diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/Preloader.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/Preloader.java
index 44c3773..c5a5b0f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/Preloader.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/Preloader.java
@@ -25,58 +25,57 @@
 
 /** Use to pre-load a task definition with values from its preload-task definition. */
 public class Preloader {
-  public static void preload(Task definition) throws ConfigInvalidException {
+  public static Task preload(Task definition) throws ConfigInvalidException {
     String expression = definition.preloadTask;
     if (expression != null) {
-      Optional<Task> task = definition.config.getOptionalTaskForExpression(expression);
-      if (task.isPresent()) {
-        preload(task.get());
-        preloadFrom(definition, task.get());
+      Optional<Task> preloadFrom = definition.config.getOptionalTaskForExpression(expression);
+      if (preloadFrom.isPresent()) {
+        return preloadFrom(definition, preload(preloadFrom.get()));
       }
     }
+    return definition;
   }
 
-  protected static void preloadFrom(Task definition, Task preloadFrom) {
+  protected static Task preloadFrom(Task definition, Task preloadFrom) {
+    Task preloadTo = definition.config.new Task(definition.subSection);
     for (Field field : definition.getClass().getFields()) {
       String name = field.getName();
-      if ("isVisible".equals(name) || "isTrusted".equals(name) || "config".equals(name)) {
+      if ("config".equals(name) || "subSection".equals(name)) {
         continue;
       }
 
       try {
         field.setAccessible(true);
-        preloadField(field.getType(), field, definition, preloadFrom);
+        preloadField(field, definition, preloadFrom, preloadTo);
       } catch (IllegalAccessException | IllegalArgumentException e) {
         throw new RuntimeException();
       }
     }
+    return preloadTo;
   }
 
-  protected static <T, S, K, V> void preloadField(
-      Class<T> clz, Field field, Task definition, Task preloadFrom)
+  protected static <S, K, V> void preloadField(
+      Field field, Task definition, Task preloadFrom, Task preloadTo)
       throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException {
-    T pre = getField(clz, field, preloadFrom);
-    if (pre != null) {
-      T val = getField(clz, field, definition);
-      if (val == null) {
-        field.set(definition, pre);
-      } else if (val instanceof List) {
-        List<?> valList = List.class.cast(val);
-        List<?> preList = List.class.cast(pre);
-        field.set(definition, preloadListFrom(castUnchecked(valList), castUnchecked(preList)));
-      } else if (val instanceof Map) {
-        Map<?, ?> valMap = Map.class.cast(val);
-        Map<?, ?> preMap = Map.class.cast(pre);
-        field.set(definition, preloadMapFrom(castUnchecked(valMap), castUnchecked(preMap)));
-      } // nothing to do for overridden preloaded scalars
+    Object pre = field.get(preloadFrom);
+    Object val = field.get(definition);
+    if (val == null) {
+      field.set(preloadTo, pre);
+    } else if (pre == null) {
+      field.set(preloadTo, val);
+    } else if (val instanceof List) {
+      List<?> valList = List.class.cast(val);
+      List<?> preList = List.class.cast(pre);
+      field.set(preloadTo, preloadListFrom(castUnchecked(valList), castUnchecked(preList)));
+    } else if (val instanceof Map) {
+      Map<?, ?> valMap = Map.class.cast(val);
+      Map<?, ?> preMap = Map.class.cast(pre);
+      field.set(preloadTo, preloadMapFrom(castUnchecked(valMap), castUnchecked(preMap)));
+    } else {
+      field.set(preloadTo, val);
     }
   }
 
-  protected static <T> T getField(Class<T> clz, Field field, Object obj)
-      throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException {
-    return clz.cast(field.get(obj));
-  }
-
   @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
   protected static <S> List<S> castUnchecked(List<?> list) {
     List<S> forceCheck = (List<S>) list;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskConfig.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskConfig.java
index 4e78749..32496cf 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskConfig.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskConfig.java
@@ -96,9 +96,13 @@
     }
 
     protected TaskBase(TaskBase base) {
-      super(base.subSection);
+      this(base.subSection);
       Copier.deepCopyDeclaredFields(TaskBase.class, base, this, false);
     }
+
+    protected TaskBase(SubSection s) {
+      super(s);
+    }
   }
 
   public class Task extends TaskBase {
@@ -119,6 +123,10 @@
       this.name = name;
     }
 
+    public Task(SubSection s) {
+      super(s);
+    }
+
     protected Map<String, String> getAllProperties() {
       Map<String, String> all = new HashMap<>(properties);
       all.putAll(exported);
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskTree.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskTree.java
index 9bf9b73..fd37c9a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskTree.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/task/TaskTree.java
@@ -158,8 +158,7 @@
 
     public Node(NodeList parent, Task task) throws ConfigInvalidException, OrmException {
       this.parent = parent;
-      Preloader.preload(task);
-      properties = new Properties(task, parent.getProperties());
+      properties = new Properties(Preloader.preload(task), parent.getProperties());
       this.task = properties.getTask(getChangeData());
       this.path.addAll(parent.path);
       this.path.add(key());