diff --git a/platform/vcs-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/vcs/VcsTaskHandler.java b/platform/vcs-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/vcs/VcsTaskHandler.java
index 0ee5f2ed09c3..456722a416e1 100644
--- a/platform/vcs-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/vcs/VcsTaskHandler.java
+++ b/platform/vcs-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/vcs/VcsTaskHandler.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.Condition;
 import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
+import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ import java.util.List;
  */
 public abstract class VcsTaskHandler {
 
+  public static final String DEFAULT_PROHIBITED_SYMBOLS = " ";
+
   public static VcsTaskHandler[] getAllHandlers(final Project project) {
     VcsTaskHandler[] extensions = EXTENSION_POINT_NAME.getExtensions(project);
     List<VcsTaskHandler> handlers = ContainerUtil.filter(extensions, new Condition<VcsTaskHandler>() {
@@ -86,4 +89,12 @@ public abstract class VcsTaskHandler {
    * @return all existing tasks (branches)
    */
   public abstract TaskInfo[] getAllExistingTasks();
+
+  /**
+   * @return REGEXP with prohibited symbols for replaceAll(REGEXP, other) future call, null if every symbol is possible
+   */
+  @Nullable
+  public String getProhibitedSymbolsInBranchNames() {
+    return DEFAULT_PROHIBITED_SYMBOLS;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/hg4idea/src/org/zmlx/hg4idea/HgTaskHandler.java b/plugins/hg4idea/src/org/zmlx/hg4idea/HgTaskHandler.java
index cae21530a6be..46e0ca6d3a43 100644
--- a/plugins/hg4idea/src/org/zmlx/hg4idea/HgTaskHandler.java
+++ b/plugins/hg4idea/src/org/zmlx/hg4idea/HgTaskHandler.java
@@ -102,4 +102,10 @@ public class HgTaskHandler extends DvcsTaskHandler<HgRepository> {
   protected boolean hasBranch(@NotNull HgRepository repository, @NotNull String name) {
     return HgUtil.getNamesWithoutHashes(repository.getBookmarks()).contains(name) || repository.getOpenedBranches().contains(name);
   }
+
+  @Override
+  @Nullable
+  public String getProhibitedSymbolsInBranchNames() {
+    return null;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/actions/OpenTaskDialog.java b/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/actions/OpenTaskDialog.java
index 01aa53d21b58..b6f34b433e4d 100644
--- a/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/actions/OpenTaskDialog.java
+++ b/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/actions/OpenTaskDialog.java
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ import javax.swing.*;
 import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
 import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 /**
  * @author Dmitry Avdeev
@@ -174,7 +175,10 @@ public class OpenTaskDialog extends DialogWrapper {
         });
       }
 
-      myBranchName.setText(taskManager.suggestBranchName(task));
+      myBranchName.setText(
+        taskManager.suggestBranchName(task, myVcsTaskHandler != null
+                                            ? myVcsTaskHandler.getProhibitedSymbolsInBranchNames()
+                                            : VcsTaskHandler.DEFAULT_PROHIBITED_SYMBOLS));
       myChangelistName.setText(taskManager.getChangelistName(task));
     }
     updateFields(true);
@@ -258,6 +262,12 @@ public class OpenTaskDialog extends DialogWrapper {
       if (branchName.isEmpty()) {
         return new ValidationInfo("Branch name should not be empty", myBranchName);
       }
+      else if (myVcsTaskHandler != null) {
+        String regExp = myVcsTaskHandler.getProhibitedSymbolsInBranchNames();
+        if (regExp != null && (Pattern.compile(regExp).matcher(branchName)).find()) {
+          return new ValidationInfo("Branch name contains prohibited symbols or regexp: \'" + regExp + "\'");
+        }
+      }
       else if (branchName.contains(" ")) {
         return new ValidationInfo("Branch name should not contain spaces");
       }
diff --git a/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/impl/TaskManagerImpl.java b/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/impl/TaskManagerImpl.java
index 0fc1253e5db5..2ca5eb173c8c 100644
--- a/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/impl/TaskManagerImpl.java
+++ b/plugins/tasks/tasks-core/src/com/intellij/tasks/impl/TaskManagerImpl.java
@@ -997,9 +997,15 @@ public class TaskManagerImpl extends TaskManager implements ProjectComponent, Pe
     return StringUtil.shortenTextWithEllipsis(name, 100, 0);
   }
 
-  public String suggestBranchName(Task task) {
+  @TestOnly
+  public String suggestBranchName(@NotNull Task task) {
+    return suggestBranchName(task, VcsTaskHandler.DEFAULT_PROHIBITED_SYMBOLS);
+  }
+
+  public String suggestBranchName(@NotNull Task task, @Nullable String prohibitedRegExp) {
     if (task.isIssue()) {
-      return TaskUtil.formatTask(task, myConfig.branchNameFormat).replace(' ', '-');
+      String formatTask = TaskUtil.formatTask(task, myConfig.branchNameFormat);
+      return prohibitedRegExp != null ? formatTask.replaceAll(prohibitedRegExp, "-") : formatTask;
     }
     else {
       String summary = task.getSummary();
@@ -1009,7 +1015,6 @@ public class TaskManagerImpl extends TaskManager implements ProjectComponent, Pe
     }
   }
 
-
   @TestOnly
   public ChangeListAdapter getChangeListListener() {
     return myChangeListListener;
diff --git a/plugins/tasks/tasks-tests/test/com/intellij/tasks/vcs/TaskVcsTest.java b/plugins/tasks/tasks-tests/test/com/intellij/tasks/vcs/TaskVcsTest.java
index 2542ec2b3a99..43508d49a0fe 100644
--- a/plugins/tasks/tasks-tests/test/com/intellij/tasks/vcs/TaskVcsTest.java
+++ b/plugins/tasks/tasks-tests/test/com/intellij/tasks/vcs/TaskVcsTest.java
@@ -382,6 +382,13 @@ public class TaskVcsTest extends CodeInsightFixtureTestCase {
 
     LocalTaskImpl strange = new LocalTaskImpl("1", "very long and strange summary");
     assertEquals("very-long", myTaskManager.suggestBranchName(strange));
+
+    myTaskManager.getState().branchNameFormat = "{id} {summary}";
+
+    LocalTaskImpl withIllegalSymbolsInIssue = new LocalTaskImpl("1", "contains Illegal$Symbols");
+    withIllegalSymbolsInIssue.setIssue(true);
+    assertEquals("1-contains-Illegal-Symbols", myTaskManager.suggestBranchName(withIllegalSymbolsInIssue, " |\\$"));
+    assertEquals("1-contains-Illegal$Symbols", myTaskManager.suggestBranchName(withIllegalSymbolsInIssue));
   }
 
   private TestRepository myRepository;