diff --git a/src/madness/mra/operator.h b/src/madness/mra/operator.h
index 62a2c84c15e..c1d6a0a381d 100644
--- a/src/madness/mra/operator.h
+++ b/src/madness/mra/operator.h
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ namespace madness {
         }
 
         static inline std::pair<Tensor<double>,Tensor<double>>
-        make_coeff_for_operator(World& world, OperatorInfo info,
+        make_coeff_for_operator(World& world, OperatorInfo& info,
                                 const BoundaryConditions<NDIM>& bc=FunctionDefaults<NDIM>::get_bc()) {
 
             const Tensor<double>& cell_width = FunctionDefaults<3>::get_cell_width();
@@ -247,8 +247,9 @@ namespace madness {
 
             // WARNING! More fine-grained control over the last argument is needed.
             // This is a hotfix.
-            if (bc(0,0) == BC_PERIODIC) {
+            if (info.truncate_lowexp_gaussians.value_or(bc(0,0) == BC_PERIODIC)) {
                 fit.truncate_periodic_expansion(coeff, expnt, cell_width.max(), true);
+                info.truncate_lowexp_gaussians = true;
             }
 
             return std::make_pair(coeff,expnt);
@@ -1013,7 +1014,7 @@ namespace madness {
                              bool doleaves = false)
                : SeparatedConvolution(world,Tensor<double>(0l),Tensor<double>(0l),info1.lo,info1.thresh,bc,k,doleaves,info1.mu) {
             info.type=info1.type;
-            auto [coeff, expnt] =make_coeff_for_operator(world, info1, bc);
+            auto [coeff, expnt] = make_coeff_for_operator(world, info, bc);
             rank=coeff.dim(0);
             ops.resize(rank);
             initialize(coeff,expnt);
diff --git a/src/madness/mra/operatorinfo.h b/src/madness/mra/operatorinfo.h
index 80d4d5a65c1..710f63ee74e 100644
--- a/src/madness/mra/operatorinfo.h
+++ b/src/madness/mra/operatorinfo.h
@@ -57,13 +57,14 @@ std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const OpType type) {
 
 struct OperatorInfo {
     OperatorInfo() = default;
-    OperatorInfo(double mu, double lo, double thresh, OpType type) : mu(mu), lo(lo), thresh(thresh), type(type) { }
+    OperatorInfo(double mu, double lo, double thresh, OpType type, std::optional<bool> truncate = {}) : mu(mu), lo(lo), thresh(thresh), type(type), truncate_lowexp_gaussians(truncate) { }
     double mu=0.0;     ///< some introspection
     double lo=1.e-5;
     double thresh=1.e-4;
     OpType type=OT_UNDEFINED;    ///< introspection
     double hi=-1.0;
     bool debug=false;
+    std::optional<bool> truncate_lowexp_gaussians;  // if given, overrides the default for whether to truncate low-exponent gaussians
 };