diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTask.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTask.ts
index fd67691d82b35431d329c1256790bc7d070dd92e..32f042f6cd717a3337f476772c5a349563fa3bfd 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTask.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTask.ts
@@ -706,7 +706,7 @@ export class WorkerExtHostTask extends ExtHostTaskBase {
 	public async executeTask(extension: IExtensionDescription, task: vscode.Task): Promise<vscode.TaskExecution> {
 		const dto = TaskDTO.from(task, extension);
 		if (dto === undefined) {
-			return Promise.reject(new Error('Task is not valid'));
+			throw new Error('Task is not valid');
 		}
 
 		// If this task is a custom execution, then we need to save it away
@@ -720,7 +720,8 @@ export class WorkerExtHostTask extends ExtHostTaskBase {
 
 		// Always get the task execution first to prevent timing issues when retrieving it later
 		const execution = await this.getTaskExecution(await this._proxy.$getTaskExecution(dto), task);
-		return this._proxy.$executeTask(dto).then(() => execution);
+		this._proxy.$executeTask(dto).catch(error => { throw new Error(error); });
+		return execution;
 	}
 
 	protected provideTasksInternal(validTypes: { [key: string]: boolean; }, taskIdPromises: Promise<void>[], handler: HandlerData, value: vscode.Task[] | null | undefined): { tasks: tasks.TaskDTO[], extension: IExtensionDescription } {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTask.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTask.ts
index 8f21cd8c3166b20dae62af5409208185439477a6..b785156b037413d28645cdc30c420574d45794f0 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTask.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTask.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ export class ExtHostTask extends ExtHostTaskBase {
 				throw new Error('Task from execution DTO is undefined');
 			}
 			const execution = await this.getTaskExecution(executionDTO, task);
-			return this._proxy.$executeTask(executionDTO.task).then(() => execution);
+			this._proxy.$executeTask(executionDTO.task).catch(error => { throw new Error(error); });
+			return execution;
 		} else {
 			const dto = TaskDTO.from(task, extension);
 			if (dto === undefined) {
@@ -74,7 +75,8 @@ export class ExtHostTask extends ExtHostTaskBase {
 			}
 			// Always get the task execution first to prevent timing issues when retrieving it later
 			const execution = await this.getTaskExecution(await this._proxy.$getTaskExecution(dto), task);
-			return this._proxy.$executeTask(dto).then(() => execution);
+			this._proxy.$executeTask(dto).catch(error => { throw new Error(error); });
+			return execution;
 		}
 	}