diff --git a/kallithea/lib/celerylib/__init__.py b/kallithea/lib/celerylib/__init__.py
--- a/kallithea/lib/celerylib/__init__.py
+++ b/kallithea/lib/celerylib/__init__.py
@@ -43,29 +43,30 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 def task(f_org):
-    """Wrapper of celery.task.task, running async if CELERY_APP
+    """Wrapper of celery.task.task, run at import time, before kallithea.CONFIG has been set, and before kallithea.CELERY_APP has been configured.
     """
 
-    if asbool(kallithea.CONFIG.get('use_celery')):
-        def f_async(*args, **kwargs):
-            log.info('executing %s task', f_org.__name__)
-            try:
-                f_org(*args, **kwargs)
-            finally:
-                meta.Session.remove()  # prevent reuse of auto created db sessions
-                log.info('executed %s task', f_org.__name__)
-        runner = kallithea.CELERY_APP.task(name=f_org.__name__, ignore_result=True)(f_async)
+    def f_async(*args, **kwargs):
+        log.info('executing async task %s', f_org.__name__)
+        try:
+            f_org(*args, **kwargs)
+        finally:
+            meta.Session.remove()  # prevent reuse of auto created db sessions
+            log.info('executed async task %s', f_org.__name__)
 
-        def f_wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
+    runner = kallithea.CELERY_APP.task(name=f_org.__name__, ignore_result=True)(f_async)
+
+    def f_wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
+        if asbool(kallithea.CONFIG.get('use_celery')):
             t = runner.apply_async(args=args, kwargs=kwargs)
-            log.info('executing task %s in async mode - id %s', f_org, t.task_id)
-    else:
-        def f_wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
-            log.info('executing task %s in sync', f_org.__name__)
+            log.info('executing async task %s - id %s', f_org, t.task_id)
+        else:
+            # invoke f_org directly, without the meta.Session.remove in f_async
+            log.info('executing sync task %s', f_org.__name__)
             try:
                 f_org(*args, **kwargs)
             except Exception as e:
-                log.error('exception executing sync task %s in sync: %r', f_org.__name__, e)
+                log.error('exception executing sync task %s: %r', f_org.__name__, e)
                 raise # TODO: report errors differently ... and consistently between sync and async
 
     return f_wrapped