diff --git a/include/ScheduledAction.h b/include/ScheduledAction.h
index cc6d69db30..0738170a77 100644
--- a/include/ScheduledAction.h
+++ b/include/ScheduledAction.h
@@ -93,9 +93,10 @@ public:
      *  This function parse and checks the sched action attributes: REPEAT, DAYS
      *  , END_TYPE, END_DATE. It also removed DONE and MESSAGE.
      *    @param error
+     *    @param clean indicates if the user wants to remove DONE and MESSAGE
      *    @return 0 if success -1 otherwise
      */
-    int parse(std::string& error);
+    int parse(std::string& error, bool clean);
 
     /**
      *  @return true if the action needs to be executed.
@@ -139,13 +140,14 @@ public:
     /**
      *  Parse the ScheduleActions of a template
      *    @param error
+     *    @param clean indicates if the user wants to remove DONE and MESSAGE
      *    @return -1 in case of error 0 otherwise
      */
-    int parse(std::string& error)
+    int parse(std::string& error, bool clean)
     {
         for ( schedaction_iterator action = begin(); action != end(); ++action)
         {
-            if ( (*action)->parse(error) == -1 )
+            if ( (*action)->parse(error, clean) == -1 )
             {
                 return -1;
             }
diff --git a/include/VirtualMachine.h b/include/VirtualMachine.h
index c3883c1df9..965e027fff 100644
--- a/include/VirtualMachine.h
+++ b/include/VirtualMachine.h
@@ -2052,6 +2052,19 @@ private:
      */
     int parse_public_clouds(const char *name, string& error);
 
+    /**
+     * Child classes can process the new template set with replace_template or
+     * append_template with this method
+     *    @param error string describing the error if any
+     *    @return 0 on success
+     */
+    int post_update_template(string& error);
+
+    /**
+     *  This method removes sched_action DONE/MESSAGE attributes
+     */
+    int parse_sched_action(string& error_str);
+
 protected:
 
     //**************************************************************************
diff --git a/src/scheduler/src/sched/Scheduler.cc b/src/scheduler/src/sched/Scheduler.cc
index 6b58e31cb4..ea91508674 100644
--- a/src/scheduler/src/sched/Scheduler.cc
+++ b/src/scheduler/src/sched/Scheduler.cc
@@ -1444,7 +1444,7 @@ int Scheduler::do_scheduled_actions()
             NebulaLog::log("VM", Log::INFO, oss);
         }
 
-        if ( sas->empty() != 0 ) //Do not update VMs without SCHED_ACTION
+        if ( !sas->empty() ) //Do not update VMs without SCHED_ACTION
         {
             vmpool->update(vm);
         }
diff --git a/src/vm/VirtualMachine.cc b/src/vm/VirtualMachine.cc
index a7c26e3806..7a0ed2442e 100644
--- a/src/vm/VirtualMachine.cc
+++ b/src/vm/VirtualMachine.cc
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include "NebulaLog.h"
 #include "NebulaUtil.h"
 #include "Snapshots.h"
+#include "ScheduledAction.h"
 
 #include "Nebula.h"
 
@@ -2302,6 +2303,13 @@ int VirtualMachine::replace_template(
         return -1;
     }
 
+    if (post_update_template(error) == -1)
+    {
+        delete user_obj_template;
+
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     delete user_obj_template;
 
     user_obj_template = new_tmpl;
@@ -2356,6 +2364,13 @@ int VirtualMachine::append_template(
         user_obj_template = new_tmpl;
     }
 
+    if (post_update_template(error) == -1)
+    {
+        delete user_obj_template;
+
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -3079,3 +3094,24 @@ void VirtualMachine::release_vmgroup()
     vmgrouppool->del_vm(thegroup, get_oid());
 }
 
+int VirtualMachine::parse_sched_action(string& error_str)
+{
+    SchedActions sactions(user_obj_template);
+
+    return sactions.parse(error_str, false);
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+
+int VirtualMachine::post_update_template(string& error)
+{
+    int rc = parse_sched_action(error);
+    if (rc == -1)
+    {
+        return rc;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/vm_template/ScheduledAction.cc b/src/vm_template/ScheduledAction.cc
index 29d04b067e..a85f653b83 100644
--- a/src/vm_template/ScheduledAction.cc
+++ b/src/vm_template/ScheduledAction.cc
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ bool SchedAction::ends_in_range(EndOn eo, std::string& error)
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
-int SchedAction::parse(std::string& error)
+int SchedAction::parse(std::string& error, bool clean)
 {
     Repeat r;
     EndOn  eo;
@@ -228,8 +228,11 @@ int SchedAction::parse(std::string& error)
         return -1;
     }
 
-    remove("DONE");
-    remove("MESSAGE");
+    if (clean)
+    {
+        remove("DONE");
+        remove("MESSAGE");
+    }
 
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/vm_template/VMTemplate.cc b/src/vm_template/VMTemplate.cc
index 52880cc47f..50c0867a75 100644
--- a/src/vm_template/VMTemplate.cc
+++ b/src/vm_template/VMTemplate.cc
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ int VMTemplate::parse_sched_action(string& error_str)
 {
     SchedActions sactions(obj_template);
 
-    return sactions.parse(error_str);
+    return sactions.parse(error_str, true);
 }
 
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */