diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy
index 159f84258df..add518822e0 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/BuildPlugin.groovy
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ class BuildPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
 
     /** Return the configuration name used for finding transitive deps of the given dependency. */
     private static String transitiveDepConfigName(String groupId, String artifactId, String version) {
-        return "_transitive_${groupId}:${artifactId}:${version}"
+        return "_transitive_${groupId}_${artifactId}_${version}"
     }
 
     /**
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 14074f241df..72c6eef6685 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/ClusterFormationTasks.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/test/ClusterFormationTasks.groovy
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ class ClusterFormationTasks {
 
             Project pluginProject = plugin.getValue()
             verifyProjectHasBuildPlugin(name, node.nodeVersion, project, pluginProject)
-            String configurationName = "_plugin_${prefix}_${pluginProject.path}"
+            String configurationName = pluginConfigurationName(prefix, pluginProject)
             Configuration configuration = project.configurations.findByName(configurationName)
             if (configuration == null) {
                 configuration = project.configurations.create(configurationName)
@@ -454,13 +454,21 @@ class ClusterFormationTasks {
         return copyPlugins
     }
 
+    private static String pluginConfigurationName(final String prefix, final Project project) {
+        return "_plugin_${prefix}_${project.path}".replace(':', '_')
+    }
+
+    private static String pluginBwcConfigurationName(final String prefix, final Project project) {
+        return "_plugin_bwc_${prefix}_${project.path}".replace(':', '_')
+    }
+
     /** Configures task to copy a plugin based on a zip file resolved using dependencies for an older version */
     static Task configureCopyBwcPluginsTask(String name, Project project, Task setup, NodeInfo node, String prefix) {
         Configuration bwcPlugins = project.configurations.getByName("${prefix}_elasticsearchBwcPlugins")
         for (Map.Entry<String, Project> plugin : node.config.plugins.entrySet()) {
             Project pluginProject = plugin.getValue()
             verifyProjectHasBuildPlugin(name, node.nodeVersion, project, pluginProject)
-            String configurationName = "_plugin_bwc_${prefix}_${pluginProject.path}"
+            String configurationName = pluginBwcConfigurationName(prefix, pluginProject)
             Configuration configuration = project.configurations.findByName(configurationName)
             if (configuration == null) {
                 configuration = project.configurations.create(configurationName)
@@ -499,9 +507,9 @@ class ClusterFormationTasks {
     static Task configureInstallPluginTask(String name, Project project, Task setup, NodeInfo node, Project plugin, String prefix) {
         final FileCollection pluginZip;
         if (node.nodeVersion != VersionProperties.elasticsearch) {
-            pluginZip = project.configurations.getByName("_plugin_bwc_${prefix}_${plugin.path}")
+            pluginZip = project.configurations.getByName(pluginBwcConfigurationName(prefix, plugin))
         } else {
-            pluginZip = project.configurations.getByName("_plugin_${prefix}_${plugin.path}")
+            pluginZip = project.configurations.getByName(pluginConfigurationName(prefix, plugin))
         }
         // delay reading the file location until execution time by wrapping in a closure within a GString
         final Object file = "${-> new File(node.pluginsTmpDir, pluginZip.singleFile.getName()).toURI().toURL().toString()}"
diff --git a/plugins/repository-hdfs/build.gradle b/plugins/repository-hdfs/build.gradle
index 2f45cb5ab8f..6426f588352 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-hdfs/build.gradle
+++ b/plugins/repository-hdfs/build.gradle
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ List<String> principals = [ "elasticsearch", "hdfs/hdfs.build.elastic.co" ]
 String realm = "BUILD.ELASTIC.CO"
 
 for (String principal : principals) {
-  Task create = project.tasks.create("addPrincipal#${principal}", org.elasticsearch.gradle.vagrant.VagrantCommandTask) {
+  Task create = project.tasks.create("addPrincipal#${principal}".replace('/', '_'), org.elasticsearch.gradle.vagrant.VagrantCommandTask) {
     command 'ssh'
     args '--command', "sudo bash /vagrant/src/main/resources/provision/addprinc.sh $principal"
     boxName box