diff --git a/shield/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml b/shield/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml
index 1a35a802fcf..b4b6c99728b 100644
--- a/shield/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml
+++ b/shield/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml
@@ -3,59 +3,34 @@
 
   <import file="${elasticsearch.integ.antfile.default}"/>
 
-  <!-- unzip core release artifact, install license plugin, install plugin, then start ES -->
-  <target name="start-external-cluster-with-plugin" depends="stop-external-cluster" unless="${shouldskip}">
-    <local name="integ.home"/>
-    <local name="integ.repo.home"/>
-    <local name="integ.plugin.url"/>
-    <local name="integ.pid"/>
+  <!-- TODO shield redefines this because the wait for http will fail due to auth -->
+  <macrodef name="startup-elasticsearch">
+    <attribute name="home" default="${integ.scratch}/elasticsearch-${elasticsearch.version}"/>
+    <attribute name="args" default="${integ.args}"/>
+    <sequential>
+      <echo>Starting up external cluster...</echo>
+      <run-script dir="@{home}" script="bin/elasticsearch" spawn="true"
+                  args="@{args} -Des.path.repo=@{home}/repo" />
 
-    <delete dir="${integ.scratch}"/>
-    <unzip src="${org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch:zip}"
-           dest="${integ.scratch}"/>
-
-    <property name="integ.home" location="${integ.scratch}/elasticsearch-${elasticsearch.version}"/>
-    <property name="integ.repo.home" location="${integ.home}/repo"/>
-
-    <!-- begin commercial plugin mods -->
-    <local name="integ.license.plugin.url"/>
-    <makeurl property="integ.license.plugin.url" file="${org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch-license-plugin:zip}"/>
-    <echo>Installing license plugin...</echo> 
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/plugin"
-                args="-u ${integ.license.plugin.url} -i elasticsearch-license-plugin"/>
-    <!-- end commercial plugin mods -->
-
-    <makeurl property="integ.plugin.url" file="${project.build.directory}/releases/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}.zip"/>
-
-    <echo>Installing plugin ${project.artifactId}...</echo>
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/plugin"
-                args="-u ${integ.plugin.url} -i ${project.artifactId}"/>
-
-    <!-- execute -->
-    <echo>Starting up external cluster...</echo>
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/elasticsearch" spawn="true"
-                args="${integ.args} -Des.path.repo=${integ.repo.home}"/>
-
-    <!-- begin shield plugin mods -->
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/shield/esusers"
-                args="useradd test_user -p changeme -r admin"/>
-
-    <!-- seems waitfor task doesnt support basic auth?
-         we do the next best thing, wait for the socket, then verify with get
       <waitfor maxwait="3" maxwaitunit="minute" checkevery="500">
-        <http url="http://test_user:changeme@127.0.0.1:9200"/>
+        <socket server="127.0.0.1" port="9200"/>
       </waitfor>
-    -->
 
-    <waitfor maxwait="3" maxwaitunit="minute" checkevery="500">
-      <socket server="127.0.0.1" port="9200"/>
-    </waitfor>
+      <local name="integ.pid"/>
+      <extract-pid property="integ.pid"/>
+      <echo>External cluster started PID ${integ.pid}</echo>
+    </sequential>
+  </macrodef>
+
+  <target name="start-external-cluster-with-plugin" depends="setup-workspace" unless="${shouldskip}">
+    <install-plugin name="elasticsearch-license" file="${integ.deps}/elasticsearch-license-plugin-${project.version}.zip" />
+    <install-plugin name="${project.artifactId}" file="${project.build.directory}/releases/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}.zip"/>
+    <run-script dir="${integ.scratch}/elasticsearch-${elasticsearch.version}" script="bin/shield/esusers"
+                args="useradd test_user -p changeme -r admin"/>
+    <startup-elasticsearch/>
+
     <local name="temp.file"/>
     <tempfile property="temp.file" destdir="${java.io.tmpdir}"/>
     <get src="http://127.0.0.1:9200" dest="${temp.file}" username="test_user" password="changeme" verbose="true" retries="10"/>
-    <!-- end shield plugin mods -->
-
-    <extract-pid property="integ.pid"/>
-    <echo>External cluster started PID ${integ.pid}</echo>
   </target>
 </project>
diff --git a/shield/pom.xml b/shield/pom.xml
index 881460f17c3..8220a354574 100644
--- a/shield/pom.xml
+++ b/shield/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
 
     <properties>
         <tests.rest.blacklist>indices.get/10_basic/*allow_no_indices*,cat.count/10_basic/Test cat count output,cat.aliases/10_basic/Empty cluster,indices.segments/10_basic/no segments test,indices.clear_cache/10_basic/clear_cache test,indices.status/10_basic/Indices status test,cat.indices/10_basic/Test cat indices output,cat.recovery/10_basic/Test cat recovery output,cat.shards/10_basic/Test cat shards output,termvector/20_issue7121/*,index/10_with_id/Index with ID,indices.get_alias/20_emtpy/*,cat.segments/10_basic/Test cat segments output,indices.put_settings/10_basic/Test indices settings allow_no_indices,indices.put_settings/10_basic/Test indices settings ignore_unavailable,indices.refresh/10_basic/Indices refresh test no-match wildcard,indices.stats/10_index/Index - star*,indices.recovery/10_basic/Indices recovery test*,template/30_render_search_template/*</tests.rest.blacklist>
-         <!-- TODO: refactor -->
-         <elasticsearch.integ.antfile>${basedir}/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml</elasticsearch.integ.antfile>
+        <!-- TODO: refactor -->
+        <elasticsearch.integ.antfile>${basedir}/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml</elasticsearch.integ.antfile>
     </properties>
 
     <dependencies>
@@ -36,14 +36,6 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
 
-        <dependency>
-            <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
-            <artifactId>elasticsearch-license-plugin</artifactId>
-            <version>${project.version}</version>
-            <type>zip</type>
-            <scope>test</scope>
-        </dependency>
-
         <!-- real dependencies -->
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
@@ -87,6 +79,36 @@
                 <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                 <artifactId>maven-eclipse-plugin</artifactId>
             </plugin>
+
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <id>integ-setup-dependencies</id>
+                        <phase>pre-integration-test</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>copy</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                        <configuration>
+                            <artifactItems combine.children="append">
+                                <artifactItem>
+                                    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
+                                    <artifactId>elasticsearch-license-plugin</artifactId>
+                                    <version>${project.version}</version>
+                                    <type>zip</type>
+                                    <overWrite>true</overWrite>
+                                </artifactItem>
+                            </artifactItems>
+                        </configuration>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
+            </plugin>
         </plugins>
         <pluginManagement>
             <plugins>
diff --git a/watcher/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml b/watcher/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml
index ad09092e52f..45de62992c3 100644
--- a/watcher/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml
+++ b/watcher/dev-tools/integration-tests.xml
@@ -3,44 +3,9 @@
 
   <import file="${elasticsearch.integ.antfile.default}"/>
 
-  <!-- unzip core release artifact, install license plugin, install plugin, then start ES -->
-  <target name="start-external-cluster-with-plugin" depends="stop-external-cluster" unless="${shouldskip}">
-    <local name="integ.home"/>
-    <local name="integ.repo.home"/>
-    <local name="integ.plugin.url"/>
-    <local name="integ.pid"/>
-
-    <delete dir="${integ.scratch}"/>
-    <unzip src="${org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch:zip}"
-           dest="${integ.scratch}"/>
-
-    <property name="integ.home" location="${integ.scratch}/elasticsearch-${elasticsearch.version}"/>
-    <property name="integ.repo.home" location="${integ.home}/repo"/>
-
-    <!-- begin commercial plugin mods -->
-    <local name="integ.license.plugin.url"/>
-    <makeurl property="integ.license.plugin.url" file="${org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch-license-plugin:zip}"/>
-    <echo>Installing license plugin...</echo> 
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/plugin"
-                args="-u ${integ.license.plugin.url} -i elasticsearch-license-plugin"/>
-    <!-- end commercial plugin mods -->
-
-    <makeurl property="integ.plugin.url" file="${project.build.directory}/releases/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}.zip"/>
-
-    <echo>Installing plugin ${project.artifactId}...</echo>
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/plugin"
-                args="-u ${integ.plugin.url} -i ${project.artifactId}"/>
-
-    <!-- execute -->
-    <echo>Starting up external cluster...</echo>
-    <run-script dir="${integ.home}" script="bin/elasticsearch" spawn="true"
-                args="${integ.args} -Des.path.repo=${integ.repo.home}"/>
-
-    <waitfor maxwait="3" maxwaitunit="minute" checkevery="500">
-      <http url="http://127.0.0.1:9200"/>
-    </waitfor>
-
-    <extract-pid property="integ.pid"/>
-    <echo>External cluster started PID ${integ.pid}</echo>
+  <target name="start-external-cluster-with-plugin" depends="setup-workspace" unless="${shouldskip}">
+    <install-plugin name="elasticsearch-license" file="${integ.deps}/elasticsearch-license-plugin-${project.version}.zip" />
+    <install-plugin name="${project.artifactId}" file="${project.build.directory}/releases/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}.zip"/>
+    <startup-elasticsearch/>
   </target>
 </project>
diff --git a/watcher/pom.xml b/watcher/pom.xml
index fdbef37b908..cb3ec8d749c 100644
--- a/watcher/pom.xml
+++ b/watcher/pom.xml
@@ -43,14 +43,6 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
 
-        <dependency>
-            <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
-            <artifactId>elasticsearch-license-plugin</artifactId>
-            <version>${project.version}</version>
-            <type>zip</type>
-            <scope>test</scope>
-        </dependency>
-
         <!-- Regular dependencies -->
 
         <dependency>
@@ -139,6 +131,34 @@
                 <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                 <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
             </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <id>integ-setup-dependencies</id>
+                        <phase>pre-integration-test</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>copy</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                        <configuration>
+                            <artifactItems combine.children="append">
+                                <artifactItem>
+                                    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
+                                    <artifactId>elasticsearch-license-plugin</artifactId>
+                                    <version>${project.version}</version>
+                                    <type>zip</type>
+                                    <overWrite>true</overWrite>
+                                </artifactItem>
+                            </artifactItems>
+                        </configuration>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
+            </plugin>
         </plugins>
     </build>
 </project>