diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index e65aafc070a..1b1180651ce 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -389,9 +389,7 @@
                                 <tests.showSuccess>${tests.showSuccess}</tests.showSuccess>
                                 <tests.integration>${tests.integration}</tests.integration>
                                 <es.node.local>${env.ES_TEST_LOCAL}</es.node.local>
-                                <es.transport.tcp.compress>${env.ES_TEST_COMPRESS}</es.transport.tcp.compress>
-                                <es.action.wait_on_mapping_change>${env.ES_WAIT_ON_MAPPING_CHANGE}
-                                </es.action.wait_on_mapping_change>
+                                <es.node.mode>${es.node.mode}</es.node.mode>
                                 <es.logger.level>${es.logger.level}</es.logger.level>
                                 <java.awt.headless>true</java.awt.headless>
                             </systemProperties>
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/node/DiscoveryNode.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/node/DiscoveryNode.java
index 104f3a314ce..527d7f40c60 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/node/DiscoveryNode.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/node/DiscoveryNode.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.cluster.node;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
+import org.elasticsearch.ElasticSearchIllegalArgumentException;
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamOutput;
@@ -40,6 +41,23 @@ import static org.elasticsearch.common.transport.TransportAddressSerializers.add
  */
 public class DiscoveryNode implements Streamable, Serializable {
 
+    public static boolean localNode(Settings settings) {
+        if (settings.get("node.local") != null) {
+            return settings.getAsBoolean("node.local", false);
+        }
+        if (settings.get("node.mode") != null) {
+            String nodeMode = settings.get("node.mode");
+            if ("local".equals(nodeMode)) {
+                return true;
+            } else if ("network".equals(nodeMode)) {
+                return false;
+            } else {
+                throw new ElasticSearchIllegalArgumentException("unsupported node.mode [" + nodeMode + "]");
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     public static boolean nodeRequiresLocalStorage(Settings settings) {
         return !(settings.getAsBoolean("node.client", false) || (!settings.getAsBoolean("node.data", true) && !settings.getAsBoolean("node.master", true)));
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java
index da6a729f5ac..0719d0e8909 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.discovery;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNode;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.AbstractModule;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.Module;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.Modules;
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ public class DiscoveryModule extends AbstractModule implements SpawnModules {
     @Override
     public Iterable<? extends Module> spawnModules() {
         Class<? extends Module> defaultDiscoveryModule;
-        if (settings.getAsBoolean("node.local", false)) {
+        if (DiscoveryNode.localNode(settings)) {
             defaultDiscoveryModule = LocalDiscoveryModule.class;
         } else {
             defaultDiscoveryModule = ZenDiscoveryModule.class;
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportModule.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportModule.java
index cedfe5118dd..dd1a193521c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportModule.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.transport;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNode;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.AbstractModule;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.Module;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.Modules;
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ public class TransportModule extends AbstractModule implements SpawnModules {
     @Override
     public Iterable<? extends Module> spawnModules() {
         Class<? extends Module> defaultTransportModule;
-        if (settings.getAsBoolean("node.local", false)) {
+        if (DiscoveryNode.localNode(settings)) {
             defaultTransportModule = LocalTransportModule.class;
         } else {
             defaultTransportModule = NettyTransportModule.class;