diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
index 58ef5b6d323d4..d5bdd2117023c 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/elasticsearch/gradle/plugin/PluginBuildPlugin.groovy
@@ -99,9 +99,8 @@ class PluginBuildPlugin extends BuildPlugin {
 
             project.tasks.run.dependsOn(project.tasks.bundlePlugin)
             if (isModule) {
-                project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.module(project)
                 project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.distribution = System.getProperty(
-                        'run.distribution', 'integ-test-zip'
+                        'run.distribution', isXPackModule ? 'default' : 'oss'
                 )
             } else {
                 project.tasks.run.clusterConfig.plugin(project.path)
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle
index dbe1cdf51ef79..a808a7197cccb 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/build.gradle
@@ -59,10 +59,6 @@ dependencyLicenses {
     ignoreSha 'x-pack-core'
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 testingConventions.naming {
     IT {
         baseClass "org.elasticsearch.xpack.CcrIntegTestCase"
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle
index ad4d846fd160f..e065f72e99880 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/data-frame/build.gradle
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: xpackModule('core'), configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 // xpack modules are installed in real clusters as the meta plugin, so
 // installing them as individual plugins for integ tests doesn't make sense,
 // so we disable integ tests
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle
index d89eb62e88492..62d2a891929a4 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/deprecation/build.gradle
@@ -13,8 +13,4 @@ dependencies {
     compileOnly "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-core:${version}"
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle
index f1bac2e54d455..e7b0b44fd659b 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/graph/build.gradle
@@ -24,8 +24,4 @@ gradle.projectsEvaluated {
             .each { check.dependsOn it.check }
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle
index 71def8937817c..e6962e3c3bf72 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ilm/build.gradle
@@ -29,6 +29,3 @@ gradle.projectsEvaluated {
 
 integTest.enabled = false
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle
index 1057a1c8526fc..476d3f17cad41 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/logstash/build.gradle
@@ -15,8 +15,4 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: xpackModule('core'), configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle
index ef3b228a8bed7..8c17e4b1fc4c6 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ml/build.gradle
@@ -94,10 +94,6 @@ project.afterEvaluate {
     }
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 // xpack modules are installed in real clusters as the meta plugin, so
 // installing them as individual plugins for integ tests doesn't make sense,
 // so we disable integ tests
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle
index 5d17b81e2fa3c..b2e0c930e0d61 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/build.gradle
@@ -45,10 +45,6 @@ dependencyLicenses {
     mapping from: /commons-.*/, to: 'commons' // pulled in by rest client
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 // xpack modules are installed in real clusters as the meta plugin, so
 // installing them as individual plugins for integ tests doesn't make sense,
 // so we disable integ tests
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle
index 75fd22abacc58..d159f3334b998 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/rollup/build.gradle
@@ -21,8 +21,4 @@ dependencies {
     testCompile project(path: xpackModule('core'), configuration: 'testArtifacts')
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 integTest.enabled = false
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
index cab1a7f8d6e3b..27d0db1a48a86 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/build.gradle
@@ -301,10 +301,6 @@ thirdPartyAudit.ignoreMissingClasses(
 )
 
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 test {
     /*
      * We have to disable setting the number of available processors as tests in the same JVM randomize processors and will step on each
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle
index 0b5faddaab42d..a44665ca25c0f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/build.gradle
@@ -69,10 +69,6 @@ thirdPartyAudit {
     )
 }
 
-run {
-    plugin xpackModule('core')
-}
-
 test {
     /*
      * We have to disable setting the number of available processors as tests in the same JVM randomize processors and will step on each