diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/cancel/TransportCancelTasksAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/cancel/TransportCancelTasksAction.java
index 06093e1ead0..ef9f718411f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/cancel/TransportCancelTasksAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/cancel/TransportCancelTasksAction.java
@@ -114,14 +114,15 @@ public class TransportCancelTasksAction extends TransportTasksAction<Cancellable
     @Override
     protected synchronized void taskOperation(CancelTasksRequest request, CancellableTask cancellableTask,
             ActionListener<TaskInfo> listener) {
-        DiscoveryNodes childNodes = clusterService.state().nodes();
-        final BanLock banLock = new BanLock(childNodes.getSize(), () -> removeBanOnNodes(cancellableTask, childNodes));
-        boolean canceled = taskManager.cancel(cancellableTask, request.getReason(), banLock::onTaskFinished);
-        if (canceled) {
-            if (cancellableTask.shouldCancelChildrenOnCancellation()) {
+        String nodeId = clusterService.localNode().getId();
+        final boolean canceled;
+        if (cancellableTask.shouldCancelChildrenOnCancellation()) {
+            DiscoveryNodes childNodes = clusterService.state().nodes();
+            final BanLock banLock = new BanLock(childNodes.getSize(), () -> removeBanOnNodes(cancellableTask, childNodes));
+            canceled = taskManager.cancel(cancellableTask, request.getReason(), banLock::onTaskFinished);
+            if (canceled) {
                 // /In case the task has some child tasks, we need to wait for until ban is set on all nodes
                 logger.trace("cancelling task {} on child nodes", cancellableTask.getId());
-                String nodeId = clusterService.localNode().getId();
                 AtomicInteger responses = new AtomicInteger(childNodes.getSize());
                 List<Exception> failures = new ArrayList<>();
                 setBanOnNodes(request.getReason(), cancellableTask, childNodes, new ActionListener<Void>() {
@@ -152,15 +153,21 @@ public class TransportCancelTasksAction extends TransportTasksAction<Cancellable
                         }
                     }
                 });
-            } else {
+            }
+        }  else {
+            canceled = taskManager.cancel(cancellableTask, request.getReason(),
+                () -> listener.onResponse(cancellableTask.taskInfo(nodeId, false)));
+            if (canceled) {
                 logger.trace("task {} doesn't have any children that should be cancelled", cancellableTask.getId());
             }
-        } else {
+        }
+        if (canceled == false) {
             logger.trace("task {} is already cancelled", cancellableTask.getId());
             throw new IllegalStateException("task with id " + cancellableTask.getId() + " is already cancelled");
         }
     }
 
+
     @Override
     protected boolean accumulateExceptions() {
         return true;
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/CancellableTasksTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/CancellableTasksTests.java
index da60b564cec..decff2ffc37 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/CancellableTasksTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/node/tasks/CancellableTasksTests.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.test.ClusterServiceUtils.setState;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.greaterThanOrEqualTo;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.lessThanOrEqualTo;
 
@@ -299,6 +300,54 @@ public class CancellableTasksTests extends TaskManagerTestCase {
         });
     }
 
+    public void testChildTasksCancellation() throws Exception {
+        setupTestNodes(Settings.EMPTY);
+        connectNodes(testNodes);
+        CountDownLatch responseLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        final AtomicReference<NodesResponse> responseReference = new AtomicReference<>();
+        final AtomicReference<Throwable> throwableReference = new AtomicReference<>();
+        Task mainTask = startCancellableTestNodesAction(true, nodesCount, new ActionListener<NodesResponse>() {
+            @Override
+            public void onResponse(NodesResponse listTasksResponse) {
+                responseReference.set(listTasksResponse);
+                responseLatch.countDown();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onFailure(Exception e) {
+                throwableReference.set(e);
+                responseLatch.countDown();
+            }
+        });
+
+        // Cancel all child tasks without cancelling the main task, which should quit on its own
+        CancelTasksRequest request = new CancelTasksRequest();
+        request.setReason("Testing Cancellation");
+        request.setParentTaskId(new TaskId(testNodes[0].discoveryNode.getId(), mainTask.getId()));
+        // And send the cancellation request to a random node
+        CancelTasksResponse response = testNodes[randomIntBetween(1, testNodes.length - 1)].transportCancelTasksAction.execute(request)
+            .get();
+
+        // Awaiting for the main task to finish
+        responseLatch.await();
+
+        // Should have cancelled tasks on all nodes
+        assertThat(response.getTasks().size(), equalTo(testNodes.length));
+
+        assertBusy(() -> {
+            try {
+            // Make sure that main task is no longer running
+                ListTasksResponse listTasksResponse = testNodes[randomIntBetween(0, testNodes.length - 1)]
+                    .transportListTasksAction.execute(new ListTasksRequest().setTaskId(
+                        new TaskId(testNodes[0].discoveryNode.getId(), mainTask.getId()))).get();
+                assertEquals(0, listTasksResponse.getTasks().size());
+
+            } catch (ExecutionException | InterruptedException ex) {
+                throw new RuntimeException(ex);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     public void testTaskCancellationOnCoordinatingNodeLeavingTheCluster() throws Exception {
         setupTestNodes(Settings.EMPTY);
         connectNodes(testNodes);