diff --git a/src/apps.js b/src/apps.js
index cf1260ec4..068dd4070 100644
--- a/src/apps.js
+++ b/src/apps.js
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ var appdb = require('./appdb.js'),
     split = require('split'),
     superagent = require('superagent'),
     taskmanager = require('./taskmanager.js'),
+    tasks = require('./tasks.js'),
     TransformStream = require('stream').Transform,
     updateChecker = require('./updatechecker.js'),
     util = require('util'),
@@ -573,6 +574,22 @@ function mailboxNameForLocation(location, manifest) {
     return (location ? location : manifest.title.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '')) + '.app';
 }
 
+function startAppTask(appId, callback) {
+    let task = tasks.startTask(tasks.TASK_APP, [ appId ]);
+    task.on('start', function (taskId) {
+        appdb.update(appId, { taskId: taskId }, function (error) {
+            if (error) return callback(new AppsError(AppsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
+
+            get(appId, function (error, result) {
+                if (error) return callback(error);
+
+                callback(null, result);
+            });
+        });
+    });
+    task.on('error', (error) => callback(new AppsError(AppsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error)));
+}
+
 function install(data, user, auditSource, callback) {
     assert(data && typeof data === 'object');
     assert(user && typeof user === 'object');
@@ -701,10 +718,7 @@ function install(data, user, auditSource, callback) {
                         if (error) return callback(new AppsError(AppsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, 'Error setting cert: ' + error.message));
                     }
 
-                    taskmanager.restartAppTask(appId);
-
-                    // fetch fresh app object for eventlog
-                    get(appId, function (error, result) {
+                    startAppTask(appId, function (error, result) {
                         if (error) return callback(error);
 
                         eventlog.add(eventlog.ACTION_APP_INSTALL, auditSource, { appId: appId, app: result });
diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index a8c82f9d5..e566b6869 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ exports = module.exports = {
     initialize: initialize,
     startTask: startTask,
 
+    run: run,
+
     // exported for testing
     _reserveHttpPort: reserveHttpPort,
     _configureReverseProxy: configureReverseProxy,
@@ -954,6 +956,41 @@ function startTask(appId, callback) {
     });
 }
 
+function run(appId, progressCallback, callback) {
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof appId, 'string');
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof progressCallback, 'function');
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
+
+    // determine what to do
+    apps.get(appId, function (error, app) {
+        if (error) return callback(error);
+
+        debugApp(app, 'startTask installationState: %s runState: %s', app.installationState, app.runState);
+
+        switch (app.installationState) {
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_UNINSTALL: return uninstall(app, callback);
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_CONFIGURE: return configure(app, callback);
+
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_UPDATE: return update(app, callback);
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_FORCE_UPDATE: return update(app, callback);
+
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_INSTALL: return install(app, callback);
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_CLONE: return install(app, callback);
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_RESTORE: return install(app, callback);
+
+        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_BACKUP: return backup(app, callback);
+        case appdb.ISTATE_INSTALLED: return handleRunCommand(app, callback);
+
+        case appdb.ISTATE_ERROR:
+            debugApp(app, 'Internal error. apptask launched with error status.');
+            return callback(null);
+        default:
+            debugApp(app, 'apptask launched with invalid command');
+            return callback(new Error('Unknown command in apptask:' + app.installationState));
+        }
+    });
+}
+
 if (require.main === module) {
     assert.strictEqual(process.argv.length, 3, 'Pass the appid as argument');
 
diff --git a/src/tasks.js b/src/tasks.js
index 14e60823c..ae379b623 100644
--- a/src/tasks.js
+++ b/src/tasks.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ exports = module.exports = {
     TaskError: TaskError,
 
     // task types. if you add a task here, fill up the function table in taskworker
+    TASK_APP: 'app',
     TASK_BACKUP: 'backup',
     TASK_UPDATE: 'update',
     TASK_RENEW_CERTS: 'renewcerts',
diff --git a/src/taskworker.js b/src/taskworker.js
index 0c00db447..68af3eb58 100755
--- a/src/taskworker.js
+++ b/src/taskworker.js
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 require('supererror')({ splatchError: true });
 
-var assert = require('assert'),
+var apptask = require('./apptask.js'),
+    assert = require('assert'),
     async = require('async'),
     backups = require('./backups.js'),
     database = require('./database.js'),
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ var assert = require('assert'),
 const NOOP_CALLBACK = function (error) { if (error) debug(error); };
 
 const TASKS = { // indexed by task type
+    app: apptask.run,
     backup: backups.backupBoxAndApps,
     update: updater.update,
     renewcerts: reverseProxy.renewCerts,