diff --git a/include/haproxy/task-t.h b/include/haproxy/task-t.h
index 632f4613a..466171539 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/task-t.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/task-t.h
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@
 #define TASK_WOKEN_RES    0x2000  /* woken up because of available resource */
 #define TASK_WOKEN_OTHER  0x4000  /* woken up for an unspecified reason */
 
+#define TASK_F_TASKLET    0x8000  /* nature of this task: 0=task 1=tasklet */
+
 /* use this to check a task state or to clean it up before queueing */
 #define TASK_WOKEN_ANY    (TASK_WOKEN_OTHER|TASK_WOKEN_INIT|TASK_WOKEN_TIMER| \
                            TASK_WOKEN_IO|TASK_WOKEN_SIGNAL|TASK_WOKEN_MSG| \
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ struct task_per_thread {
 #define TASK_COMMON							\
 	struct {							\
 		unsigned short state; /* task state : bitfield of TASK_	*/ \
-		short nice; /* task prio from -1024 to +1024, or -32768 for tasklets */ \
+		short nice; /* task prio from -1024 to +1024 */ \
 		unsigned int calls; /* number of times process was called */ \
 		struct task *(*process)(struct task *t, void *ctx, unsigned short state); /* the function which processes the task */ \
 		void *context; /* the task's context */			\
diff --git a/include/haproxy/task.h b/include/haproxy/task.h
index c717420f7..8f70f5bb2 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/task.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/task.h
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@
 #define TIMER_LOOK_BACK       (1U << 31)
 
 /* tasklets are recognized with nice==-32768 */
-#define TASK_IS_TASKLET(t) ((t)->nice == -32768)
+#define TASK_IS_TASKLET(t) ((t)->state & TASK_F_TASKLET)
 
 
 /* a few exported variables */
@@ -435,15 +435,15 @@ static inline struct task *task_init(struct task *t, unsigned long thread_mask)
 	return t;
 }
 
-/* Initialize a new tasklet. It's identified as a tasklet by ->nice=-32768. It
- * is expected to run on the calling thread by default, it's up to the caller
- * to change ->tid if it wants to own it.
+/* Initialize a new tasklet. It's identified as a tasklet by its flags
+ * TASK_F_TASKLET. It is expected to run on the calling thread by default,
+ * it's up to the caller to change ->tid if it wants to own it.
  */
 static inline void tasklet_init(struct tasklet *t)
 {
-	t->nice = -32768;
+	t->nice = 0;
 	t->calls = 0;
-	t->state = 0;
+	t->state = TASK_F_TASKLET;
 	t->process = NULL;
 	t->tid = -1;
 #ifdef DEBUG_TASK
diff --git a/src/task.c b/src/task.c
index 4c73b8cc5..350146d33 100644
--- a/src/task.c
+++ b/src/task.c
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ unsigned int run_tasks_from_lists(unsigned int budgets[])
 
 		budgets[queue]--;
 		t = (struct task *)LIST_ELEM(tl_queues[queue].n, struct tasklet *, list);
-		state = t->state & (TASK_SHARED_WQ|TASK_SELF_WAKING|TASK_HEAVY|TASK_KILLED);
+		state = t->state & (TASK_SHARED_WQ|TASK_SELF_WAKING|TASK_HEAVY|TASK_F_TASKLET|TASK_KILLED);
 
 		ti->flags &= ~TI_FL_STUCK; // this thread is still running
 		activity[tid].ctxsw++;
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ unsigned int run_tasks_from_lists(unsigned int budgets[])
 
 		_HA_ATOMIC_SUB(&sched->rq_total, 1);
 
-		if (TASK_IS_TASKLET(t)) {
+		if (state & TASK_F_TASKLET) {
 			uint64_t before = 0;
 
 			LIST_DEL_INIT(&((struct tasklet *)t)->list);