diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 042a43ca9ca56..2310bb52b25d0 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -337,14 +337,6 @@ gradle.projectsEvaluated {
       integTest.mustRunAfter test
     }
     configurations.all { Configuration configuration ->
-      /*
-       * The featureAwarePlugin configuration has a dependency on x-pack:plugin:core and x-pack:plugin:core has a dependency on the
-       * featureAwarePlugin configuration. The below task ordering logic would force :x-pack:plugin:core:test
-       * :x-pack:test:feature-aware:test to depend on each other circularly. We break that cycle here.
-       */
-      if (configuration.name == "featureAwarePlugin") {
-        return
-      }
       dependencies.all { Dependency dep ->
         Project upstreamProject = dependencyToProject(dep)
         if (upstreamProject != null) {
@@ -356,7 +348,7 @@ gradle.projectsEvaluated {
             Task task = project.tasks.findByName(taskName)
             Task upstreamTask = upstreamProject.tasks.findByName(taskName)
             if (task != null && upstreamTask != null) {
-              task.mustRunAfter(upstreamTask)
+              task.shouldRunAfter(upstreamTask)
             }
           }
         }
@@ -381,21 +373,6 @@ allprojects {
       // also ignore other possible build dirs
       excludeDirs += file('build')
       excludeDirs += file('build-eclipse')
-
-      iml {
-        // fix so that Gradle idea plugin properly generates support for resource folders
-        // see also https://issues.gradle.org/browse/GRADLE-2975
-        withXml {
-          it.asNode().component.content.sourceFolder.findAll { it.@url == 'file://$MODULE_DIR$/src/main/resources' }.each {
-            it.attributes().remove('isTestSource')
-            it.attributes().put('type', 'java-resource')
-          }
-          it.asNode().component.content.sourceFolder.findAll { it.@url == 'file://$MODULE_DIR$/src/test/resources' }.each {
-            it.attributes().remove('isTestSource')
-            it.attributes().put('type', 'java-test-resource')
-          }
-        }
-      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -413,14 +390,6 @@ idea {
     vcs = 'Git'
   }
 }
-// Make sure gradle idea was run before running anything in intellij (including import).
-File ideaMarker = new File(projectDir, '.local-idea-is-configured')
-tasks.idea.doLast {
-  ideaMarker.setText('', 'UTF-8')
-}
-if (System.getProperty('idea.active') != null && ideaMarker.exists() == false) {
-  throw new GradleException('You must run `./gradlew idea` from the root of elasticsearch before importing into IntelliJ')
-}
 
 // eclipse configuration
 allprojects {
diff --git a/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle b/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle
index 60c552fc100b9..a856dd1f0ec39 100644
--- a/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle
+++ b/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle
@@ -105,3 +105,15 @@ task bwcTestSnapshots {
 
 check.dependsOn(bwcTestSnapshots)
 
+configurations {
+  testArtifacts.extendsFrom testRuntime
+}
+
+task testJar(type: Jar) {
+  appendix 'test'
+  from sourceSets.test.output
+}
+
+artifacts {
+  testArtifacts testJar
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/core/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/core/build.gradle
index ed61fc9e3e703..8fc5ff56a31c9 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/core/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/core/build.gradle
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: ':modules:reindex', configuration: 'runtime')
     testCompile project(path: ':modules:parent-join', configuration: 'runtime')
     testCompile project(path: ':modules:analysis-common', configuration: 'runtime')
+    testCompile(project(':x-pack:license-tools')) {
+        transitive = false
+    }
     testCompile ("org.elasticsearch.client:elasticsearch-rest-high-level-client:${version}")
 }
 
@@ -95,8 +98,8 @@ licenseHeaders {
 }
 
 // make LicenseSigner available for testing signed licenses
-sourceSets.test.java {
-    srcDir '../../license-tools/src/main/java'
+sourceSets.test.resources {
+    srcDir 'src/main/config'
 }
 
 unitTest {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
index cc0b7cbd9b7c3..4df0f8cd336ff 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
@@ -126,6 +126,11 @@ dependencies {
 compileJava.options.compilerArgs << "-Xlint:-deprecation,-rawtypes,-serial,-try,-unchecked"
 compileTestJava.options.compilerArgs << "-Xlint:-deprecation,-rawtypes,-serial,-try,-unchecked"
 
+processTestResources {
+    from(project(xpackModule('core')).file('src/main/config'))
+    from(project(xpackModule('core')).file('src/test/resources'))
+}
+
 configurations {
     testArtifacts.extendsFrom testRuntime
 }
@@ -138,10 +143,7 @@ artifacts {
     archives jar
     testArtifacts testJar
 }
-sourceSets.test.resources {
-    srcDir '../core/src/test/resources'
-    srcDir '../core/src/main/config'
-}
+
 dependencyLicenses {
     mapping from: /java-support|opensaml-.*/, to: 'shibboleth'
     mapping from: /http.*/, to: 'httpclient'
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/security/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/security/build.gradle
index 45ab8c92f1e7f..79ebff0085439 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/security/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/security/build.gradle
@@ -13,15 +13,17 @@ subprojects {
   // Use resources from the parent project in subprojects
   sourceSets {
     test {
-      java {
-        srcDirs = ["${mainProject.projectDir}/src/test/java"]
-      }
-      resources {
-        srcDirs = ["${mainProject.projectDir}/src/test/resources"]
+      mainProject.sourceSets.test.output.classesDirs.each { dir ->
+        output.addClassesDir { dir }
       }
+      runtimeClasspath += mainProject.sourceSets.test.output
     }
   }
 
+  processTestResources {
+    from mainProject.file('src/test/resources')
+  }
+
   dependencies {
     testCompile "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-core:${version}"
   }
diff --git a/x-pack/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle b/x-pack/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle
index 40dca76abc913..da06c6ac5efd7 100644
--- a/x-pack/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/qa/full-cluster-restart/build.gradle
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ dependencies {
         // This is total #$%, but the solution is to get the SAML realm (which uses guava) out of security proper
         exclude group: "com.google.guava", module: "guava"
     }
+    testCompile project(path: ':qa:full-cluster-restart', configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
 Closure waitWithAuth = { NodeInfo node, AntBuilder ant ->
@@ -70,15 +71,6 @@ Closure waitWithAuth = { NodeInfo node, AntBuilder ant ->
     return tmpFile.exists()
 }
 
-String coreFullClusterRestartPath = project(':qa:full-cluster-restart').projectDir.toPath().resolve('src/test/java').toString()
-sourceSets {
-    test {
-        java {
-            srcDirs += [coreFullClusterRestartPath]
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 licenseHeaders {
     approvedLicenses << 'Apache'
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/qa/security-tools-tests/build.gradle b/x-pack/qa/security-tools-tests/build.gradle
index 5df22c557db3c..135f82bb4a617 100644
--- a/x-pack/qa/security-tools-tests/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/qa/security-tools-tests/build.gradle
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ dependencies {
 }
 
 // add test resources from security, so certificate tool tests can use example certs
-sourceSets.test.resources.srcDirs(project(xpackModule('security')).sourceSets.test.resources.srcDirs)
+processTestResources {
+  from(project(xpackModule('security')).sourceSets.test.resources.srcDirs)
+}
 
 // we have to repeate these patterns because the security test resources are effectively in the src of this project
 forbiddenPatterns {
diff --git a/x-pack/qa/third-party/active-directory/build.gradle b/x-pack/qa/third-party/active-directory/build.gradle
index e33c0fa6d69f8..d50a530620c43 100644
--- a/x-pack/qa/third-party/active-directory/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/qa/third-party/active-directory/build.gradle
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ dependencies {
 testFixtures.useFixture ":x-pack:test:smb-fixture"
 
 // add test resources from security, so tests can use example certs
-sourceSets.test.resources.srcDirs(project(xpackModule('security')).sourceSets.test.resources.srcDirs)
+processTestResources {
+  from(project(xpackModule('security')).sourceSets.test.resources.srcDirs) 
+}
+
 compileTestJava.options.compilerArgs << "-Xlint:-deprecation,-rawtypes,-serial,-try,-unchecked"
 
 // we have to repeat these patterns because the security test resources are effectively in the src of this project