
-func (n *nodeExpandApplyableResource) expandsInstances() addrs.Module {
-	return n.ModulePath()
-}
+func (n *nodeExpandApplyableResource) expandsInstances() {}
 
 func (n *nodeExpandApplyableResource) References() []*addrs.Reference {
 	return (&NodeApplyableResource{NodeAbstractResource: n.NodeAbstractResource}).References()
diff --git a/terraform/node_resource_apply_instance.go b/terraform/node_resource_apply_instance.go
index 45fa33ccf..1282f8a11 100644
--- a/terraform/node_resource_apply_instance.go
+++ b/terraform/node_resource_apply_instance.go
@@ -37,12 +37,8 @@ var (
 	_ GraphNodeDeposer            = (*NodeApplyableResourceInstance)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeEvalable           = (*NodeApplyableResourceInstance)(nil)
 	_ GraphNodeAttachDependencies = (*NodeApplyableResourceInstance)(nil)
-	_ requiresInstanceExpansion   = (*NodeApplyableResourceInstance)(nil)
 )
 
-// requiresInstanceExpansion implementation
-func (n *NodeApplyableResourceInstance) requiresExpansion() {}
-
 // GraphNodeAttachDestroyer
 func (n *NodeApplyableResourceInstance) AttachDestroyNode(d GraphNodeDestroyerCBD) {
 	n.destroyNode = d
diff --git a/terraform/transform_destroy_edge.go b/terraform/transform_destroy_edge.go
index 226a0162e..8532e0907 100644
--- a/terraform/transform_destroy_edge.go
+++ b/terraform/transform_destroy_edge.go
@@ -276,11 +276,18 @@ func (m *pruneUnusedNodesMod) removeUnused(g *Graph) {
 						}
 					}
 
-				case instanceExpander:
+				case graphNodeExpandsInstances:
 					// Any nodes that expand instances are kept when their
 					// instances may need to be evaluated.
 					for _, vv := range g.UpEdges(n) {
-						if _, ok := vv.(requiresInstanceExpansion); ok {
+						switch vv.(type) {
+						case graphNodeExpandsInstances:
+							// expanders can always depend on module expansion
+							// themselves
+							return
+						case GraphNodeResourceInstance:
+							// resource instances always depend on their
+							// resource node, which is an expander
 							return
 						}
 					}