diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index 141cbcbaec..fa6860a1a8 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ akka {
     # in case of network partition.
     auto-down = off
 
+    # Enable or disable JMX MBeans for management of the cluster
+    jmx.enabled = on
+
     # how long should the node wait before starting the periodic tasks maintenance tasks?
     periodic-tasks-initial-delay = 1s
 
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala
index 647f335b8c..09feaeb656 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala
@@ -160,8 +160,11 @@ class Cluster(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension {
 
   system.registerOnTermination(shutdown())
 
-  private val clusterJmx = new ClusterJmx(this, log)
-  clusterJmx.createMBean()
+  private val clusterJmx: Option[ClusterJmx] = {
+    val jmx = new ClusterJmx(this, log)
+    jmx.createMBean()
+    Some(jmx)
+  }
 
   log.info("Cluster Node [{}] - has started up successfully", selfAddress)
 
@@ -237,7 +240,7 @@ class Cluster(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension {
 
       scheduler.close()
 
-      clusterJmx.unregisterMBean()
+      clusterJmx foreach { _.unregisterMBean() }
 
       log.info("Cluster Node [{}] - Cluster node successfully shut down", selfAddress)
     }
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala
index e37d4abc72..4212e59c1c 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ class ClusterSettings(val config: Config, val systemName: String) {
   final val PublishStatsInterval: FiniteDuration = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.cluster.publish-stats-interval"), MILLISECONDS)
   final val AutoJoin: Boolean = getBoolean("akka.cluster.auto-join")
   final val AutoDown: Boolean = getBoolean("akka.cluster.auto-down")
+  final val JmxEnabled: Boolean = getBoolean("akka.cluster.jmx.enabled")
   final val JoinTimeout: FiniteDuration = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.cluster.join-timeout"), MILLISECONDS)
   final val UseDispatcher: String = getString("akka.cluster.use-dispatcher") match {
     case "" ⇒ Dispatchers.DefaultDispatcherId
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/MultiNodeClusterSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/MultiNodeClusterSpec.scala
index af47d869dc..f4594543e6 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/MultiNodeClusterSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/MultiNodeClusterSpec.scala
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ object MultiNodeClusterSpec {
     akka.cluster {
       auto-join                         = on
       auto-down                         = off
+      jmx.enabled                       = off
       gossip-interval                   = 200 ms
       heartbeat-interval                = 400 ms
       leader-actions-interval           = 200 ms
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala
index 2d7565f5f5..f8c5571a57 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class ClusterConfigSpec extends AkkaSpec {
       JoinTimeout must be(60 seconds)
       AutoJoin must be(true)
       AutoDown must be(false)
+      JmxEnabled must be(true)
       UseDispatcher must be(Dispatchers.DefaultDispatcherId)
       GossipDifferentViewProbability must be(0.8 plusOrMinus 0.0001)
       MaxGossipMergeRate must be(5.0 plusOrMinus 0.0001)