diff --git a/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/ProgressManager.java b/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/ProgressManager.java
index 7087774fc791..1f4aaf3c80c3 100644
--- a/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/ProgressManager.java
+++ b/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/ProgressManager.java
@@ -141,9 +141,9 @@ public abstract class ProgressManager extends ProgressIndicatorProvider {
                                                               @Nullable JComponent parentComponent);
 
   /**
-   * Runs a specified <code>process</code> in a background thread and shows a progress dialog, which can be made non-modal by pressing
-   * background button. Upon successful termination of the process a <code>successRunnable</code> will be called in Swing UI thread and
-   * <code>canceledRunnable</code> will be called if terminated on behalf of the user by pressing either cancel button, while running in
+   * Runs a specified {@code process} in a background thread and shows a progress dialog, which can be made non-modal by pressing
+   * background button. Upon successful termination of the process a {@code successRunnable} will be called in Swing UI thread and
+   * {@code canceledRunnable} will be called if terminated on behalf of the user by pressing either cancel button, while running in
    * a modal state or stop button if running in background.
    *
    * @param project          the project in the context of which the operation is executed.
@@ -159,9 +159,9 @@ public abstract class ProgressManager extends ProgressIndicatorProvider {
                                                             @Nullable Runnable successRunnable,
                                                             @Nullable Runnable canceledRunnable);
   /**
-   * Runs a specified <code>process</code> in a background thread and shows a progress dialog, which can be made non-modal by pressing
-   * background button. Upon successful termination of the process a <code>successRunnable</code> will be called in Swing UI thread and
-   * <code>canceledRunnable</code> will be called if terminated on behalf of the user by pressing either cancel button, while running in
+   * Runs a specified {@code process} in a background thread and shows a progress dialog, which can be made non-modal by pressing
+   * background button. Upon successful termination of the process a {@code successRunnable} will be called in Swing UI thread and
+   * {@code canceledRunnable} will be called if terminated on behalf of the user by pressing either cancel button, while running in
    * a modal state or stop button if running in background.
    *
    * @param project          the project in the context of which the operation is executed.
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ public abstract class ProgressManager extends ProgressIndicatorProvider {
                                                             @NotNull PerformInBackgroundOption option);
 
   /**
-   * Runs a specified <code>task</code> in either background/foreground thread and shows a progress dialog.
+   * Runs a specified {@code task} in either background/foreground thread and shows a progress dialog.
    *
    * @param task task to run (either {@link Task.Modal} or {@link Task.Backgroundable}).
    */
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ public abstract class ProgressManager extends ProgressIndicatorProvider {
    * This method attempts to run provided action synchronously in a read action, so that, if possible, it wouldn't impact any pending,
    * executing or future write actions (for this to work effectively the action should invoke {@link ProgressManager#checkCanceled()} or
    * {@link ProgressIndicator#checkCanceled()} often enough).
-   * It returns <code>true</code> if action was executed successfully. It returns <code>false</code> if the action was not
+   * It returns {@code true} if action was executed successfully. It returns {@code false} if the action was not
    * executed successfully, i.e. if:
    * <ul>
    * <li>write action was in progress when the method was called</li>
@@ -240,17 +240,5 @@ public abstract class ProgressManager extends ProgressIndicatorProvider {
    */
   public abstract boolean runInReadActionWithWriteActionPriority(@NotNull final Runnable action);
 
-  public static boolean isInNonCancelableSection() {
-    ProgressIndicator indicator = getGlobalProgressIndicator();
-    while (indicator != null) {
-      if (indicator instanceof NonCancelableSection) return true;
-      if (indicator instanceof WrappedProgressIndicator) {
-        indicator = ((WrappedProgressIndicator)indicator).getOriginalProgressIndicator();
-      }
-      else {
-        break;
-      }
-    }
-    return false;
-  }
+  public abstract boolean isInNonCancelableSection();
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/CoreProgressManager.java b/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/CoreProgressManager.java
index aeb23cb6cc84..78006c7cee9c 100644
--- a/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/CoreProgressManager.java
+++ b/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/CoreProgressManager.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.Disposable;
 import com.intellij.openapi.application.ApplicationManager;
 import com.intellij.openapi.application.ModalityState;
 import com.intellij.openapi.application.ex.ApplicationEx;
+import com.intellij.openapi.diagnostic.Logger;
 import com.intellij.openapi.progress.*;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.Computable;
@@ -50,6 +51,8 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 public class CoreProgressManager extends ProgressManager implements Disposable {
+  private static final Logger LOG = Logger.getInstance("#com.intellij.openapi.progress.impl.CoreProgressManager");
+
   static final int CHECK_CANCELED_DELAY_MILLIS = 10;
   final AtomicInteger myCurrentUnsafeProgressCount = new AtomicInteger(0);
   private final AtomicInteger myCurrentModalProgressCount = new AtomicInteger(0);
@@ -76,6 +79,11 @@ public class CoreProgressManager extends ProgressManager implements Disposable {
   // multiset here (instead of a set) is for simplifying add/remove indicators on process-with-progress start/end with possibly identical indicators.
   private static final Collection<ProgressIndicator> nonStandardIndicators = ConcurrentHashMultiset.create();
 
+  /** true if running in non-cancelable section started with
+   * {@link #startNonCancelableSection()} or {@link #executeNonCancelableSection(Runnable)} in this thread
+   */
+  private static final ThreadLocal<Boolean> isInNonCancelableSection = new ThreadLocal<Boolean>(); // do not supply initial value to conserve memory
+
   public CoreProgressManager() {
     HeavyProcessLatch.INSTANCE.addUIActivityListener(new HeavyProcessLatch.HeavyProcessListener() {
       @Override
@@ -206,7 +214,18 @@ public class CoreProgressManager extends ProgressManager implements Disposable {
 
   @Override
   public void executeNonCancelableSection(@NotNull Runnable runnable) {
-    executeProcessUnderProgress(runnable, NonCancelableIndicator.INSTANCE);
+    if (isInNonCancelableSection()) {
+      runnable.run();
+    }
+    else {
+      try {
+        isInNonCancelableSection.set(Boolean.TRUE);
+        executeProcessUnderProgress(runnable, NonCancelableIndicator.INSTANCE);
+      }
+      finally {
+        isInNonCancelableSection.remove();
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -656,19 +675,28 @@ public class CoreProgressManager extends ProgressManager implements Disposable {
   @NotNull
   @Override
   public final NonCancelableSection startNonCancelableSection() {
+    LOG.warn("Use executeNonCancelableSection() instead");
+    if (isInNonCancelableSection()) return NonCancelableSection.EMPTY;
     final ProgressIndicator myOld = getProgressIndicator();
 
     final Thread currentThread = Thread.currentThread();
-    NonCancelableIndicator nonCancelor = new NonCancelableIndicator() {
+    final NonCancelableIndicator nonCancelor = new NonCancelableIndicator() {
       @Override
       public void done() {
         setCurrentIndicator(currentThread, myOld);
+        isInNonCancelableSection.remove();
       }
     };
+    isInNonCancelableSection.set(Boolean.TRUE);
     setCurrentIndicator(currentThread, nonCancelor);
     return nonCancelor;
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public boolean isInNonCancelableSection() {
+    return isInNonCancelableSection.get() != null;
+  }
+
   @NotNull
   public static ModalityState getCurrentThreadProgressModality() {
     ProgressIndicator indicator = threadTopLevelIndicators.get(Thread.currentThread().getId());
@@ -710,15 +738,16 @@ public class CoreProgressManager extends ProgressManager implements Disposable {
       return myTask.toString();
     }
   }
-  protected static class TaskRunnable extends TaskContainer {
+
+  static class TaskRunnable extends TaskContainer {
     private final ProgressIndicator myIndicator;
     private final Runnable myContinuation;
 
-    public TaskRunnable(@NotNull Task task, @NotNull ProgressIndicator indicator) {
+    TaskRunnable(@NotNull Task task, @NotNull ProgressIndicator indicator) {
       this(task, indicator, null);
     }
 
-    public TaskRunnable(@NotNull Task task, @NotNull ProgressIndicator indicator, @Nullable Runnable continuation) {
+    TaskRunnable(@NotNull Task task, @NotNull ProgressIndicator indicator, @Nullable Runnable continuation) {
       super(task);
       myIndicator = indicator;
       myContinuation = continuation;
diff --git a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/project/impl/ProjectManagerImpl.java b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/project/impl/ProjectManagerImpl.java
index 4321547e08fe..f1b493c2c7d2 100644
--- a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/project/impl/ProjectManagerImpl.java
+++ b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/project/impl/ProjectManagerImpl.java
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ public class ProjectManagerImpl extends ProjectManagerEx implements Disposable {
   }
 
   private static boolean canCancelProjectLoading() {
-    return !ProgressManager.isInNonCancelableSection();
+    return !ProgressManager.getInstance().isInNonCancelableSection();
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/ProgressIndicatorTest.java b/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/ProgressIndicatorTest.java
index 1c1cfd78857b..82089f91b13f 100644
--- a/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/ProgressIndicatorTest.java
+++ b/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/progress/impl/ProgressIndicatorTest.java
@@ -635,4 +635,30 @@ public class ProgressIndicatorTest extends LightPlatformTestCase {
     ApplicationManager.getApplication().invokeLater(semaphore::up);
     assertTrue("invokeAndWait would deadlock", semaphore.waitFor(1000));
   }
+
+  public void testNonCancelableSectionDetectedCorrectly() {
+    ProgressManager progressManager = ProgressManager.getInstance();
+    assertFalse(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+    progressManager.run(new Task.Modal(getProject(), "", false) {
+      @Override
+      public void run(@NotNull ProgressIndicator indicator) {
+        assertFalse(indicator instanceof NonCancelableIndicator);
+        assertFalse(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+        progressManager.executeNonCancelableSection(() -> {
+          assertTrue(progressManager.getProgressIndicator() instanceof NonCancelableIndicator);
+          assertTrue(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+
+          progressManager.executeProcessUnderProgress(() -> {
+            assertFalse(progressManager.getProgressIndicator() instanceof NonCancelableIndicator);
+            assertTrue(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+          }, new DaemonProgressIndicator());
+
+          assertTrue(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+        });
+
+        assertFalse(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+      }
+    });
+    assertFalse(progressManager.isInNonCancelableSection());
+  }
 }