diff --git a/cli/command/task/formatter.go b/cli/command/task/formatter.go
index 60d70179b3..7f754e8d95 100644
--- a/cli/command/task/formatter.go
+++ b/cli/command/task/formatter.go
@@ -23,7 +23,14 @@ const (
 )
 
 // NewTaskFormat returns a Format for rendering using a task Context
+//
+// Deprecated: this function was only used internally and will be removed in the next release.
 func NewTaskFormat(source string, quiet bool) formatter.Format {
+	return newTaskFormat(source, quiet)
+}
+
+// newTaskFormat returns a Format for rendering using a taskContext.
+func newTaskFormat(source string, quiet bool) formatter.Format {
 	switch source {
 	case formatter.TableFormatKey:
 		if quiet {
@@ -40,10 +47,17 @@ func NewTaskFormat(source string, quiet bool) formatter.Format {
 }
 
 // FormatWrite writes the context
-func FormatWrite(ctx formatter.Context, tasks []swarm.Task, names map[string]string, nodes map[string]string) error {
+//
+// Deprecated: this function was only used internally and will be removed in the next release.
+func FormatWrite(fmtCtx formatter.Context, tasks []swarm.Task, names map[string]string, nodes map[string]string) error {
+	return formatWrite(fmtCtx, tasks, names, nodes)
+}
+
+// formatWrite writes the context.
+func formatWrite(fmtCtx formatter.Context, tasks []swarm.Task, names map[string]string, nodes map[string]string) error {
 	render := func(format func(subContext formatter.SubContext) error) error {
 		for _, task := range tasks {
-			taskCtx := &taskContext{trunc: ctx.Trunc, task: task, name: names[task.ID], node: nodes[task.ID]}
+			taskCtx := &taskContext{trunc: fmtCtx.Trunc, task: task, name: names[task.ID], node: nodes[task.ID]}
 			if err := format(taskCtx); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -61,7 +75,7 @@ func FormatWrite(ctx formatter.Context, tasks []swarm.Task, names map[string]str
 		"Error":        formatter.ErrorHeader,
 		"Ports":        formatter.PortsHeader,
 	}
-	return ctx.Write(&taskCtx, render)
+	return fmtCtx.Write(&taskCtx, render)
 }
 
 type taskContext struct {
diff --git a/cli/command/task/formatter_test.go b/cli/command/task/formatter_test.go
index 71d6b69810..0d2a359bc6 100644
--- a/cli/command/task/formatter_test.go
+++ b/cli/command/task/formatter_test.go
@@ -27,30 +27,30 @@ func TestTaskContextWrite(t *testing.T) {
 			`template parsing error: template: :1:2: executing "" at <nil>: nil is not a command`,
 		},
 		{
-			formatter.Context{Format: NewTaskFormat("table", true)},
+			formatter.Context{Format: newTaskFormat("table", true)},
 			`taskID1
 taskID2
 `,
 		},
 		{
-			formatter.Context{Format: NewTaskFormat("table {{.Name}}\t{{.Node}}\t{{.Ports}}", false)},
+			formatter.Context{Format: newTaskFormat("table {{.Name}}\t{{.Node}}\t{{.Ports}}", false)},
 			string(golden.Get(t, "task-context-write-table-custom.golden")),
 		},
 		{
-			formatter.Context{Format: NewTaskFormat("table {{.Name}}", true)},
+			formatter.Context{Format: newTaskFormat("table {{.Name}}", true)},
 			`NAME
 foobar_baz
 foobar_bar
 `,
 		},
 		{
-			formatter.Context{Format: NewTaskFormat("raw", true)},
+			formatter.Context{Format: newTaskFormat("raw", true)},
 			`id: taskID1
 id: taskID2
 `,
 		},
 		{
-			formatter.Context{Format: NewTaskFormat("{{.Name}} {{.Node}}", false)},
+			formatter.Context{Format: newTaskFormat("{{.Name}} {{.Node}}", false)},
 			`foobar_baz foo1
 foobar_bar foo2
 `,
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ foobar_bar foo2
 			var out bytes.Buffer
 			tc.context.Output = &out
 
-			if err := FormatWrite(tc.context, tasks, names, nodes); err != nil {
+			if err := formatWrite(tc.context, tasks, names, nodes); err != nil {
 				assert.Error(t, err, tc.expected)
 			} else {
 				assert.Equal(t, out.String(), tc.expected)
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ func TestTaskContextWriteJSONField(t *testing.T) {
 		"taskID2": "foobar_bar",
 	}
 	out := bytes.NewBufferString("")
-	err := FormatWrite(formatter.Context{Format: "{{json .ID}}", Output: out}, tasks, names, map[string]string{})
+	err := formatWrite(formatter.Context{Format: "{{json .ID}}", Output: out}, tasks, names, map[string]string{})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/cli/command/task/print.go b/cli/command/task/print.go
index d9d015767b..615cb84e11 100644
--- a/cli/command/task/print.go
+++ b/cli/command/task/print.go
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func Print(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, tasks []swarm.Task, resol
 
 	tasksCtx := formatter.Context{
 		Output: dockerCli.Out(),
-		Format: NewTaskFormat(format, quiet),
+		Format: newTaskFormat(format, quiet),
 		Trunc:  trunc,
 	}
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func Print(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, tasks []swarm.Task, resol
 		nodes[task.ID] = nodeValue
 	}
 
-	return FormatWrite(tasksCtx, tasks, names, nodes)
+	return formatWrite(tasksCtx, tasks, names, nodes)
 }
 
 // generateTaskNames generates names for the given tasks, and returns a copy of