diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTask.java b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTask.java
index 57276faf9ea..753248e1946 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTask.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTask.java
@@ -50,6 +50,16 @@ public class ExecuteStepsUpdateTask extends ClusterStateUpdateTask {
     }
 
 
+    /**
+     * {@link Step}s for the current index and policy are executed in succession until the next step to be
+     * executed is not a {@link ClusterStateActionStep}, or not a {@link ClusterStateWaitStep}, or does not
+     * belong to the same phase as the executed step. All other types of steps are executed outside of this
+     * {@link ClusterStateUpdateTask}, so they are of no concern here.
+     *
+     * @param currentState The current state to execute the <code>startStep</code> with
+     * @return the new cluster state after cluster-state operations and step transitions are applied
+     * @throws IOException if any exceptions occur
+     */
     @Override
     public ClusterState execute(ClusterState currentState) throws IOException {
         Step currentStep = startStep;
@@ -94,6 +104,9 @@ public class ExecuteStepsUpdateTask extends ClusterStateUpdateTask {
                         }
                     }
                 }
+                if (currentStep.getKey().getPhase().equals(currentStep.getNextStepKey().getPhase()) == false) {
+                    return currentState;
+                }
                 currentStep = policyStepsRegistry.getStep(policy, currentStep.getNextStepKey());
             }
             return currentState;
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTaskTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTaskTests.java
index dcc88988184..b68a98223c7 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTaskTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/indexlifecycle/ExecuteStepsUpdateTaskTests.java
@@ -121,35 +121,32 @@ public class ExecuteStepsUpdateTaskTests extends ESTestCase {
         policyStepsRegistry.update(lifecycleMetadata, client, () -> 0L);
     }
 
-    public void testExecuteAllUntilEndOfPolicy() throws IOException {
+    public void testExecuteAllUntilEndOfPhase() throws IOException {
         Step startStep = policyStepsRegistry.getFirstStep(allClusterPolicyName);
+        Step afterStep = policyStepsRegistry.getStep(allClusterPolicyName, startStep.getNextStepKey());
         long now = randomNonNegativeLong();
+        // test execute start till end of phase `new`
         ExecuteStepsUpdateTask task = new ExecuteStepsUpdateTask(allClusterPolicyName, index, startStep, policyStepsRegistry, () -> now);
         ClusterState newState = task.execute(clusterState);
+        StepKey currentStepKey = IndexLifecycleRunner.getCurrentStepKey(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings());
+        assertThat(currentStepKey, equalTo(afterStep.getKey()));
+        // test execute phase-after until firstStep
+        task = new ExecuteStepsUpdateTask(allClusterPolicyName, index, afterStep, policyStepsRegistry, () -> now);
+        newState = task.execute(newState);
+        currentStepKey = IndexLifecycleRunner.getCurrentStepKey(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings());
+        assertThat(currentStepKey, equalTo(firstStep.getKey()));
+        // test execute all actions in same phase
+        task = new ExecuteStepsUpdateTask(allClusterPolicyName, index, firstStep, policyStepsRegistry, () -> now);
+        newState = task.execute(newState);
         assertThat(firstStep.getExecuteCount(), equalTo(1L));
         assertThat(allClusterSecondStep.getExecuteCount(), equalTo(1L));
-        StepKey currentStepKey = IndexLifecycleRunner.getCurrentStepKey(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings());
+        currentStepKey = IndexLifecycleRunner.getCurrentStepKey(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings());
         assertThat(currentStepKey, equalTo(TerminalPolicyStep.KEY));
         assertThat(LifecycleSettings.LIFECYCLE_PHASE_TIME_SETTING.get(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings()), equalTo(now));
         assertThat(LifecycleSettings.LIFECYCLE_ACTION_TIME_SETTING.get(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings()), equalTo(now));
         assertThat(LifecycleSettings.LIFECYCLE_STEP_INFO_SETTING.get(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings()), equalTo(""));
     }
 
-    public void testExecuteMoveToNextActionStep() throws IOException {
-        secondStep.setWillComplete(false);
-        Step startStep = policyStepsRegistry.getFirstStep(mixedPolicyName);
-        long now = randomNonNegativeLong();
-        ExecuteStepsUpdateTask task = new ExecuteStepsUpdateTask(mixedPolicyName, index, startStep, policyStepsRegistry, () -> now);
-        ClusterState newState = task.execute(clusterState);
-        assertThat(firstStep.getExecuteCount(), equalTo(1L));
-        assertThat(secondStep.getExecuteCount(), equalTo(1L));
-        StepKey currentStepKey = IndexLifecycleRunner.getCurrentStepKey(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings());
-        assertThat(currentStepKey, equalTo(secondStepKey));
-        assertThat(LifecycleSettings.LIFECYCLE_PHASE_TIME_SETTING.get(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings()), equalTo(now));
-        assertThat(LifecycleSettings.LIFECYCLE_ACTION_TIME_SETTING.get(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings()), equalTo(now));
-        assertThat(LifecycleSettings.LIFECYCLE_STEP_INFO_SETTING.get(newState.metaData().index(index).getSettings()), equalTo(""));
-    }
-
     public void testNeverExecuteNonClusterStateStep() throws IOException {
         setStateToKey(thirdStepKey);
         Step startStep = policyStepsRegistry.getStep(mixedPolicyName, thirdStepKey);