diff --git a/src/apps.js b/src/apps.js
index 068dd4070..6fa80d0ff 100644
--- a/src/apps.js
+++ b/src/apps.js
@@ -866,11 +866,8 @@ function configure(appId, data, user, auditSource, callback) {
                 if (error && error.reason === DatabaseError.NOT_FOUND) return callback(new AppsError(AppsError.BAD_STATE));
                 if (error) return callback(new AppsError(AppsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
 
-                taskmanager.restartAppTask(appId);
-
-                // fetch fresh app object for eventlog
-                get(appId, function (error, result) {
-                    if (error) return callback(new AppsError(AppsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
+                startAppTask(appId, function (error, result) {
+                    if (error) return callback(error);
 
                     eventlog.add(eventlog.ACTION_APP_CONFIGURE, auditSource, { appId: appId, app: result });
 
diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index e53d16dc3..cb6f085b8 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -603,7 +603,7 @@ function install(app, progressCallback, callback) {
     ], function seriesDone(error) {
         if (error) {
             debugApp(app, 'error installing app: %s', error);
-            return updateApp(app, { installationState: appdb.ISTATE_ERROR, installationProgress: error.message }, callback.bind(null, error));
+            return updateApp(app, { installationState: appdb.ISTATE_ERROR, installationProgress: error.message, taskId: null }, callback.bind(null, error));
         }
         callback(null);
     });
@@ -632,8 +632,9 @@ function backup(app, callback) {
 }
 
 // note that configure is called after an infra update as well
-function configure(app, callback) {
+function configure(app, progressCallback, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof app, 'object');
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof progressCallback, 'function');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
     // oldConfig can be null during an infra update
@@ -641,7 +642,7 @@ function configure(app, callback) {
     const dataDirChanged = app.oldConfig && (app.oldConfig.dataDir !== app.dataDir);
 
     async.series([
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '10, Cleaning up old install' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 10, message: 'Cleaning up old install' }),
         unconfigureReverseProxy.bind(null, app),
         removeCollectdProfile.bind(null, app),
         removeLogrotateConfig.bind(null, app),
@@ -656,23 +657,23 @@ function configure(app, callback) {
 
         reserveHttpPort.bind(null, app),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '20, Downloading icon' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 20, message: 'Downloading icon' }),
         downloadIcon.bind(null, app),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '30, Registering subdomain' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 30, message: 'Registering subdomain' }),
         registerSubdomain.bind(null, app, !locationChanged /* overwrite */), // if location changed, do not overwrite to detect conflicts
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '35, Registering alternate domains'}),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 35, message: 'Registering alternate domains' }),
         registerAlternateDomains.bind(null, app, true /* overwrite */), // figure out when to overwrite
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '40, Downloading image' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 40, message: 'Downloading image' }),
         downloadImage.bind(null, app.manifest),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '45, Ensuring app data directory' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 45, message: 'Ensuring app data directory' }),
         createAppDir.bind(null, app),
 
         // re-setup addons since they rely on the app's fqdn (e.g oauth)
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '50, Setting up addons' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 50, message: 'Setting up addons' }),
         addons.setupAddons.bind(null, app, app.manifest.addons),
 
         // migrate dataDir
@@ -682,32 +683,29 @@ function configure(app, callback) {
             migrateDataDir(app, app.oldConfig.dataDir, next);
         },
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '60, Creating container' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 60, message: 'Creating container' }),
         createContainer.bind(null, app),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '65, Setting up logrotate config' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 65, message: 'Setting up logrotate config' }),
         addLogrotateConfig.bind(null, app),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '70, Add collectd profile' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 70, message: 'Add collectd profile' }),
         addCollectdProfile.bind(null, app),
 
         runApp.bind(null, app),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '80, Waiting for DNS propagation' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 80, message: 'Waiting for DNS propagation' }),
         exports._waitForDnsPropagation.bind(null, app),
 
-        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '90, Configuring reverse proxy' }),
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 90, message: 'Configuring reverse proxy' }),
         configureReverseProxy.bind(null, app),
 
-        // done!
-        function (callback) {
-            debugApp(app, 'configured');
-            updateApp(app, { installationState: appdb.ISTATE_INSTALLED, installationProgress: '', health: null }, callback);
-        }
+        progressCallback.bind(null, { percent: 100, message: 'Done' }),
+        updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationState: appdb.ISTATE_INSTALLED, installationProgress: '', health: null, taskId: null })
     ], function seriesDone(error) {
         if (error) {
             debugApp(app, 'error reconfiguring : %s', error);
-            return updateApp(app, { installationState: appdb.ISTATE_ERROR, installationProgress: error.message }, callback.bind(null, error));
+            return updateApp(app, { installationState: appdb.ISTATE_ERROR, installationProgress: error.message, taskId: null }, callback.bind(null, error));
         }
         callback(null);
     });
@@ -967,6 +965,7 @@ function run(appId, progressCallback, callback) {
 
         switch (app.installationState) {
         case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_INSTALL: return install(app, progressCallback, callback);
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_CONFIGURE: return configure(app, progressCallback, callback);
 
         default:
             debugApp(app, 'apptask launched with invalid command');