diff --git a/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/lib/WalkAST.cpp b/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/lib/WalkAST.cpp
--- a/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/lib/WalkAST.cpp
+++ b/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/lib/WalkAST.cpp
@@ -87,14 +87,16 @@
 public:
   ASTWalker(DeclCallback Callback) : Callback(Callback) {}
 
+  // Operators are always ADL extension points, by design references to them
+  // doesn't count as uses (generally the type should provide them). Hence
+  // treat these as implicit references.
+  // We do this in traverse to make sure rest of the visitor doesn't see
+  // operator calls.
   bool TraverseCXXOperatorCallExpr(CXXOperatorCallExpr *S) {
     if (!WalkUpFromCXXOperatorCallExpr(S))
       return false;
-
-    // Operators are always ADL extension points, by design references to them
-    // doesn't count as uses (generally the type should provide them).
-    // Don't traverse the callee.
-
+    report(S->getOperatorLoc(), llvm::cast<NamedDecl>(S->getCalleeDecl()),
+           RefType::Implicit);
     for (auto *Arg : S->arguments())
       if (!TraverseStmt(Arg))
         return false;
diff --git a/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/unittests/WalkASTTest.cpp b/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/unittests/WalkASTTest.cpp
--- a/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/unittests/WalkASTTest.cpp
+++ b/clang-tools-extra/include-cleaner/unittests/WalkASTTest.cpp
@@ -292,12 +292,13 @@
 
 TEST(WalkAST, Operator) {
   // References to operators are not counted as uses.
-  testWalk("struct string {}; int operator+(string, string);",
+  testWalk("struct string {}; int $implicit^operator+(string, string);",
            "int k = string() ^+ string();");
-  testWalk("struct string {int operator+(string); }; ",
-           "int k = string() ^+ string();");
-  testWalk("struct string { friend int operator+(string, string); }; ",
+  testWalk("struct string {int $implicit^operator+(string); }; ",
            "int k = string() ^+ string();");
+  testWalk(
+      "struct string { friend int $implicit^operator+(string, string); }; ",
+      "int k = string() ^+ string();");
 }
 
 TEST(WalkAST, Functions) {