diff --git a/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/executor.go b/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/executor.go
index 6aec2e97033..0c3be6bcf2c 100644
--- a/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/executor.go
+++ b/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/executor.go
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/messages"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/contrib/mesos/pkg/scheduler/meta"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/cache"
 	client "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller/framework"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/container"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/dockertools"
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ import (
 const (
 	containerPollTime = 1 * time.Second
 	launchGracePeriod = 5 * time.Minute
+	podRelistPeriod   = 5 * time.Minute
 )
 
 type stateType int32
@@ -120,6 +123,7 @@ type KubernetesExecutor struct {
 	staticPodsConfig     []byte
 	staticPodsConfigPath string
 	initialRegComplete   chan struct{}
+	podController        *framework.Controller
 }
 
 type Config struct {
@@ -135,6 +139,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	ExitFunc             func(int)
 	PodStatusFunc        func(KubeletInterface, *api.Pod) (*api.PodStatus, error)
 	StaticPodsConfigPath string
+	PodLW                cache.ListerWatcher
 }
 
 func (k *KubernetesExecutor) isConnected() bool {
@@ -163,6 +168,7 @@ func New(config Config) *KubernetesExecutor {
 		initialRegComplete:   make(chan struct{}),
 		staticPodsConfigPath: config.StaticPodsConfigPath,
 	}
+
 	//TODO(jdef) do something real with these events..
 	if config.Watch != nil {
 		events := config.Watch.ResultChan()
@@ -176,12 +182,33 @@ func New(config Config) *KubernetesExecutor {
 			k.events = events
 		}
 	}
+
+	// watch pods from the given pod ListWatch
+	_, k.podController = framework.NewInformer(config.PodLW, &api.Pod{}, podRelistPeriod, &framework.ResourceEventHandlerFuncs{
+		AddFunc: func(obj interface{}) {
+			pod := obj.(*api.Pod)
+			log.V(4).Infof("pod %s/%s created on apiserver", pod.Namespace, pod.Name)
+			k.handleChangedApiserverPod(pod)
+		},
+		UpdateFunc: func(oldObj, newObj interface{}) {
+			pod := newObj.(*api.Pod)
+			log.V(4).Infof("pod %s/%s updated on apiserver", pod.Namespace, pod.Name)
+			k.handleChangedApiserverPod(pod)
+		},
+		DeleteFunc: func(obj interface{}) {
+			pod := obj.(*api.Pod)
+			log.V(4).Infof("pod %s/%s deleted on apiserver", pod.Namespace, pod.Name)
+		},
+	})
+
 	return k
 }
 
 func (k *KubernetesExecutor) Init(driver bindings.ExecutorDriver) {
 	k.killKubeletContainers()
 	k.resetSuicideWatch(driver)
+
+	go k.podController.Run(k.done)
 	go k.sendLoop()
 	//TODO(jdef) monitor kubeletFinished and shutdown if it happens
 }
@@ -329,6 +356,45 @@ func (k *KubernetesExecutor) LaunchTask(driver bindings.ExecutorDriver, taskInfo
 	go k.launchTask(driver, taskId, pod)
 }
 
+func (k *KubernetesExecutor) handleChangedApiserverPod(pod *api.Pod) {
+	// exclude "pre-scheduled" pods which have a NodeName set to this node without being scheduled already
+	taskId := pod.Annotations[meta.TaskIdKey]
+	if taskId == "" {
+		log.V(5).Infof("ignoring pod update for %s/%s because %s annotation is missing", pod.Namespace, pod.Name, meta.TaskIdKey)
+		return
+	}
+
+	k.lock.Lock()
+	defer k.lock.Unlock()
+
+	// exclude tasks which are already deleted from our task registry
+	task := k.tasks[taskId]
+	if task == nil {
+		log.Warningf("task %s for pod %s/%s not found", taskId, pod.Namespace, pod.Name)
+		return
+	}
+
+	oldPod := k.pods[task.podName]
+
+	// terminating pod?
+	if oldPod != nil && oldPod.DeletionTimestamp == nil &&
+		pod.DeletionTimestamp != nil && pod.Status.Phase == api.PodRunning &&
+		pod.DeletionGracePeriodSeconds != nil && *pod.DeletionGracePeriodSeconds > 0 {
+
+		log.Infof("pod %s/%s is terminating at %v with %vs grace period, telling kubelet", pod.Namespace, pod.Name, *pod.DeletionTimestamp, *pod.DeletionGracePeriodSeconds)
+
+		// modify pod in our registry to avoid that other changed bleed into the kubelet
+		oldPod.DeletionTimestamp = pod.DeletionTimestamp
+		oldPod.DeletionGracePeriodSeconds = pod.DeletionGracePeriodSeconds
+
+		update := kubelet.PodUpdate{
+			Op:   kubelet.UPDATE,
+			Pods: []*api.Pod{oldPod},
+		}
+		k.updateChan <- update
+	}
+}
+
 // determine whether we need to start a suicide countdown. if so, then start
 // a timer that, upon expiration, causes this executor to commit suicide.
 // this implementation runs asynchronously. callers that wish to wait for the
diff --git a/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/service/service.go b/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/service/service.go
index 5037a7f661e..035c6dc2aa2 100644
--- a/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/service/service.go
+++ b/contrib/mesos/pkg/executor/service/service.go
@@ -36,8 +36,10 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/contrib/mesos/pkg/hyperkube"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/contrib/mesos/pkg/redirfd"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/cache"
 	client "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/credentialprovider"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/fields"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/healthz"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/cadvisor"
@@ -372,6 +374,7 @@ func (ks *KubeletExecutorServer) createAndInitKubelet(
 			return klet.GetRuntime().GetPodStatus(pod)
 		},
 		StaticPodsConfigPath: staticPodsConfigPath,
+		PodLW:                cache.NewListWatchFromClient(kc.KubeClient, "pods", api.NamespaceAll, fields.OneTermEqualSelector(client.PodHost, kc.NodeName)),
 	})
 
 	go exec.InitializeStaticPodsSource(func() {