diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliTool.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliTool.java
index 6b29df831eb..eb0faf91d0a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliTool.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliTool.java
@@ -144,13 +144,13 @@ public abstract class CliTool {
             return command.execute(settings, env).status;
 
         } catch (IOException ioe) {
-            terminal.printError(ioe.getMessage());
+            terminal.printError(ioe);
             return ExitStatus.IO_ERROR.status;
         } catch (IllegalArgumentException | ElasticsearchIllegalArgumentException ilae) {
-            terminal.printError(ilae.getMessage());
+            terminal.printError(ilae);
             return ExitStatus.USAGE.status;
         } catch (Throwable t) {
-            terminal.printError(t.getMessage());
+            terminal.printError(t);
             if (command == null) {
                 return ExitStatus.USAGE.status;
             }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/Terminal.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/Terminal.java
index 0c0070f9720..244fe5ca42e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/Terminal.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/Terminal.java
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ import java.util.Locale;
 */
 public abstract class Terminal {
 
+    public static final String DEBUG_SYSTEM_PROPERTY = "es.cli.debug";
+
     public static final Terminal DEFAULT = ConsoleTerminal.supported() ? new ConsoleTerminal() : new SystemTerminal();
 
     public static enum Verbosity {
@@ -56,7 +58,7 @@ public abstract class Terminal {
     }
 
     private Verbosity verbosity = Verbosity.NORMAL;
-
+    private final boolean isDebugEnabled;
 
     public Terminal() {
         this(Verbosity.NORMAL);
@@ -64,6 +66,7 @@ public abstract class Terminal {
 
     public Terminal(Verbosity verbosity) {
         this.verbosity = verbosity;
+        this.isDebugEnabled = "true".equals(System.getProperty(DEBUG_SYSTEM_PROPERTY, "false"));
     }
 
     public void verbosity(Verbosity verbosity) {
@@ -78,6 +81,8 @@ public abstract class Terminal {
 
     public abstract char[] readSecret(String text, Object... args);
 
+    protected abstract void printStackTrace(Throwable t);
+
     public void println() {
         println(Verbosity.NORMAL);
     }
@@ -108,6 +113,13 @@ public abstract class Terminal {
         println(Verbosity.SILENT, "ERROR: " + msg, args);
     }
 
+    public void printError(Throwable t) {
+        printError("%s", t.getMessage());
+        if (isDebugEnabled) {
+            printStackTrace(t);
+        }
+    }
+
     protected abstract void doPrint(String msg, Object... args);
 
     public abstract PrintWriter writer();
@@ -141,6 +153,10 @@ public abstract class Terminal {
             return console.writer();
         }
 
+        @Override
+        public void printStackTrace(Throwable t) {
+            t.printStackTrace(console.writer());
+        }
     }
 
     private static class SystemTerminal extends Terminal {
@@ -168,6 +184,11 @@ public abstract class Terminal {
             return readText(text, args).toCharArray();
         }
 
+        @Override
+        public void printStackTrace(Throwable t) {
+            t.printStackTrace(printWriter);
+        }
+
         @Override
         public PrintWriter writer() {
             return printWriter;
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTestCase.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTestCase.java
index 208d757e28a..96d45bee051 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTestCase.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTestCase.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.common.cli;
 
+import org.elasticsearch.ExceptionsHelper;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.ElasticsearchTestCase;
 
@@ -74,6 +75,11 @@ public class CliToolTestCase extends ElasticsearchTestCase {
         public void print(String msg, Object... args) {
         }
 
+        @Override
+        public void printStackTrace(Throwable t) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         @Override
         public PrintWriter writer() {
             return DEV_NULL;
@@ -120,6 +126,11 @@ public class CliToolTestCase extends ElasticsearchTestCase {
             doPrint(msg, args);
         }
 
+        @Override
+        public void printStackTrace(Throwable t) {
+            terminalOutput.add(ExceptionsHelper.stackTrace(t));
+        }
+
         public List<String> getTerminalOutput() {
             return terminalOutput;
         }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTests.java
index 0f09182dc60..cd505193e44 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/cli/CliToolTests.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.common.cli;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import org.apache.commons.cli.CommandLine;
+import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchException;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.env.Environment;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -224,6 +225,34 @@ public class CliToolTests extends CliToolTestCase {
         assertThat(terminal.getTerminalOutput(), hasItem(containsString("cmd1 help")));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testThatThrowExceptionCanBeLogged() throws Exception {
+        CaptureOutputTerminal terminal = new CaptureOutputTerminal();
+        NamedCommand cmd = new NamedCommand("cmd", terminal) {
+            @Override
+            public CliTool.ExitStatus execute(Settings settings, Environment env) throws Exception {
+                throw new ElasticsearchException("error message");
+            }
+        };
+        SingleCmdTool tool = new SingleCmdTool("tool", terminal, cmd);
+        assertStatus(tool.execute(), CliTool.ExitStatus.CODE_ERROR);
+        assertThat(terminal.getTerminalOutput(), hasSize(1));
+        assertThat(terminal.getTerminalOutput(), hasItem(containsString("error message")));
+
+        // set env... and log stack trace
+        try {
+            System.setProperty(Terminal.DEBUG_SYSTEM_PROPERTY, "true");
+            terminal = new CaptureOutputTerminal();
+            assertStatus(new SingleCmdTool("tool", terminal, cmd).execute(), CliTool.ExitStatus.CODE_ERROR);
+            assertThat(terminal.getTerminalOutput(), hasSize(2));
+            assertThat(terminal.getTerminalOutput(), hasItem(containsString("error message")));
+            // This class must be part of the stack strace
+            assertThat(terminal.getTerminalOutput(), hasItem(containsString(getClass().getName())));
+        } finally {
+            System.clearProperty(Terminal.DEBUG_SYSTEM_PROPERTY);
+        }
+    }
+
     private void assertStatus(int status, CliTool.ExitStatus expectedStatus) {
         assertThat(status, is(expectedStatus.status()));
     }