diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 3d53242b4a8..78818dec951 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -171,5 +171,9 @@ task clean(type: GradleBuild) {
   tasks = ['clean']
 }
 
-task run(dependsOn: ':distribution:run')
+task run() {
+  dependsOn ':distribution:run'
+  description = 'Runs elasticsearch in the foreground'
+  group = 'Verification'
+}
 
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
index 2a95f26ab8b..fbbdb242d45 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@
  */
 package org.elasticsearch.gradle.plugin
 
-import nebula.plugin.extraconfigurations.ProvidedBasePlugin
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.BuildPlugin
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.test.RestIntegTestTask
+import org.elasticsearch.gradle.test.RunTask
 import org.gradle.api.Project
 import org.gradle.api.Task
 import org.gradle.api.tasks.bundling.Zip
@@ -33,26 +33,21 @@ class PluginBuildPlugin extends BuildPlugin {
     @Override
     void apply(Project project) {
         super.apply(project)
-        // TODO: add target compatibility (java version) to elasticsearch properties and set for the project
         configureDependencies(project)
         // this afterEvaluate must happen before the afterEvaluate added by integTest configure,
         // so that the file name resolution for installing the plugin will be setup
         project.afterEvaluate {
-            project.jar.configure {
-                baseName project.pluginProperties.extension.name
-            }
-            project.bundlePlugin.configure {
-                baseName project.pluginProperties.extension.name
-            }
-            project.integTest.configure {
-                dependsOn project.bundlePlugin
-                cluster {
-                    plugin project.pluginProperties.extension.name, project.bundlePlugin.outputs.files
-                }
-            }
+            String name = project.pluginProperties.extension.name
+            project.jar.baseName = name
+            project.bundlePlugin.baseName = name
+            project.integTest.dependsOn(project.bundlePlugin)
+            project.integTest.clusterConfig.plugin(name, project.bundlePlugin.outputs.files)
+            project.tasks.run.dependsOn(project.bundlePlugin)
+            project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.plugin(name, project.bundlePlugin.outputs.files)
         }
-        Task bundle = configureBundleTask(project)
         RestIntegTestTask.configure(project)
+        RunTask.configure(project)
+        Task bundle = configureBundleTask(project)
         project.configurations.archives.artifacts.removeAll { it.archiveTask.is project.jar }
         project.configurations.getByName('default').extendsFrom = []
         project.artifacts {
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/ClusterFormationTasks.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/ClusterFormationTasks.groovy
index b53420334ce..35811a832a2 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/ClusterFormationTasks.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/ClusterFormationTasks.groovy
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class ClusterFormationTasks {
             String camelName = plugin.getKey().replaceAll(/-(\w)/) { _, c -> c.toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT) }
             String taskName = "${task.name}#install${camelName[0].toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT) + camelName.substring(1)}Plugin"
             // delay reading the file location until execution time by wrapping in a closure within a GString
-            String file = "${ -> new File(pluginsTmpDir, plugin.getValue().singleFile.getName()).toURI().toURL().toString() }"
+            String file = "${-> new File(pluginsTmpDir, plugin.getValue().singleFile.getName()).toURI().toURL().toString()}"
             Object[] args = [new File(home, 'bin/plugin'), 'install', file]
             setup = configureExecTask(taskName, project, setup, cwd, args)
         }
@@ -115,8 +115,11 @@ class ClusterFormationTasks {
         Task start = configureStartTask("${task.name}#start", project, setup, cwd, config, clusterName, pidFile, home)
         task.dependsOn(start)
 
-        Task stop = configureStopTask("${task.name}#stop", project, [], pidFile)
-        task.finalizedBy(stop)
+        if (config.daemonize) {
+            // if we are running in the background, make sure to stop the server when the task completes
+            Task stop = configureStopTask("${task.name}#stop", project, [], pidFile)
+            task.finalizedBy(stop)
+        }
     }
 
     /** Adds a task to extract the elasticsearch distribution */
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/RunTask.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/RunTask.groovy
index ad14dfe8672..3abc4283304 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/RunTask.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/RunTask.groovy
@@ -1,12 +1,23 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.gradle.test
 
 import org.gradle.api.DefaultTask
-import org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskAction
+import org.gradle.api.Project
 
 class RunTask extends DefaultTask {
+
     ClusterConfiguration clusterConfig = new ClusterConfiguration(httpPort: 9200, transportPort: 9300, daemonize: false)
 
     RunTask() {
-        ClusterFormationTasks.setup(project, this, clusterConfig)
+        project.afterEvaluate {
+            ClusterFormationTasks.setup(project, this, clusterConfig)
+        }
+    }
+
+    static void configure(Project project) {
+        RunTask task = project.tasks.create(
+            name: 'run',
+            type: RunTask,
+            description: "Runs elasticsearch with '${project.path}'",
+            group: 'Verification')
     }
 }
diff --git a/distribution/build.gradle b/distribution/build.gradle
index f2aca91cb86..d6466b6c16c 100644
--- a/distribution/build.gradle
+++ b/distribution/build.gradle
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 import org.apache.tools.ant.filters.FixCrLfFilter
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.precommit.DependencyLicensesTask
+import org.elasticsearch.gradle.test.RunTask
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.MavenFilteringHack
 
 // for deb/rpm
@@ -196,4 +197,5 @@ DependencyLicensesTask.configure(project) {
   mapping from: /jackson-.*/, to: 'jackson'
 }
 
-task run(type:org.elasticsearch.gradle.test.RunTask){}
\ No newline at end of file
+RunTask.configure(project)
+