diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/resources/checkstyle_suppressions.xml b/buildSrc/src/main/resources/checkstyle_suppressions.xml
index d50f362a73e..14c2bc8ca5a 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/resources/checkstyle_suppressions.xml
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/resources/checkstyle_suppressions.xml
@@ -470,7 +470,6 @@
   <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]node[/\\]Node.java" checks="LineLength" />
   <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]node[/\\]internal[/\\]InternalSettingsPreparer.java" checks="LineLength" />
   <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]plugins[/\\]PluginsService.java" checks="LineLength" />
-  <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]plugins[/\\]RemovePluginCommand.java" checks="LineLength" />
   <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]repositories[/\\]RepositoriesService.java" checks="LineLength" />
   <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]repositories[/\\]Repository.java" checks="LineLength" />
   <suppress files="core[/\\]src[/\\]main[/\\]java[/\\]org[/\\]elasticsearch[/\\]repositories[/\\]RepositoryModule.java" checks="LineLength" />
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommand.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommand.java
index 0b4f8d281d0..54cd34d6742 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommand.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommand.java
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ import static org.elasticsearch.cli.Terminal.Verbosity.VERBOSE;
 /**
  * A command for the plugin cli to remove a plugin from elasticsearch.
  */
-class RemovePluginCommand extends SettingCommand {
+final class RemovePluginCommand extends SettingCommand {
 
     private final OptionSpec<String> arguments;
 
@@ -64,14 +64,16 @@ class RemovePluginCommand extends SettingCommand {
 
         terminal.println("-> Removing " + Strings.coalesceToEmpty(pluginName) + "...");
 
-        Path pluginDir = env.pluginsFile().resolve(pluginName);
+        final Path pluginDir = env.pluginsFile().resolve(pluginName);
         if (Files.exists(pluginDir) == false) {
-            throw new UserException(ExitCodes.USAGE, "plugin " + pluginName + " not found; run 'elasticsearch-plugin list' to get list of installed plugins");
+            throw new UserException(
+                    ExitCodes.USAGE,
+                    "plugin " + pluginName + " not found; run 'elasticsearch-plugin list' to get list of installed plugins");
         }
 
-        List<Path> pluginPaths = new ArrayList<>();
+        final List<Path> pluginPaths = new ArrayList<>();
 
-        Path pluginBinDir = env.binFile().resolve(pluginName);
+        final Path pluginBinDir = env.binFile().resolve(pluginName);
         if (Files.exists(pluginBinDir)) {
             if (Files.isDirectory(pluginBinDir) == false) {
                 throw new UserException(ExitCodes.IO_ERROR, "Bin dir for " + pluginName + " is not a directory");
@@ -81,10 +83,19 @@ class RemovePluginCommand extends SettingCommand {
         }
 
         terminal.println(VERBOSE, "Removing: " + pluginDir);
-        Path tmpPluginDir = env.pluginsFile().resolve(".removing-" + pluginName);
+        final Path tmpPluginDir = env.pluginsFile().resolve(".removing-" + pluginName);
         Files.move(pluginDir, tmpPluginDir, StandardCopyOption.ATOMIC_MOVE);
         pluginPaths.add(tmpPluginDir);
 
         IOUtils.rm(pluginPaths.toArray(new Path[pluginPaths.size()]));
+
+        // we preserve the config files in case the user is upgrading the plugin, but we print
+        // a message so the user knows in case they want to remove manually
+        final Path pluginConfigDir = env.configFile().resolve(pluginName);
+        if (Files.exists(pluginConfigDir)) {
+            terminal.println(
+                    "-> Preserving plugin config files [" + pluginConfigDir + "] in case of upgrade, delete manually if not needed");
+        }
     }
+
 }
diff --git a/qa/evil-tests/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommandTests.java b/qa/evil-tests/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommandTests.java
index e2910be64f0..ab4f00492b0 100644
--- a/qa/evil-tests/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommandTests.java
+++ b/qa/evil-tests/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/plugins/RemovePluginCommandTests.java
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.plugins;
 
+import org.apache.lucene.util.LuceneTestCase;
+import org.elasticsearch.cli.MockTerminal;
+import org.elasticsearch.cli.UserException;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
+import org.elasticsearch.env.Environment;
+import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
+import org.junit.Before;
+
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.file.DirectoryStream;
 import java.nio.file.Files;
@@ -26,13 +34,8 @@ import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 
-import org.apache.lucene.util.LuceneTestCase;
-import org.elasticsearch.cli.UserException;
-import org.elasticsearch.cli.MockTerminal;
-import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
-import org.elasticsearch.env.Environment;
-import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
-import org.junit.Before;
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.containsString;
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.not;
 
 @LuceneTestCase.SuppressFileSystems("*")
 public class RemovePluginCommandTests extends ESTestCase {
@@ -109,4 +112,26 @@ public class RemovePluginCommandTests extends ESTestCase {
         assertRemoveCleaned(env);
     }
 
+    public void testConfigDirPreserved() throws Exception {
+        Files.createDirectories(env.pluginsFile().resolve("fake"));
+        final Path configDir = env.configFile().resolve("fake");
+        Files.createDirectories(configDir);
+        Files.createFile(configDir.resolve("fake.yml"));
+        final MockTerminal terminal = removePlugin("fake", home);
+        assertTrue(Files.exists(env.configFile().resolve("fake")));
+        assertThat(terminal.getOutput(), containsString(expectedConfigDirPreservedMessage(configDir)));
+        assertRemoveCleaned(env);
+    }
+
+    public void testNoConfigDirPreserved() throws Exception {
+        Files.createDirectories(env.pluginsFile().resolve("fake"));
+        final Path configDir = env.configFile().resolve("fake");
+        final MockTerminal terminal = removePlugin("fake", home);
+        assertThat(terminal.getOutput(), not(containsString(expectedConfigDirPreservedMessage(configDir))));
+    }
+
+    private String expectedConfigDirPreservedMessage(final Path configDir) {
+        return "-> Preserving plugin config files [" + configDir + "] in case of upgrade, delete manually if not needed";
+    }
+
 }