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 58ef5b6d323..d5bdd211702 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
@@ -99,9 +99,8 @@ class PluginBuildPlugin extends BuildPlugin {
 
             project.tasks.run.dependsOn(project.tasks.bundlePlugin)
             if (isModule) {
-                project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.module(project)
                 project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.distribution = System.getProperty(
-                        'run.distribution', 'integ-test-zip'
+                        'run.distribution', isXPackModule ? 'default' : 'oss'
                 )
             } else {
                 project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.plugin(project.path)
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle
index dbe1cdf51ef..a808a7197cc 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle
@@ -59,10 +59,6 @@ dependencyLicenses {
     ignoreSha 'x-pack-core'
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 testingConventions.naming {
     IT {
         baseClass "org.elasticsearch.xpack.CcrIntegTestCase"
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle
index ad4d846fd16..e065f72e998 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: xpackModule('core'), configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 // xpack modules are installed in real clusters as the meta plugin, so
 // installing them as individual plugins for integ tests doesn't make sense,
 // so we disable integ tests
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle
index d89eb62e884..62d2a891929 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle
@@ -13,8 +13,4 @@ dependencies {
     compileOnly "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-core:${version}"
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle
index f1bac2e54d4..e7b0b44fd65 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle
@@ -24,8 +24,4 @@ gradle.projectsEvaluated {
             .each { check.dependsOn it.check }
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle
index 71def893781..e6962e3c3bf 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle
@@ -29,6 +29,3 @@ gradle.projectsEvaluated {
 
 integTest.enabled = false
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle
index 1057a1c8526..476d3f17cad 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle
@@ -15,8 +15,4 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: xpackModule('core'), configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle
index ef3b228a8be..8c17e4b1fc4 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle
@@ -94,10 +94,6 @@ project.afterEvaluate {
     }
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 // xpack modules are installed in real clusters as the meta plugin, so
 // installing them as individual plugins for integ tests doesn't make sense,
 // so we disable integ tests
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle
index 5d17b81e2fa..b2e0c930e0d 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle
@@ -45,10 +45,6 @@ dependencyLicenses {
     mapping from: /commons-.*/, to: 'commons' // pulled in by rest client
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 // xpack modules are installed in real clusters as the meta plugin, so
 // installing them as individual plugins for integ tests doesn't make sense,
 // so we disable integ tests
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle
index 75fd22abacc..d159f3334b9 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle
@@ -21,8 +21,4 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: xpackModule('core'), configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
index 6f99fe87bf4..e343b5906e7 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
@@ -302,10 +302,6 @@ if (project.runtimeJavaVersion > JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8) {
     )
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 test {
     /*
      * We have to disable setting the number of available processors as tests in the same JVM randomize processors and will step on each
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle
index 5719f03fc6a..09660e336e8 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle
@@ -111,10 +111,6 @@ if (project.runtimeJavaVersion <= JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8) {
     )
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 test {
     /*
      * We have to disable setting the number of available processors as tests in the same JVM randomize processors and will step on each