diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ElasticsearchTestCase.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ElasticsearchTestCase.java
index 73a107dca29..a25ca6f26cb 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ElasticsearchTestCase.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ElasticsearchTestCase.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.env.Environment;
 import org.elasticsearch.env.NodeEnvironment;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.cache.recycler.MockBigArrays;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.cache.recycler.MockPageCacheRecycler;
+import org.elasticsearch.test.junit.listeners.AssertionErrorThreadDumpPrinter;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.junit.listeners.LoggingListener;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.junit.listeners.ReproduceInfoPrinter;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.search.MockSearchService;
@@ -78,7 +79,8 @@ import static com.google.common.collect.Lists.newArrayList;
  */
 @Listeners({
         ReproduceInfoPrinter.class,
-        LoggingListener.class
+        LoggingListener.class,
+        AssertionErrorThreadDumpPrinter.class
 })
 // remove this entire annotation on upgrade to 5.3!
 @ThreadLeakFilters(defaultFilters = true, filters = {
@@ -550,44 +552,7 @@ public abstract class ElasticsearchTestCase extends LuceneTestCase {
     protected static final void printStackDump(ESLogger logger) {
         // print stack traces if we can't create any native thread anymore
         Map<Thread, StackTraceElement[]> allStackTraces = Thread.getAllStackTraces();
-        logger.error(formatThreadStacks(allStackTraces));
-    }
-
-    /** Dump threads and their current stack trace. */
-    private static String formatThreadStacks(Map<Thread, StackTraceElement[]> threads) {
-        StringBuilder message = new StringBuilder();
-        int cnt = 1;
-        final Formatter f = new Formatter(message, Locale.ENGLISH);
-        for (Map.Entry<Thread, StackTraceElement[]> e : threads.entrySet()) {
-            if (e.getKey().isAlive()) {
-                f.format(Locale.ENGLISH, "\n  %2d) %s", cnt++, threadName(e.getKey())).flush();
-            }
-            if (e.getValue().length == 0) {
-                message.append("\n        at (empty stack)");
-            } else {
-                for (StackTraceElement ste : e.getValue()) {
-                    message.append("\n        at ").append(ste);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        return message.toString();
-    }
-
-    private static String threadName(Thread t) {
-        return "Thread[" +
-                "id=" + t.getId() +
-                ", name=" + t.getName() +
-                ", state=" + t.getState() +
-                ", group=" + groupName(t.getThreadGroup()) +
-                "]";
-    }
-
-    private static String groupName(ThreadGroup threadGroup) {
-        if (threadGroup == null) {
-            return "{null group}";
-        } else {
-            return threadGroup.getName();
-        }
+        logger.error(StackTraces.formatThreadStacks(allStackTraces));
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/StackTraces.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/StackTraces.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..85cd76d815e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/StackTraces.java
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.elasticsearch.test;
+
+import java.util.Formatter;
+import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+public class StackTraces {
+    /** Dump threads and their current stack trace. */
+    public static String formatThreadStacks(Map<Thread, StackTraceElement[]> threads) {
+        StringBuilder message = new StringBuilder();
+        int cnt = 1;
+        final Formatter f = new Formatter(message, Locale.ENGLISH);
+        for (Map.Entry<Thread, StackTraceElement[]> e : threads.entrySet()) {
+            if (e.getKey().isAlive()) {
+                f.format(Locale.ENGLISH, "\n  %2d) %s", cnt++, threadName(e.getKey())).flush();
+            }
+            if (e.getValue().length == 0) {
+                message.append("\n        at (empty stack)");
+            } else {
+                for (StackTraceElement ste : e.getValue()) {
+                    message.append("\n        at ").append(ste);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return message.toString();
+    }
+
+    private static String groupName(ThreadGroup threadGroup) {
+        if (threadGroup == null) {
+            return "{null group}";
+        } else {
+            return threadGroup.getName();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static String threadName(Thread t) {
+        return "Thread[" +
+                "id=" + t.getId() +
+                ", name=" + t.getName() +
+                ", state=" + t.getState() +
+                ", group=" + groupName(t.getThreadGroup()) +
+                "]";
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/junit/listeners/AssertionErrorThreadDumpPrinter.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/junit/listeners/AssertionErrorThreadDumpPrinter.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4dc625ace43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/junit/listeners/AssertionErrorThreadDumpPrinter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.elasticsearch.test.junit.listeners;
+
+import org.elasticsearch.test.StackTraces;
+import org.junit.runner.notification.Failure;
+import org.junit.runner.notification.RunListener;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+
+public class AssertionErrorThreadDumpPrinter extends RunListener {
+    @Override
+    public void testFailure(Failure failure) throws Exception {
+        if (failure.getException() instanceof AssertionError) {
+            Map<Thread, StackTraceElement[]> allStackTraces = Thread.getAllStackTraces();
+            String threadStacks = StackTraces.formatThreadStacks(allStackTraces);
+            System.err.println(threadStacks);
+        }
+    }
+}