diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Loader/XmlFileLoader.php b/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Loader/XmlFileLoader.php
index 0314ba680958..f324aa969cc3 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Loader/XmlFileLoader.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Loader/XmlFileLoader.php
@@ -237,6 +237,9 @@ private function processAnonymousServices(SimpleXMLElement $xml, $file)
 
                 $definitions[(string) $node['id']] = array($node->service, $file, false);
                 $node->service['id'] = (string) $node['id'];
+
+                // anonymous services are always private
+                $node->service['public'] = false;
             }
         }
 
@@ -254,9 +257,6 @@ private function processAnonymousServices(SimpleXMLElement $xml, $file)
         // resolve definitions
         krsort($definitions);
         foreach ($definitions as $id => $def) {
-            // anonymous services are always private
-            $def[0]['public'] = false;
-
             $this->parseDefinition($id, $def[0], $def[1]);
 
             $oNode = dom_import_simplexml($def[0]);
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Tests/Loader/XmlFileLoaderTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Tests/Loader/XmlFileLoaderTest.php
index 38ee13d5ff73..a8f8f35133ae 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Tests/Loader/XmlFileLoaderTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/DependencyInjection/Tests/Loader/XmlFileLoaderTest.php
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ public function testLoadAnonymousServices()
             $service = $container->getDefinition($id);
         }
         $this->assertEquals('BizClass', $service->getClass(), '->load() uses the same configuration as for the anonymous ones');
-        $this->assertFalse($service->isPublic());
+        $this->assertTrue($service->isPublic());
 
         // anonymous services are shared when using decoration definitions
         $container->compile();