diff --git a/datafusion/core/tests/dataframe/mod.rs b/datafusion/core/tests/dataframe/mod.rs
index 1c661744e0867..6e22aeab61089 100644
--- a/datafusion/core/tests/dataframe/mod.rs
+++ b/datafusion/core/tests/dataframe/mod.rs
@@ -2458,9 +2458,8 @@ async fn cache_producer_test() -> Result<()> {
         @r"
     CacheNode
       Projection: aggregate_test_100.c2, aggregate_test_100.c3, CAST(CAST(aggregate_test_100.c2 AS Int64) + CAST(aggregate_test_100.c3 AS Int64) AS Int64) AS sum
-        Projection: aggregate_test_100.c2, aggregate_test_100.c3
-          Limit: skip=0, fetch=1
-            TableScan: aggregate_test_100, fetch=1
+        Limit: skip=0, fetch=1
+          TableScan: aggregate_test_100 projection=[c2, c3], fetch=1
     "
     );
     Ok(())
diff --git a/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs b/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs
index 93df300bb50b4..26fbb71af6c09 100644
--- a/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs
+++ b/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs
@@ -329,29 +329,34 @@ fn optimize_projections(
                 .collect()
         }
         LogicalPlan::Extension(extension) => {
-            let Some(necessary_children_indices) =
+            if let Some(necessary_children_indices) =
                 extension.node.necessary_children_exprs(indices.indices())
-            else {
-                // Requirements from parent cannot be routed down to user defined logical plan safely
-                return Ok(Transformed::no(plan));
-            };
-            let children = extension.node.inputs();
-            assert_eq_or_internal_err!(
-                children.len(),
-                necessary_children_indices.len(),
-                "Inconsistent length between children and necessary children indices. \
+            {
+                let children = extension.node.inputs();
+                assert_eq_or_internal_err!(
+                    children.len(),
+                    necessary_children_indices.len(),
+                    "Inconsistent length between children and necessary children indices. \
                 Make sure `.necessary_children_exprs` implementation of the \
                 `UserDefinedLogicalNode` is consistent with actual children length \
                 for the node."
-            );
-            children
-                .into_iter()
-                .zip(necessary_children_indices)
-                .map(|(child, necessary_indices)| {
-                    RequiredIndices::new_from_indices(necessary_indices)
-                        .with_plan_exprs(&plan, child.schema())
-                })
-                .collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?
+                );
+                children
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .zip(necessary_children_indices)
+                    .map(|(child, necessary_indices)| {
+                        RequiredIndices::new_from_indices(necessary_indices)
+                            .with_plan_exprs(&plan, child.schema())
+                    })
+                    .collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?
+            } else {
+                // Requirements from parent cannot be routed down to user defined logical plan safely
+                // Assume it requires all input exprs here
+                plan.inputs()
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .map(RequiredIndices::new_for_all_exprs)
+                    .collect()
+            }
         }
         LogicalPlan::EmptyRelation(_)
         | LogicalPlan::Values(_)
@@ -1172,6 +1177,57 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    /// A user-defined node that does NOT implement `necessary_children_exprs`,
+    /// so the optimizer cannot determine which columns are required from its
+    /// children and must assume all columns are needed.
+    #[derive(Debug, Hash, PartialEq, Eq)]
+    struct OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined {
+        input: Arc<LogicalPlan>,
+        schema: DFSchemaRef,
+    }
+
+    // Manual implementation needed because of `schema` field. Comparison excludes this field.
+    impl PartialOrd for OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined {
+        fn partial_cmp(&self, other: &Self) -> Option<Ordering> {
+            self.input
+                .partial_cmp(&other.input)
+                .filter(|cmp| *cmp != Ordering::Equal || self == other)
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl UserDefinedLogicalNodeCore for OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined {
+        fn name(&self) -> &str {
+            "OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined"
+        }
+
+        fn inputs(&self) -> Vec<&LogicalPlan> {
+            vec![&self.input]
+        }
+
+        fn schema(&self) -> &DFSchemaRef {
+            &self.schema
+        }
+
+        fn expressions(&self) -> Vec<Expr> {
+            vec![]
+        }
+
+        fn with_exprs_and_inputs(
+            &self,
+            _exprs: Vec<Expr>,
+            mut inputs: Vec<LogicalPlan>,
+        ) -> Result<Self> {
+            Ok(Self {
+                input: Arc::new(inputs.swap_remove(0)),
+                schema: Arc::clone(&self.schema),
+            })
+        }
+
+        fn fmt_for_explain(&self, f: &mut Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
+            write!(f, "OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined")
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn merge_two_projection() -> Result<()> {
         let table_scan = test_table_scan()?;
@@ -2204,6 +2260,29 @@ mod tests {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_continue_processing_through_extension() -> Result<()> {
+        let table_scan = test_table_scan()?;
+        let plan = LogicalPlanBuilder::from(table_scan.clone())
+            .project(vec![col("a")])?
+            .project(vec![col("a")])?
+            .build()?;
+        let plan = LogicalPlan::Extension(Extension {
+            node: Arc::new(OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined {
+                input: Arc::new(plan),
+                schema: Arc::clone(table_scan.schema()),
+            }),
+        });
+        let plan = optimize(plan).expect("failed to optimize plan");
+        assert_optimized_plan_equal!(
+            plan,
+            @r"
+        OpaqueRequirementsUserDefined
+          TableScan: test projection=[a]
+        "
+        )
+    }
+
     /// tests that it removes an aggregate is never used downstream
     #[test]
     fn table_unused_aggregate() -> Result<()> {
diff --git a/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs b/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs
index fd4991c24413f..ed4b0c0410c2b 100644
--- a/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs
+++ b/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs
@@ -16,16 +16,25 @@
 // under the License.
 
 use std::any::Any;
+use std::cmp::Ordering;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::fmt::Formatter;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use arrow::datatypes::{DataType, Field, Schema, SchemaRef, TimeUnit};
 
 use datafusion_common::config::ConfigOptions;
-use datafusion_common::{Result, TableReference, plan_err};
+use datafusion_common::{
+    DFSchemaRef, Result, ScalarValue, TableReference, ToDFSchema, plan_err,
+};
+use datafusion_expr::expr::Cast;
+use datafusion_expr::logical_plan::builder::LogicalPlanBuilder;
 use datafusion_expr::planner::ExprPlanner;
 use datafusion_expr::test::function_stub::sum_udaf;
-use datafusion_expr::{AggregateUDF, LogicalPlan, ScalarUDF, TableSource, WindowUDF};
+use datafusion_expr::{
+    AggregateUDF, Expr, Extension, LogicalPlan, ScalarUDF, SortExpr,
+    TableProviderFilterPushDown, TableSource, UserDefinedLogicalNodeCore, WindowUDF, col,
+};
 use datafusion_functions_aggregate::average::avg_udaf;
 use datafusion_functions_aggregate::count::count_udaf;
 use datafusion_functions_aggregate::planner::AggregateFunctionPlanner;
@@ -690,6 +699,148 @@ fn test_sql(sql: &str) -> Result<LogicalPlan> {
 
 fn observe(_plan: &LogicalPlan, _rule: &dyn OptimizerRule) {}
 
+fn optimize_plan(plan: LogicalPlan) -> Result<LogicalPlan> {
+    let config = OptimizerContext::new().with_skip_failing_rules(false);
+    let optimizer = Optimizer::new();
+    optimizer.optimize(plan, &config, observe)
+}
+
+/// Extension node that does NOT implement `necessary_children_exprs`.
+/// Used to test that the optimizer still processes subtrees below such nodes.
+#[derive(Debug, Hash, PartialEq, Eq)]
+struct OpaqueRequirementsExtension {
+    input: Arc<LogicalPlan>,
+    schema: DFSchemaRef,
+}
+
+impl PartialOrd for OpaqueRequirementsExtension {
+    fn partial_cmp(&self, other: &Self) -> Option<Ordering> {
+        self.input
+            .partial_cmp(&other.input)
+            .filter(|cmp| *cmp != Ordering::Equal || self == other)
+    }
+}
+
+impl UserDefinedLogicalNodeCore for OpaqueRequirementsExtension {
+    fn name(&self) -> &str {
+        "OpaqueRequirementsExtension"
+    }
+
+    fn inputs(&self) -> Vec<&LogicalPlan> {
+        vec![&self.input]
+    }
+
+    fn schema(&self) -> &DFSchemaRef {
+        &self.schema
+    }
+
+    fn expressions(&self) -> Vec<Expr> {
+        vec![]
+    }
+
+    fn with_exprs_and_inputs(
+        &self,
+        _exprs: Vec<Expr>,
+        mut inputs: Vec<LogicalPlan>,
+    ) -> Result<Self> {
+        Ok(Self {
+            input: Arc::new(inputs.swap_remove(0)),
+            schema: Arc::clone(&self.schema),
+        })
+    }
+
+    fn fmt_for_explain(&self, f: &mut Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "OpaqueRequirementsExtension")
+    }
+}
+
+struct InexactFilterTableSource {
+    schema: SchemaRef,
+}
+
+impl TableSource for InexactFilterTableSource {
+    fn as_any(&self) -> &dyn Any {
+        self
+    }
+
+    fn schema(&self) -> SchemaRef {
+        self.schema.clone()
+    }
+
+    fn supports_filters_pushdown(
+        &self,
+        filters: &[&Expr],
+    ) -> Result<Vec<TableProviderFilterPushDown>> {
+        Ok(vec![TableProviderFilterPushDown::Inexact; filters.len()])
+    }
+}
+
+/// Reproduction of https://github.com/apache/datafusion/issues/18816
+/// Extension nodes without `necessary_children_exprs` should not prevent
+/// the optimizer from pruning unnecessary columns in subtrees.
+#[test]
+fn extension_node_does_not_block_projection_pruning() -> Result<()> {
+    let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![
+        Field::new("a", DataType::Int32, true),
+        Field::new("b", DataType::Int32, true),
+        Field::new("ts", DataType::Timestamp(TimeUnit::Nanosecond, None), true),
+    ]));
+
+    let table_source: Arc<dyn TableSource> = Arc::new(InexactFilterTableSource {
+        schema: Arc::clone(&schema),
+    });
+
+    let ts_cast = Expr::Cast(Cast::new(
+        Box::new(col("t.ts")),
+        DataType::Timestamp(TimeUnit::Millisecond, Some("UTC".into())),
+    ));
+    let ts_millis_1000 = Expr::Literal(
+        ScalarValue::TimestampMillisecond(Some(1000), Some("UTC".into())),
+        None,
+    );
+    let ts_millis_2000 = Expr::Literal(
+        ScalarValue::TimestampMillisecond(Some(2000), Some("UTC".into())),
+        None,
+    );
+
+    let plan = LogicalPlanBuilder::scan("t", table_source, None)?
+        .project(vec![col("t.a"), ts_cast.alias_qualified(Some("t"), "ts")])?
+        .filter(
+            col("t.ts")
+                .gt(ts_millis_1000)
+                .and(col("t.ts").lt(ts_millis_2000)),
+        )?
+        .sort(vec![
+            SortExpr::new(col("t.a"), true, true),
+            SortExpr::new(col("t.ts"), true, true),
+        ])?
+        .build()?;
+
+    let df_schema = schema.to_dfschema_ref()?;
+    let plan = LogicalPlan::Extension(Extension {
+        node: Arc::new(OpaqueRequirementsExtension {
+            input: Arc::new(plan),
+            schema: df_schema,
+        }),
+    });
+
+    let optimized = optimize_plan(plan)?;
+    assert_snapshot!(
+        format!("{optimized}"),
+        @r#"
+    OpaqueRequirementsExtension
+      Sort: t.a ASC NULLS FIRST, t.ts ASC NULLS FIRST
+        Projection: t.a, CAST(t.ts AS Timestamp(ms, "UTC")) AS ts
+          Projection: t.a, t.ts
+            Filter: __common_expr_3 > TimestampMillisecond(1000, Some("UTC")) AND __common_expr_3 < TimestampMillisecond(2000, Some("UTC"))
+              Projection: CAST(t.ts AS Timestamp(ms, "UTC")) AS __common_expr_3, t.a, t.ts
+                TableScan: t projection=[a, ts], partial_filters=[t.ts > TimestampNanosecond(1000000000, None), t.ts < TimestampNanosecond(2000000000, None), CAST(t.ts AS Timestamp(ms, "UTC")) > TimestampMillisecond(1000, Some("UTC")), CAST(t.ts AS Timestamp(ms, "UTC")) < TimestampMillisecond(2000, Some("UTC"))]
+    "#,
+    );
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 #[derive(Default)]
 struct MyContextProvider {
     options: ConfigOptions,