diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index 830ffa9ae2e..36c441ba02b 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -684,6 +684,8 @@ Release 0.23.3 - UNRELEASED
     HADOOP-8550. hadoop fs -touchz automatically created parent directories
     (John George via bobby)
 
+    HADOOP-8635. Cannot cancel paths registered deleteOnExit (daryn via bobby)
+
 Release 0.23.2 - UNRELEASED 
 
   NEW FEATURES
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/FileSystem.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/FileSystem.java
index 42b30c4999b..2fa4bd0c038 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/FileSystem.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/FileSystem.java
@@ -1214,6 +1214,16 @@ public boolean deleteOnExit(Path f) throws IOException {
     }
     return true;
   }
+  
+  /**
+   * Cancel the deletion of the path when the FileSystem is closed
+   * @param f the path to cancel deletion
+   */
+  public boolean cancelDeleteOnExit(Path f) {
+    synchronized (deleteOnExit) {
+      return deleteOnExit.remove(f);
+    }
+  }
 
   /**
    * Delete all files that were marked as delete-on-exit. This recursively
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFileSystemCaching.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFileSystemCaching.java
index e8debf8dfaf..7e5f99f5fb3 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFileSystemCaching.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFileSystemCaching.java
@@ -269,26 +269,82 @@ public FileSystem run() throws Exception {
   }
   
   @Test
-  public void testDeleteOnExitChecksExists() throws Exception {
+  public void testDelete() throws IOException {
+    FileSystem mockFs = mock(FileSystem.class);
+    FileSystem fs = new FilterFileSystem(mockFs);    
+    Path path = new Path("/a");
+
+    fs.delete(path, false);
+    verify(mockFs).delete(eq(path), eq(false));
+    reset(mockFs);
+    fs.delete(path, true);
+    verify(mockFs).delete(eq(path), eq(true));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDeleteOnExit() throws IOException {
     FileSystem mockFs = mock(FileSystem.class);
     FileSystem fs = new FilterFileSystem(mockFs);
-    Path p = new Path("/a");
-    
-    // path has to exist for deleteOnExit to register it
-    when(mockFs.getFileStatus(p)).thenReturn(new FileStatus());
-    fs.deleteOnExit(p);
-    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(p));
-    fs.close();
-    verify(mockFs).delete(eq(p), anyBoolean());
+    Path path = new Path("/a");
+
+    // delete on close if path does exist
+    when(mockFs.getFileStatus(eq(path))).thenReturn(new FileStatus());
+    assertTrue(fs.deleteOnExit(path));
+    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(path));
     reset(mockFs);
-    
-    // make sure it doesn't try to delete a file that doesn't exist
-    when(mockFs.getFileStatus(p)).thenReturn(new FileStatus());
-    fs.deleteOnExit(p);
-    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(p));
+    when(mockFs.getFileStatus(eq(path))).thenReturn(new FileStatus());
+    fs.close();
+    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(path));
+    verify(mockFs).delete(eq(path), eq(true));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDeleteOnExitFNF() throws IOException {
+    FileSystem mockFs = mock(FileSystem.class);
+    FileSystem fs = new FilterFileSystem(mockFs);
+    Path path = new Path("/a");
+
+    // don't delete on close if path doesn't exist
+    assertFalse(fs.deleteOnExit(path));
+    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(path));
     reset(mockFs);
     fs.close();
-    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(p));
+    verify(mockFs, never()).getFileStatus(eq(path));
     verify(mockFs, never()).delete(any(Path.class), anyBoolean());
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDeleteOnExitRemoved() throws IOException {
+    FileSystem mockFs = mock(FileSystem.class);
+    FileSystem fs = new FilterFileSystem(mockFs);
+    Path path = new Path("/a");
+
+    // don't delete on close if path existed, but later removed
+    when(mockFs.getFileStatus(eq(path))).thenReturn(new FileStatus());
+    assertTrue(fs.deleteOnExit(path));
+    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(path));
+    reset(mockFs);
+    fs.close();
+    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(path));
+    verify(mockFs, never()).delete(any(Path.class), anyBoolean());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCancelDeleteOnExit() throws IOException {
+    FileSystem mockFs = mock(FileSystem.class);
+    FileSystem fs = new FilterFileSystem(mockFs);
+    Path path = new Path("/a");
+
+    // don't delete on close if path existed, but later cancelled
+    when(mockFs.getFileStatus(eq(path))).thenReturn(new FileStatus());
+    assertTrue(fs.deleteOnExit(path));
+    verify(mockFs).getFileStatus(eq(path));
+    assertTrue(fs.cancelDeleteOnExit(path));
+    assertFalse(fs.cancelDeleteOnExit(path)); // false because not registered
+    reset(mockFs);
+    fs.close();
+    verify(mockFs, never()).getFileStatus(any(Path.class));
+    verify(mockFs, never()).delete(any(Path.class), anyBoolean());
+  }
+}
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFilterFileSystem.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFilterFileSystem.java
index a374c08a186..727986dcd12 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFilterFileSystem.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestFilterFileSystem.java
@@ -182,6 +182,9 @@ public Token<?> getDelegationToken(String renewer) throws IOException {
     public boolean deleteOnExit(Path f) throws IOException {
       return false;
     }
+    public boolean cancelDeleteOnExit(Path f) throws IOException {
+      return false;
+    }
     public String getScheme() {
       return "dontcheck";
     }