diff --git a/client/alloc_endpoint.go b/client/alloc_endpoint.go
index 8eae2da78a3..fb6068a5d0c 100644
--- a/client/alloc_endpoint.go
+++ b/client/alloc_endpoint.go
@@ -177,7 +177,6 @@ func (a *Allocations) exec(conn io.ReadWriteCloser) {
 		handleStreamResultError(err, code, encoder)
 		return
 	}
-
 	a.c.logger.Info("task exec session ended", "exec_id", execID)
 }
 
@@ -216,6 +215,7 @@ func (a *Allocations) execImpl(encoder *codec.Encoder, decoder *codec.Decoder, e
 			"task", req.Task,
 			"command", req.Cmd,
 			"tty", req.Tty,
+			"action", req.Action,
 		}
 		if ident != nil {
 			if ident.ACLToken != nil {
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ func (a *Allocations) execImpl(encoder *codec.Encoder, decoder *codec.Decoder, e
 
 	// Check alloc-exec permission.
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return pointer.Of(int64(400)), err
 	} else if !aclObj.AllowNsOp(alloc.Namespace, acl.NamespaceCapabilityAllocExec) {
 		return nil, nstructs.ErrPermissionDenied
 	}
@@ -247,6 +247,20 @@ func (a *Allocations) execImpl(encoder *codec.Encoder, decoder *codec.Decoder, e
 	if req.Task == "" {
 		return pointer.Of(int64(400)), taskNotPresentErr
 	}
+
+	// If an action is present, go find the command and args
+	if req.Action != "" {
+		alloc, _ := a.c.GetAlloc(req.AllocID)
+		jobAction, err := validateActionExists(req.Action, req.Task, alloc)
+		if err != nil {
+			return pointer.Of(int64(400)), err
+		}
+		if jobAction != nil {
+			// append both Command and Args
+			req.Cmd = append([]string{jobAction.Command}, jobAction.Args...)
+		}
+	}
+
 	if len(req.Cmd) == 0 {
 		return pointer.Of(int64(400)), errors.New("command is not present")
 	}
@@ -343,3 +357,14 @@ func (s *execStream) Recv() (*drivers.ExecTaskStreamingRequestMsg, error) {
 	err := s.decoder.Decode(&req)
 	return &req, err
 }
+
+func validateActionExists(actionName string, taskName string, alloc *nstructs.Allocation) (*nstructs.Action, error) {
+	t := alloc.LookupTask(taskName)
+
+	for _, action := range t.Actions {
+		if action.Name == actionName {
+			return action, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("action %s not found", actionName)
+}
diff --git a/client/structs/structs.go b/client/structs/structs.go
index 8c878f37e85..31a33c98876 100644
--- a/client/structs/structs.go
+++ b/client/structs/structs.go
@@ -182,6 +182,9 @@ type AllocExecRequest struct {
 	// Cmd is the command to be executed
 	Cmd []string
 
+	// The name of a predefined command to be executed (optional)
+	Action string
+
 	structs.QueryOptions
 }
 
diff --git a/command/agent/job_endpoint.go b/command/agent/job_endpoint.go
index 9540f17379e..8a00a636ecd 100644
--- a/command/agent/job_endpoint.go
+++ b/command/agent/job_endpoint.go
@@ -12,8 +12,10 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/golang/snappy"
+	"github.com/gorilla/websocket"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/acl"
 	api "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/api"
+	cstructs "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/structs"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/jobspec"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/jobspec2"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
@@ -113,6 +115,8 @@ func (s *HTTPServer) JobSpecificRequest(resp http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Requ
 	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/actions"):
 		jobID := strings.TrimSuffix(path, "/actions")
 		return s.jobActions(resp, req, jobID)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/action"):
+		return s.jobRunAction(resp, req)
 	default:
 		return s.jobCRUD(resp, req, path)
 	}
@@ -358,6 +362,47 @@ func (s *HTTPServer) jobActions(resp http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, job
 	return out.Actions, nil
 }
 
+func (s *HTTPServer) jobRunAction(resp http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) (interface{}, error) {
+
+	s.logger.Info("jobRunAction called")
+
+	// Build the request and parse the ACL token
+	task := req.URL.Query().Get("task")
+	action := req.URL.Query().Get("action")
+	allocID := req.URL.Query().Get("allocID")
+	isTTY := false
+	err := error(nil)
+	if tty := req.URL.Query().Get("tty"); tty != "" {
+		isTTY, err = strconv.ParseBool(tty)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("tty value is not a boolean: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	args := cstructs.AllocExecRequest{
+		Task:    task,
+		Action:  action,
+		AllocID: allocID,
+		Tty:     isTTY,
+	}
+
+	s.parse(resp, req, &args.QueryOptions.Region, &args.QueryOptions)
+
+	conn, err := s.wsUpgrader.Upgrade(resp, req, nil)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to upgrade connection: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := readWsHandshake(conn.ReadJSON, req, &args.QueryOptions); err != nil {
+		conn.WriteMessage(websocket.CloseMessage,
+			websocket.FormatCloseMessage(toWsCode(400), err.Error()))
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return s.execStreamImpl(conn, &args)
+}
+
 func (s *HTTPServer) jobSubmissionCRUD(resp http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, jobID string) (*structs.JobSubmission, error) {
 	version, err := strconv.ParseUint(req.URL.Query().Get("version"), 10, 64)
 	if err != nil {