diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
index 7d7eea0df62..27e92bede15 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -350,6 +350,9 @@ Release 2.6.0 - UNRELEASED
     YARN-2558. Updated ContainerTokenIdentifier#read/write to use
     ContainerId#getContainerId. (Tsuyoshi OZAWA via jianhe)
 
+    YARN-2559. Fixed NPE in SystemMetricsPublisher when retrieving
+    FinalApplicationStatus. (Zhijie Shen via jianhe)
+
 Release 2.5.1 - 2014-09-05
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java
index ecf37b04058..5da006c0095 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
 
   @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
   public void appAttemptFinished(RMAppAttempt appAttempt,
-      RMAppAttemptState state, long finishedTime) {
+      RMAppAttemptState appAttemtpState, RMApp app, long finishedTime) {
     if (publishSystemMetrics) {
       dispatcher.getEventHandler().handle(
           new AppAttemptFinishedEvent(
@@ -168,8 +168,10 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
               appAttempt.getTrackingUrl(),
               appAttempt.getOriginalTrackingUrl(),
               appAttempt.getDiagnostics(),
-              appAttempt.getFinalApplicationStatus(),
-              RMServerUtils.createApplicationAttemptState(state),
+              // app will get the final status from app attempt, or create one
+              // based on app state if it doesn't exist
+              app.getFinalApplicationStatus(),
+              RMServerUtils.createApplicationAttemptState(appAttemtpState),
               finishedTime));
     }
   }
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/RMAppAttemptImpl.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/RMAppAttemptImpl.java
index 863130fd35f..7ca57ee018a 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/RMAppAttemptImpl.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/RMAppAttemptImpl.java
@@ -1159,8 +1159,10 @@ public class RMAppAttemptImpl implements RMAppAttempt, Recoverable {
       appAttempt.rmContext.getRMApplicationHistoryWriter()
           .applicationAttemptFinished(appAttempt, finalAttemptState);
       appAttempt.rmContext.getSystemMetricsPublisher()
-          .appAttemptFinished(
-              appAttempt, finalAttemptState, System.currentTimeMillis());
+          .appAttemptFinished(appAttempt, finalAttemptState,
+              appAttempt.rmContext.getRMApps().get(
+                  appAttempt.applicationAttemptId.getApplicationId()),
+              System.currentTimeMillis());
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java
index a97ae7b1efc..63343e9521d 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java
@@ -174,7 +174,9 @@ public class TestSystemMetricsPublisher {
         ApplicationAttemptId.newInstance(ApplicationId.newInstance(0, 1), 1);
     RMAppAttempt appAttempt = createRMAppAttempt(appAttemptId);
     metricsPublisher.appAttemptRegistered(appAttempt, Integer.MAX_VALUE + 1L);
-    metricsPublisher.appAttemptFinished(appAttempt, RMAppAttemptState.FINISHED,
+    RMApp app = mock(RMApp.class);
+    when(app.getFinalApplicationStatus()).thenReturn(FinalApplicationStatus.UNDEFINED);
+    metricsPublisher.appAttemptFinished(appAttempt, RMAppAttemptState.FINISHED, app,
         Integer.MAX_VALUE + 2L);
     TimelineEntity entity = null;
     do {
@@ -222,7 +224,7 @@ public class TestSystemMetricsPublisher {
             event.getEventInfo().get(
                 AppAttemptMetricsConstants.ORIGINAL_TRACKING_URL_EVENT_INFO));
         Assert.assertEquals(
-            appAttempt.getFinalApplicationStatus().toString(),
+            FinalApplicationStatus.UNDEFINED.toString(),
             event.getEventInfo().get(
                 AppAttemptMetricsConstants.FINAL_STATUS_EVENT_INFO));
         Assert.assertEquals(
@@ -340,8 +342,6 @@ public class TestSystemMetricsPublisher {
     when(appAttempt.getTrackingUrl()).thenReturn("test tracking url");
     when(appAttempt.getOriginalTrackingUrl()).thenReturn(
         "test original tracking url");
-    when(appAttempt.getFinalApplicationStatus()).thenReturn(
-        FinalApplicationStatus.UNDEFINED);
     return appAttempt;
   }
 
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/TestRMAppAttemptTransitions.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/TestRMAppAttemptTransitions.java
index 6608ccd08e8..b8e6f434e7c 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/TestRMAppAttemptTransitions.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/rmapp/attempt/TestRMAppAttemptTransitions.java
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.amlauncher.ApplicationMaste
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.metrics.SystemMetricsPublisher;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.recovery.RMStateStore;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.recovery.RMStateStore.ApplicationAttemptState;
+import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.RMApp;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.RMAppEvent;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.RMAppEventType;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.RMAppFailedAttemptEvent;
@@ -92,7 +93,6 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmcontainer.RMContainer;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmcontainer.RMContainerImpl;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.Allocation;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.ResourceScheduler;
-import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.SchedulerAppReport;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.SchedulerUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.YarnScheduler;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.event.AppAttemptAddedSchedulerEvent;
@@ -289,7 +289,6 @@ public class TestRMAppAttemptTransitions {
     Mockito.doReturn(resourceScheduler).when(spyRMContext).getScheduler();
 
 
-    final String user = MockApps.newUserName();
     final String queue = MockApps.newQueue();
     submissionContext = mock(ApplicationSubmissionContext.class);
     when(submissionContext.getQueue()).thenReturn(queue);
@@ -1385,7 +1384,7 @@ public class TestRMAppAttemptTransitions {
     finalState =
         ArgumentCaptor.forClass(RMAppAttemptState.class);
     verify(publisher).appAttemptFinished(any(RMAppAttempt.class), finalState.capture(),
-        anyLong());
+        any(RMApp.class), anyLong());
     Assert.assertEquals(state, finalState.getValue());
   }