diff --git a/awx/main/isolated/manager.py b/awx/main/isolated/manager.py
index 43afdac6df..7872b85d4b 100644
--- a/awx/main/isolated/manager.py
+++ b/awx/main/isolated/manager.py
@@ -210,10 +210,24 @@ class IsolatedManager(object):
         if status == 'successful':
             status_path = self.path_to('artifacts', self.ident, 'status')
             rc_path = self.path_to('artifacts', self.ident, 'rc')
-            with open(status_path, 'r') as f:
-                status = f.readline()
-            with open(rc_path, 'r') as f:
-                rc = int(f.readline())
+            if os.path.exists(status_path):
+                with open(status_path, 'r') as f:
+                    status = f.readline()
+                with open(rc_path, 'r') as f:
+                    rc = int(f.readline())
+            else:
+                # if there's no status file, it means that runner _probably_
+                # exited with a traceback (which should be logged to
+                # daemon.log)  Record it so we can see how runner failed.
+                daemon_path = self.path_to('daemon.log')
+                if os.path.exists(daemon_path):
+                    with open(daemon_path, 'r') as f:
+                        self.instance.result_traceback = f.read()
+                        self.instance.save(update_fields=['result_traceback'])
+                else:
+                    logger.error('Failed to rsync daemon.log (is ansible-runner installed on the isolated host?)')
+                status = 'failed'
+                rc = 1
 
         # consume events one last time just to be sure we didn't miss anything
         # in the final sync
diff --git a/awx/main/tasks.py b/awx/main/tasks.py
index 186fa466a0..ed421a8551 100644
--- a/awx/main/tasks.py
+++ b/awx/main/tasks.py
@@ -1103,7 +1103,7 @@ class BaseTask(object):
                                           start_args='')  # blank field to remove encrypted passwords
 
         self.instance.websocket_emit_status("running")
-        status, rc, tb = 'error', None, ''
+        status, rc = 'error', None
         output_replacements = []
         extra_update_fields = {}
         fact_modification_times = {}
@@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ class BaseTask(object):
 
         except Exception:
             # this could catch programming or file system errors
-            tb = traceback.format_exc()
+            extra_update_fields['result_traceback'] = traceback.format_exc()
             logger.exception('%s Exception occurred while running task', self.instance.log_format)
         finally:
             logger.info('%s finished running, producing %s events.', self.instance.log_format, self.event_ct)
@@ -1266,7 +1266,7 @@ class BaseTask(object):
             logger.exception('{} Post run hook errored.'.format(self.instance.log_format))
 
         self.instance = self.update_model(pk)
-        self.instance = self.update_model(pk, status=status, result_traceback=tb,
+        self.instance = self.update_model(pk, status=status,
                                           output_replacements=output_replacements,
                                           emitted_events=self.event_ct,
                                           **extra_update_fields)
diff --git a/awx/playbooks/check_isolated.yml b/awx/playbooks/check_isolated.yml
index 5d35783bce..e3bc9e2115 100644
--- a/awx/playbooks/check_isolated.yml
+++ b/awx/playbooks/check_isolated.yml
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@
         delete: yes
         recursive: yes
 
+    - name: Copy daemon log from the isolated host
+      synchronize:
+        src: "{{src}}/daemon.log"
+        dest: "{{src}}/daemon.log"
+        mode: pull
+
     - name: Fail if previous check determined that process is not alive.
       fail:
         msg: "isolated task is still running"