diff --git a/.github/scripts/junit.py b/.github/scripts/junit.py
index 5a2088f8ea196..d1a28739c7578 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/junit.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/junit.py
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ def split_report_path(base_path: str, report_path: str) -> Tuple[str, str]:
         else:
             logger.debug(f"Failing this step because the tests timed out. Thread dumps were not archived, check logs in JUnit step.")
         exit(1)
-    elif test_exit_code in (0, 1):
+    elif test_exit_code == 1 or quarantined_test_exit_code == 1:
         logger.debug(summary)
         if total_failures > 0:
             logger.debug(f"Failing this step due to {total_failures} test failures")
@@ -435,7 +435,9 @@ def split_report_path(base_path: str, report_path: str) -> Tuple[str, str]:
             logger.debug(f"Failing this step due to {total_errors} test errors")
             exit(1)
         else:
-            exit(0)
+            logger.debug("There was an error during the test or quarantinedTest task. Please check the logs")
+            exit(1)
     else:
-        logger.debug(f"Gradle had unexpected exit code {test_exit_code}. Failing this step")
-        exit(1)
+        # Normal exit
+        logger.debug(summary)
+        exit(0)
diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index eb96a0912405f..9a6c4f2714d12 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -105,6 +105,9 @@ ext {
     throw new GradleException("Unexpected value for keepAliveMode property. Expected one of $keepAliveValues, but received: $userKeepAliveModeString")
   }
 
+  // Used by :test and :quarantinedTest tasks
+  isGithubActions = System.getenv('GITHUB_ACTIONS') != null
+
   // See README.md for details on this option and the reasoning for the default
   userScalaOptimizerMode = project.hasProperty("scalaOptimizerMode") ? scalaOptimizerMode : "inline-kafka"
   def scalaOptimizerValues = ["none", "method", "inline-kafka", "inline-scala"]
@@ -160,6 +163,7 @@ ext {
     libs.log4j2Api,
     libs.log4j2Core
   ]
+  
 }
 
 allprojects {
@@ -492,14 +496,55 @@ subprojects {
   // Gradle will run each test class, so we exclude the suites to avoid redundantly running the tests twice.
   def testsToExclude = ['**/*Suite.class']
 
-  test {
-    ext {
-      isGithubActions = System.getenv('GITHUB_ACTIONS') != null
-      hadFailure = false  // Used to track if any tests failed, see afterSuite below
+
+  // These two tasks will copy JUnit XML files out of the sub-project's build directory and into
+  // a top-level build/junit-xml directory. This is necessary to avoid reporting on tests which
+  // were not run, but instead were restored via FROM-CACHE. See KAFKA-17479 for more details.
+  def copyTestXml = tasks.register('copyTestXml') {
+    onlyIf("Environment GITHUB_ACTIONS is set") { isGithubActions }
+    onlyIf("Project '${project.name}:test' has sources") { ! test.state.noSource }
+    onlyIf("Task '${project.name}:test' did work") { test.state.didWork }
+
+    // Never cache this task
+    outputs.cacheIf { false }
+    outputs.upToDateWhen { false }
+
+    doLast {
+      def moduleDirPath = projectToJUnitXmlPath(project)
+      def dest = rootProject.layout.buildDirectory.dir("junit-xml/${moduleDirPath}/test").get().asFile
+      println "Copy JUnit XML for ${project.name} to $dest"
+      ant.copy(todir: "$dest") {
+	ant.fileset(dir: "${test.reports.junitXml.entryPoint}") {
+	  ant.include(name: "**/*.xml")
+	}
+      }
     }
+  }
+
+  def copyQuarantinedTestXml = tasks.register('copyQuarantinedTestXml') {
+    onlyIf("Environment GITHUB_ACTIONS is set") { isGithubActions }
+    onlyIf("Project '${project.name}:quarantinedTest' has sources") { ! quarantinedTest.state.noSource }
+    onlyIf("Task '${project.name}:quarantinedTest' did work") { quarantinedTest.state.didWork }
 
+    // Never cache this task
+    outputs.cacheIf { false }
+    outputs.upToDateWhen { false }
+
+    doLast {
+      def moduleDirPath = projectToJUnitXmlPath(project)
+      def dest = rootProject.layout.buildDirectory.dir("junit-xml/${moduleDirPath}/quarantinedTest").get().asFile
+      println "Copy JUnit XML for ${project.name} to $dest"
+      ant.copy(todir: "$dest") {
+	ant.fileset(dir: "${quarantinedTest.reports.junitXml.entryPoint}") {
+	  ant.include(name: "**/*.xml")
+	}
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  test {
     maxParallelForks = maxTestForks
-    ignoreFailures = userIgnoreFailures || ext.isGithubActions
+    ignoreFailures = userIgnoreFailures
 
     maxHeapSize = defaultMaxHeapSize
     jvmArgs = defaultJvmArgs
@@ -531,48 +576,17 @@ subprojects {
       }
     }
     
-    // As we process results, check if there were any test failures.
-    afterSuite { desc, result ->
-      if (result.resultType == TestResult.ResultType.FAILURE) {
-        ext.hadFailure = true
-      }
-    }
-
-    // This closure will copy JUnit XML files out of the sub-project's build directory and into
-    // a top-level build/junit-xml directory. This is necessary to avoid reporting on tests which
-    // were not run, but instead were restored via FROM-CACHE. See KAFKA-17479 for more details.
-    doLast {
-      if (ext.isGithubActions) {
-        def moduleDirPath = projectToJUnitXmlPath(project)
-        def dest = rootProject.layout.buildDirectory.dir("junit-xml/${moduleDirPath}/test").get().asFile
-        println "Copy JUnit XML for ${project.name} to $dest"
-        ant.copy(todir: "$dest") {
-          ant.fileset(dir: "${test.reports.junitXml.entryPoint}")
-        }
-
-        // If there were any test failures, we want to fail the task to prevent the failures
-        // from being cached.
-        if (ext.hadFailure) {
-          throw new GradleException("Failing this task since '${project.name}:${name}' had test failures.")
-        }
-      }
-    }
+    finalizedBy("copyTestXml")
   }
 
   task quarantinedTest(type: Test, dependsOn: compileJava) {
-    ext {
-      isGithubActions = System.getenv('GITHUB_ACTIONS') != null
-      hadFailure = false  // Used to track if any tests failed, see afterSuite below
-    }
-
     // Disable caching and up-to-date for this task. We always want quarantined tests
-    // to run and never want to cache their results. Since we do this, we can avoid
-    // explicitly failing the build like we do in "test" with ext.hadFailure.
+    // to run and never want to cache their results.
     outputs.upToDateWhen { false }
     outputs.cacheIf { false }
 
     maxParallelForks = maxTestForks
-    ignoreFailures = userIgnoreFailures || ext.isGithubActions
+    ignoreFailures = userIgnoreFailures
 
     maxHeapSize = defaultMaxHeapSize
     jvmArgs = defaultJvmArgs
@@ -601,33 +615,7 @@ subprojects {
       }
     }
 
-    // As we process results, check if there were any test failures.
-    afterSuite { desc, result ->
-      if (result.resultType == TestResult.ResultType.FAILURE) {
-        ext.hadFailure = true
-      }
-    }
-
-    // This closure will copy JUnit XML files out of the sub-project's build directory and into
-    // a top-level build/junit-xml directory. This is necessary to avoid reporting on tests which
-    // were not run, but instead were restored via FROM-CACHE. See KAFKA-17479 for more details.
-    doLast {
-      if (ext.isGithubActions) {
-        def moduleDirPath = projectToJUnitXmlPath(project)
-        def dest = rootProject.layout.buildDirectory.dir("junit-xml/${moduleDirPath}/quarantinedTest").get().asFile
-        println "Copy JUnit XML for ${project.name} to $dest"
-        ant.copy(todir: "$dest", failonerror: "false") {
-          ant.fileset(dir: "${quarantinedTest.reports.junitXml.entryPoint}") {
-            ant.include(name: "**/*.xml")
-          }
-        }
-        // If there were any test failures, we want to fail the task to prevent the failures
-        // from being cached.
-        if (ext.hadFailure) {
-          throw new GradleException("Failing this task since '${project.name}:${name}' had test failures.")
-        }
-      }
-    }
+    finalizedBy("copyQuarantinedTestXml")
   }
 
   task integrationTest(type: Test, dependsOn: compileJava) {