diff --git a/cluster/common.sh b/cluster/common.sh
index 03d37fd4ccaf..4cc03df8e4e6 100755
--- a/cluster/common.sh
+++ b/cluster/common.sh
@@ -762,6 +762,11 @@ EOF
     if [ -n "${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER:-}" ]; then
       cat >>$file <<EOF
 INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER: $(yaml-quote ${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER})
+EOF
+    fi
+    if [ -n "${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE:-}" ]; then
+      cat >>$file <<EOF
+INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE: $(yaml-quote ${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE})
 EOF
     fi
     if [ -n "${ETCD_QUORUM_READ:-}" ]; then
diff --git a/cluster/gce/configure-vm.sh b/cluster/gce/configure-vm.sh
index f3be021bbcbe..ca74543377b9 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/configure-vm.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/configure-vm.sh
@@ -458,6 +458,7 @@ num_nodes: $(echo "${NUM_NODES:-}" | sed -e "s/'/''/g")
 e2e_storage_test_environment: '$(echo "$E2E_STORAGE_TEST_ENVIRONMENT" | sed -e "s/'/''/g")'
 kube_uid: '$(echo "${KUBE_UID}" | sed -e "s/'/''/g")'
 initial_etcd_cluster: '$(echo "${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER:-}" | sed -e "s/'/''/g")'
+initial_etcd_cluster_state: '$(echo "${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE:-}" | sed -e "s/'/''/g")'
 
 hostname: $(hostname -s)
 EOF
diff --git a/cluster/gce/debian/master-helper.sh b/cluster/gce/debian/master-helper.sh
index 72097b961824..26bf38dfbd42 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/debian/master-helper.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/debian/master-helper.sh
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ function replicate-master-instance() {
   kube_env="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep -v "INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER")"
   kube_env="$(echo -e "${kube_env}\nINITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER: '${existing_master_replicas},${REPLICA_NAME}'")"
 
+  # Substitute INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE
+  kube_env="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep -v "INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE")"
+  kube_env="$(echo -e "${kube_env}\nINITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE: 'existing'")"
+
   ETCD_CA_KEY="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep "ETCD_CA_KEY" |  sed "s/^.*: '//" | sed "s/'$//")"
   ETCD_CA_CERT="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep "ETCD_CA_CERT" |  sed "s/^.*: '//" | sed "s/'$//")"
 
diff --git a/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh b/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh
index 93e414004b67..71cbbe9171f0 100644
--- a/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh
@@ -631,6 +631,9 @@ function prepare-etcd-manifest {
   local etcd_protocol="http"
   local etcd_creds=""
 
+  if [[ -n "${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE:-}" ]]; then
+    cluster_state="${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE}"
+  fi
   if [[ -n "${ETCD_CA_KEY:-}" && -n "${ETCD_CA_CERT:-}" && -n "${ETCD_PEER_KEY:-}" && -n "${ETCD_PEER_CERT:-}" ]]; then
     etcd_creds=" --peer-trusted-ca-file /etc/srv/kubernetes/etcd-ca.crt --peer-cert-file /etc/srv/kubernetes/etcd-peer.crt --peer-key-file /etc/srv/kubernetes/etcd-peer.key -peer-client-cert-auth "
     etcd_protocol="https"
@@ -640,7 +643,6 @@ function prepare-etcd-manifest {
     etcd_host="etcd-${host}=${etcd_protocol}://${host}:$3"
     if [[ -n "${etcd_cluster}" ]]; then
       etcd_cluster+=","
-      cluster_state="existing"
     fi
     etcd_cluster+="${etcd_host}"
   done
diff --git a/cluster/gce/gci/master-helper.sh b/cluster/gce/gci/master-helper.sh
index e430aa0a6fe3..a4ecb9f3e11c 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/gci/master-helper.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/gci/master-helper.sh
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ function replicate-master-instance() {
   # Substitute INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER to enable etcd clustering.
   kube_env="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep -v "INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER")"
   kube_env="$(echo -e "${kube_env}\nINITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER: '${existing_master_replicas},${REPLICA_NAME}'")"
+
+  # Substitute INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE
+  kube_env="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep -v "INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE")"
+  kube_env="$(echo -e "${kube_env}\nINITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE: 'existing'")"
+
   ETCD_CA_KEY="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep "ETCD_CA_KEY" |  sed "s/^.*: '//" | sed "s/'$//")"
   ETCD_CA_CERT="$(echo "${kube_env}" | grep "ETCD_CA_CERT" |  sed "s/^.*: '//" | sed "s/'$//")"
 
diff --git a/cluster/gce/trusty/configure-helper.sh b/cluster/gce/trusty/configure-helper.sh
index 1adfc52e91ad..413e7067d35a 100644
--- a/cluster/gce/trusty/configure-helper.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/trusty/configure-helper.sh
@@ -451,6 +451,9 @@ prepare_etcd_manifest() {
   local etcd_protocol="http"
   local etcd_creds=""
 
+  if [[ -n "${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE:-}" ]]; then
+    cluster_state="${INITIAL_ETCD_CLUSTER_STATE}"
+  fi
   if [[ -n "${ETCD_CA_KEY:-}" && -n "${ETCD_CA_CERT:-}" && -n "${ETCD_PEER_KEY:-}" && -n "${ETCD_PEER_CERT:-}" ]]; then
     etcd_creds=" --peer-trusted-ca-file /etc/srv/kubernetes/etcd-ca.crt --peer-cert-file /etc/srv/kubernetes/etcd-peer.crt --peer-key-file /etc/srv/kubernetes/etcd-peer.key -peer-client-cert-auth "
     etcd_protocol="https"
@@ -460,7 +463,6 @@ prepare_etcd_manifest() {
     etcd_host="etcd-${host}=${etcd_protocol}://${host}:$3"
     if [[ -n "${etcd_cluster}" ]]; then
       etcd_cluster+=","
-      cluster_state="existing"
     fi
     etcd_cluster+="${etcd_host}"
   done
diff --git a/cluster/saltbase/salt/etcd/etcd.manifest b/cluster/saltbase/salt/etcd/etcd.manifest
index ced139e64c0b..baca9edd6356 100644
--- a/cluster/saltbase/salt/etcd/etcd.manifest
+++ b/cluster/saltbase/salt/etcd/etcd.manifest
@@ -4,22 +4,20 @@
   {% set etcd_protocol = 'https' -%}
   {% set etcd_creds = '--peer-trusted-ca-file /srv/kubernetes/etcd-ca.crt --peer-cert-file /srv/kubernetes/etcd-peer.crt --peer-key-file /srv/kubernetes/etcd-peer.key -peer-client-cert-auth' -%}
 {% endif -%}
-{% set cluster_state = 'new' -%}
 {% set hostname = pillar.get('hostname', '') -%}
+{% set cluster_state = (pillar.get('initial_etcd_cluster_state') or 'new') -%}
 {% set etcd_cluster_array = (pillar.get('initial_etcd_cluster') or hostname).split(',') -%}
 {% set etcd_cluster = '' -%}
 {# We use vars dictionary to pass variables set inside the for loop, because jinja defines new variables inside the for loop that hide variables from the outside. #}
-{% set vars = {'etcd_cluster': '', 'cluster_state': cluster_state} -%}
+{% set vars = {'etcd_cluster': ''} -%}
 {% for host in etcd_cluster_array -%}
   {% if etcd_cluster != '' -%}
-    {% set cluster_state = 'existing' -%}
     {% set etcd_cluster = etcd_cluster ~ ',' -%}
   {% endif -%}
   {% set etcd_cluster = etcd_cluster ~ 'etcd-' ~ host ~ '=' ~ etcd_protocol ~'://' ~ host ~ ':' ~ server_port -%}
-  {% do vars.update({'etcd_cluster': etcd_cluster, 'cluster_state': cluster_state}) -%}
+  {% do vars.update({'etcd_cluster': etcd_cluster}) -%}
 {% endfor -%}
 {% set etcd_cluster = vars.etcd_cluster -%}
-{% set cluster_state = vars.cluster_state -%}
 {% set storage_backend = pillar.get('storage_backend', 'etcd2') -%}
 {% set quota_bytes = '' -%}
 {% if pillar.get('storage_backend', 'etcd2') == 'etcd3' -%}