diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/async_unremove_redeprecate.yml b/changelogs/fragments/async_unremove_redeprecate.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d57187226a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/async_unremove_redeprecate.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - async_status, resurrected module to deprecate for those that were invoking it directly.
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/async_status.py b/lib/ansible/modules/async_status.py
index 10af8dec225..c8ef9fc97f9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/async_status.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/async_status.py
@@ -87,3 +87,68 @@ erased:
   returned: when file is erased
   type: str
 '''
+
+import json
+import os
+
+from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
+from ansible.module_utils.six import iteritems
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native
+
+
+def main():
+
+    module = AnsibleModule(argument_spec=dict(
+        jid=dict(type='str', required=True),
+        mode=dict(type='str', default='status', choices=['cleanup', 'status']),
+        # passed in from the async_status action plugin
+        _async_dir=dict(type='path', required=True),
+    ))
+
+    module.deprecate("The async_status module should not be called directly anymore, use the action plugin instead", version='2.16')
+
+    mode = module.params['mode']
+    jid = module.params['jid']
+    async_dir = module.params['_async_dir']
+
+    # setup logging directory
+    logdir = os.path.expanduser(async_dir)
+    log_path = os.path.join(logdir, jid)
+
+    if not os.path.exists(log_path):
+        module.fail_json(msg="could not find job", ansible_job_id=jid, started=1, finished=1)
+
+    if mode == 'cleanup':
+        os.unlink(log_path)
+        module.exit_json(ansible_job_id=jid, erased=log_path)
+
+    # NOT in cleanup mode, assume regular status mode
+    # no remote kill mode currently exists, but probably should
+    # consider log_path + ".pid" file and also unlink that above
+
+    data = None
+    try:
+        with open(log_path) as f:
+            data = json.loads(f.read())
+    except Exception:
+        if not data:
+            # file not written yet?  That means it is running
+            module.exit_json(results_file=log_path, ansible_job_id=jid, started=1, finished=0)
+        else:
+            module.fail_json(ansible_job_id=jid, results_file=log_path,
+                             msg="Could not parse job output: %s" % data, started=1, finished=1)
+
+    if 'started' not in data:
+        data['finished'] = 1
+        data['ansible_job_id'] = jid
+    elif 'finished' not in data:
+        data['finished'] = 0
+
+    # Fix error: TypeError: exit_json() keywords must be strings
+    data = dict([(to_native(k), v) for k, v in iteritems(data)])
+
+    module.exit_json(**data)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()
diff --git a/test/sanity/ignore.txt b/test/sanity/ignore.txt
index 9c9886d5643..ce89b04a163 100644
--- a/test/sanity/ignore.txt
+++ b/test/sanity/ignore.txt
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ lib/ansible/modules/apt.py validate-modules:parameter-invalid
 lib/ansible/modules/apt_key.py validate-modules:parameter-type-not-in-doc
 lib/ansible/modules/apt_repository.py validate-modules:parameter-invalid
 lib/ansible/modules/assemble.py validate-modules:nonexistent-parameter-documented
+lib/ansible/modules/async_status.py use-argspec-type-path
+lib/ansible/modules/async_status.py validate-modules!skip
 lib/ansible/modules/async_wrapper.py ansible-doc!skip  # not an actual module
 lib/ansible/modules/async_wrapper.py pylint:ansible-bad-function # ignore, required
 lib/ansible/modules/async_wrapper.py use-argspec-type-path