diff --git a/src/api/vm.coffee b/src/api/vm.coffee
index 2830b75ea..ca1687064 100644
--- a/src/api/vm.coffee
+++ b/src/api/vm.coffee
@@ -637,7 +637,8 @@ exports.convert = convert
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 snapshot = $coroutine ({vm, name}) ->
-  return $wait @getXAPI(vm).call 'VM.snapshot', vm.ref, name
+  snapshot = $wait @getXAPI(vm).snapshotVm(vm.ref, name)
+  return snapshot.$id
 
 snapshot.params = {
   id: { type: 'string' }
@@ -768,68 +769,24 @@ exports.revert = revert
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+handleExport = (req, res, {stream, response: upstream}) ->
+  res.writeHead(
+    upstream.statusCode,
+    upstream.statusMessage ? '',
+    upstream.headers
+  )
+  stream.pipe(res)
+  return
+
 # TODO: integrate in xapi.js
 export_ = $coroutine ({vm, compress}) ->
-  compress ?= true
-
-  xapi = @getXAPI vm
-
-  # if the VM is running, we can't export it directly
-  # that's why we export the snapshot
-  exportRef = if vm.power_state is 'Running'
-    $debug 'VM is running, creating temp snapshot...'
-    snapshotRef = $wait xapi.call 'VM.snapshot', vm.ref, vm.name_label
-    # convert the template to a VM
-    $wait xapi.call 'VM.set_is_a_template', snapshotRef, false
-
-    snapshotRef
-  else
-    vm.ref
-
-  host = @getObject vm.$container
-  do (type = host.type) =>
-    if type is 'pool'
-      host = @getObject host.master, 'host'
-    else unless type is 'host'
-      throw new Error "unexpected type: got #{type} instead of host"
-
-  task = $wait xapi._createTask(
-    'VM export via Xen Orchestra',
-    'Export VM ' + vm.name_label
-  )
-  pFinally(
-    xapi._watchTask(task)
-      .then((result) ->
-        $debug 'export succeeded'
-        return
-      )
-      .catch((error) ->
-        $debug 'export failed: %j', error
-        return
-      )
-    ,
-    ->
-      if snapshotRef?
-        $debug 'deleting temp snapshot...'
-        xapi.deleteVm(snapshotRef, true)
-
-      return
-  )
-
-  url = $wait @registerProxyRequest {
-    method: 'get'
-    hostname: host.address
-    pathname: '/export/'
-    query: {
-      session_id: xapi.sessionId
-      ref: exportRef
-      task_id: task.$ref
-      use_compression: if compress then 'true' else false
-    }
-  }
+  stream = $wait @getXAPI(vm).exportVm(vm.id, compress ? true)
 
   return {
-    $getFrom: url
+    $getFrom: $wait @registerHttpRequest(handleExport, {
+      stream,
+      $wait stream.response
+    })
   }
 
 export_.params = {
diff --git a/src/xapi.js b/src/xapi.js
index 7a750da97..5c40b1ff6 100644
--- a/src/xapi.js
+++ b/src/xapi.js
@@ -211,8 +211,8 @@ export default class Xapi extends XapiBase {
   // Create a task.
   //
   // Returns the task object from the Xapi.
-  async _createTask (name, description = '') {
-    const ref = await this.call('task.create', name, description)
+  async _createTask (name = 'untitled task', description = '') {
+    const ref = await this.call('task.create', `[XO] ${name}`, description)
     debug('task created: %s', name)
 
     pFinally(this._watchTask(ref), () => {
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ export default class Xapi extends XapiBase {
   // -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
   async uploadPoolPatch (stream, length) {
-    const task = await this._createTask('Patch upload from XO')
+    const task = await this._createTask('Patch upload')
 
     // TODO: Update when xen-api >= 0.5
     const poolMaster = this.objects.all[this._refsToUuids[this.pool.master]]
@@ -472,6 +472,15 @@ export default class Xapi extends XapiBase {
     await this.call('VDI.destroy', vdi.$ref)
   }
 
+  async _snapshotVm (vm, nameLabel = vm.name_label) {
+    const ref = await this.call('VM.snapshot', vm.$ref, nameLabel)
+
+    // Convert the template to a VM.
+    await this.call('VM.set_is_a_template', ref, false)
+
+    return ref
+  }
+
   async deleteVm (vmId, deleteDisks = false) {
     const vm = this.getObject(vmId)
 
@@ -491,6 +500,50 @@ export default class Xapi extends XapiBase {
     await this.call('VM.destroy', vm.$ref)
   }
 
+  // Returns a stream to the exported VM.
+  async exportVm (vmId, {compress = true} = {}) {
+    const vm = this.getObject(vmId)
+
+    let host
+    let snapshotRef
+    if (isVmRunning(vm)) {
+      host = this.getObject(vm.resident_on)
+      snapshotRef = await this._snapshotVm(vm)
+    } else {
+      host = this.getObject(this.pool.master)
+    }
+
+    const task = await this._createTask('VM Snapshot', vm.name_label)
+    pFinally(this._watchTask(task), () => {
+      if (snapshotRef) {
+        this.deleteVm(snapshotRef, true)
+      }
+    })
+
+    const stream = got({
+      hostname: host.address,
+      path: '/export/'
+    }, {
+      query: {
+        ref: snapshotRef || vm.$ref,
+        session_id: this.sessionId,
+        task_id: task.$ref,
+        use_compression: compress ? 'true' : 'false'
+      }
+    })
+    stream.response = eventToPromise(stream, 'response')
+
+    return stream
+  }
+
+  async snapshotVm (vmId) {
+    return await this._getOrWaitObject(
+      await this._snapshotVm(
+        this.getObject(vmId)
+      )
+    )
+  }
+
   // =================================================================
 
   async _doDockerAction (vmId, action, containerId) {