diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/AllocatedPersistentTask.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/AllocatedPersistentTask.java
index b311e559c6e91..e48b6c972cb04 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/AllocatedPersistentTask.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/AllocatedPersistentTask.java
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.common.unit.TimeValue;
 import org.elasticsearch.tasks.CancellableTask;
 import org.elasticsearch.tasks.Task;
-import org.elasticsearch.tasks.TaskCancelledException;
 import org.elasticsearch.tasks.TaskId;
 import org.elasticsearch.tasks.TaskManager;
 
@@ -38,18 +37,16 @@
  * Represents a executor node operation that corresponds to a persistent task
  */
 public class AllocatedPersistentTask extends CancellableTask {
-    private volatile String persistentTaskId;
-    private volatile long allocationId;
 
     private final AtomicReference<State> state;
-    @Nullable
-    private volatile Exception failure;
 
+    private volatile String persistentTaskId;
+    private volatile long allocationId;
+    private volatile @Nullable Exception failure;
     private volatile PersistentTasksService persistentTasksService;
     private volatile Logger logger;
     private volatile TaskManager taskManager;
 
-
     public AllocatedPersistentTask(long id, String type, String action, String description, TaskId parentTask,
                                    Map<String, String> headers) {
         super(id, type, action, description, parentTask, headers);
@@ -101,24 +98,10 @@ public Exception getFailure() {
         return failure;
     }
 
-    boolean markAsCancelled() {
-        return state.compareAndSet(AllocatedPersistentTask.State.STARTED, AllocatedPersistentTask.State.PENDING_CANCEL);
-    }
-
-    public State getState() {
-        return state.get();
-    }
-
     public long getAllocationId() {
         return allocationId;
     }
 
-    public enum State {
-        STARTED,  // the task is currently running
-        PENDING_CANCEL, // the task is cancelled on master, cancelling it locally
-        COMPLETED     // the task is done running and trying to notify caller
-    }
-
     /**
      * Waits for this persistent task to have the desired state.
      */
@@ -128,6 +111,14 @@ public void waitForPersistentTaskStatus(Predicate<PersistentTasksCustomMetaData.
         persistentTasksService.waitForPersistentTaskStatus(persistentTaskId, predicate, timeout, listener);
     }
 
+    final boolean isCompleted() {
+        return state.get() ==  State.COMPLETED;
+    }
+
+    boolean markAsCancelled() {
+        return state.compareAndSet(State.STARTED, State.PENDING_CANCEL);
+    }
+
     public void markAsCompleted() {
         completeAndNotifyIfNeeded(null);
     }
@@ -138,11 +129,10 @@ public void markAsFailed(Exception e) {
         } else {
             completeAndNotifyIfNeeded(e);
         }
-
     }
 
     private void completeAndNotifyIfNeeded(@Nullable Exception failure) {
-        State prevState = state.getAndSet(AllocatedPersistentTask.State.COMPLETED);
+        final State prevState = state.getAndSet(State.COMPLETED);
         if (prevState == State.COMPLETED) {
             logger.warn("attempt to complete task [{}] with id [{}] in the [{}] state", getAction(), getPersistentTaskId(), prevState);
         } else {
@@ -173,4 +163,10 @@ public void onFailure(Exception e) {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    public enum State {
+        STARTED,  // the task is currently running
+        PENDING_CANCEL, // the task is cancelled on master, cancelling it locally
+        COMPLETED     // the task is done running and trying to notify caller
+    }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeService.java
index 6c410bc41a220..a1902df36c4c9 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeService.java
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ public void clusterChanged(ClusterChangedEvent event) {
 
             for (Long id : notVisitedTasks) {
                 AllocatedPersistentTask task = runningTasks.get(id);
-                if (task.getState() == AllocatedPersistentTask.State.COMPLETED) {
+                if (task.isCompleted()) {
                     // Result was sent to the caller and the caller acknowledged acceptance of the result
                     logger.trace("Found completed persistent task [{}] with id [{}] and allocation id [{}] - removing",
                             task.getAction(), task.getPersistentTaskId(), task.getAllocationId());
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeServiceTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeServiceTests.java
index f9a70637e502f..589fe5d61a981 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeServiceTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/persistent/PersistentTasksNodeServiceTests.java
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.empty;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.sameInstance;
 import static org.hamcrest.core.IsEqual.equalTo;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.any;
@@ -73,7 +74,6 @@ public void setUp() throws Exception {
         threadPool = new TestThreadPool(getClass().getName());
     }
 
-
     @Override
     @After
     public void tearDown() throws Exception {
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ private ClusterState createInitialClusterState(int nonLocalNodesCount, Settings
         return state.build();
     }
 
-    public void testStartTask() throws Exception {
+    public void testStartTask() {
         PersistentTasksService persistentTasksService = mock(PersistentTasksService.class);
         @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") PersistentTasksExecutor<TestParams> action = mock(PersistentTasksExecutor.class);
         when(action.getExecutor()).thenReturn(ThreadPool.Names.SAME);
@@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ public void testStartTask() throws Exception {
 
         if (added == false) {
             logger.info("No local node action was added");
-
         }
+
         MetaData.Builder metaData = MetaData.builder(state.metaData());
         metaData.putCustom(PersistentTasksCustomMetaData.TYPE, tasks.build());
         ClusterState newClusterState = ClusterState.builder(state).metaData(metaData).build();
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ public void testStartTask() throws Exception {
 
             // Make sure action wasn't called again
             assertThat(executor.executions.size(), equalTo(1));
+            assertThat(executor.get(0).task.isCompleted(), is(false));
 
             // Start another task on this node
             state = newClusterState;
@@ -157,10 +158,15 @@ public void testStartTask() throws Exception {
 
             // Make sure action was called this time
             assertThat(executor.size(), equalTo(2));
+            assertThat(executor.get(1).task.isCompleted(), is(false));
 
             // Finish both tasks
             executor.get(0).task.markAsFailed(new RuntimeException());
             executor.get(1).task.markAsCompleted();
+
+            assertThat(executor.get(0).task.isCompleted(), is(true));
+            assertThat(executor.get(1).task.isCompleted(), is(true));
+
             String failedTaskId = executor.get(0).task.getPersistentTaskId();
             String finishedTaskId = executor.get(1).task.getPersistentTaskId();
             executor.clear();
@@ -186,7 +192,6 @@ public void testStartTask() throws Exception {
             // Make sure action was only allocated on this node once
             assertThat(executor.size(), equalTo(1));
         }
-
     }
 
     public void testParamsStatusAndNodeTaskAreDelegated() throws Exception {
@@ -300,7 +305,6 @@ public void sendCompletionNotification(String taskId, long allocationId, Excepti
 
         // Check the the task is now removed from task manager
         assertThat(taskManager.getTasks().values(), empty());
-
     }
 
     private <Params extends PersistentTaskParams> ClusterState addTask(ClusterState state, String action, Params params,