diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java
index a291c278de6..feffecfc75f 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java
@@ -697,7 +697,23 @@ public class ZKUtil {
    */
   public static byte [] getDataAndWatch(ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String znode)
   throws KeeperException {
-    return getDataInternal(zkw, znode, null, true);
+    return getDataInternal(zkw, znode, null, true, true);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Get the data at the specified znode and set a watch.
+   * Returns the data and sets a watch if the node exists.  Returns null and no
+   * watch is set if the node does not exist or there is an exception.
+   *
+   * @param zkw              zk reference
+   * @param znode            path of node
+   * @param throwOnInterrupt if false then just interrupt the thread, do not throw exception
+   * @return data of the specified znode, or null
+   * @throws KeeperException if unexpected zookeeper exception
+   */
+  public static byte[] getDataAndWatch(ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String znode, boolean throwOnInterrupt)
+    throws KeeperException {
+    return getDataInternal(zkw, znode, null, true, throwOnInterrupt);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -714,11 +730,11 @@ public class ZKUtil {
    */
   public static byte[] getDataAndWatch(ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String znode,
       Stat stat) throws KeeperException {
-    return getDataInternal(zkw, znode, stat, true);
+    return getDataInternal(zkw, znode, stat, true, true);
   }
 
   private static byte[] getDataInternal(ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String znode, Stat stat,
-      boolean watcherSet)
+      boolean watcherSet, boolean throwOnInterrupt)
       throws KeeperException {
     try {
       byte [] data = zkw.getRecoverableZooKeeper().getData(znode, zkw, stat);
@@ -736,7 +752,11 @@ public class ZKUtil {
       return null;
     } catch (InterruptedException e) {
       LOG.warn(zkw.prefix("Unable to get data of znode " + znode), e);
-      zkw.interruptedException(e);
+      if (throwOnInterrupt) {
+        zkw.interruptedException(e);
+      } else {
+        zkw.interruptedExceptionNoThrow(e, true);
+      }
       return null;
     }
   }
@@ -796,7 +816,29 @@ public class ZKUtil {
    * @deprecated Unused
    */
   public static List<NodeAndData> getChildDataAndWatchForNewChildren(
-      ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String baseNode) throws KeeperException {
+    ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String baseNode) throws KeeperException {
+    return getChildDataAndWatchForNewChildren(zkw, baseNode, true);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the date of child znodes of the specified znode.  Also sets a watch on
+   * the specified znode which will capture a NodeDeleted event on the specified
+   * znode as well as NodeChildrenChanged if any children of the specified znode
+   * are created or deleted.
+   *
+   * Returns null if the specified node does not exist.  Otherwise returns a
+   * list of children of the specified node.  If the node exists but it has no
+   * children, an empty list will be returned.
+   *
+   * @param zkw zk reference
+   * @param baseNode path of node to list and watch children of
+   * @param throwOnInterrupt if false then just interrupt the thread, do not throw exception
+   * @return list of data of children of the specified node, an empty list if the node
+   *          exists but has no children, and null if the node does not exist
+   * @throws KeeperException if unexpected zookeeper exception
+   */
+  public static List<NodeAndData> getChildDataAndWatchForNewChildren(
+      ZooKeeperWatcher zkw, String baseNode, boolean throwOnInterrupt) throws KeeperException {
     List<String> nodes =
       ZKUtil.listChildrenAndWatchForNewChildren(zkw, baseNode);
     if (nodes != null) {
@@ -807,7 +849,7 @@ public class ZKUtil {
           return Collections.emptyList();
         }
         String nodePath = ZKUtil.joinZNode(baseNode, node);
-        byte[] data = ZKUtil.getDataAndWatch(zkw, nodePath);
+        byte[] data = ZKUtil.getDataAndWatch(zkw, nodePath, throwOnInterrupt);
         newNodes.add(new NodeAndData(nodePath, data));
       }
       return newNodes;
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/ZKPermissionWatcher.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/ZKPermissionWatcher.java
index f1488789146..85fde4a93a0 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/ZKPermissionWatcher.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/ZKPermissionWatcher.java
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ public class ZKPermissionWatcher extends ZooKeeperListener implements Closeable
         @Override public void run() {
           try {
             final List<ZKUtil.NodeAndData> nodeList =
-              ZKUtil.getChildDataAndWatchForNewChildren(watcher, aclZNode);
+              ZKUtil.getChildDataAndWatchForNewChildren(watcher, aclZNode, false);
             refreshNodes(nodeList);
 
           } catch (KeeperException ke) {