diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/resources/forbidden/all-signatures.txt b/buildSrc/src/main/resources/forbidden/all-signatures.txt
index 0809cdab9c2..5a91807233b 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/resources/forbidden/all-signatures.txt
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/resources/forbidden/all-signatures.txt
@@ -112,3 +112,7 @@ java.lang.System#setProperty(java.lang.String,java.lang.String)
 java.lang.System#clearProperty(java.lang.String)
 java.lang.System#getProperties() @ Use BootstrapInfo.getSystemProperties for a read-only view
 
+@defaultMessage Avoid unchecked warnings by using Collections#empty(List|Map|Set) methods
+java.util.Collections#EMPTY_LIST
+java.util.Collections#EMPTY_MAP
+java.util.Collections#EMPTY_SET
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
index d3ba811a6e5..96d378af042 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                     // Set up everything, now locally create the index to see that things are ok, and apply
                     final IndexMetaData tmpImd = IndexMetaData.builder(request.index()).settings(actualIndexSettings).build();
                     // create the index here (on the master) to validate it can be created, as well as adding the mapping
-                    indicesService.createIndex(nodeServicesProvider, tmpImd, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+                    indicesService.createIndex(nodeServicesProvider, tmpImd, Collections.emptyList());
                     indexCreated = true;
                     // now add the mappings
                     IndexService indexService = indicesService.indexServiceSafe(request.index());
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexAliasesService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexAliasesService.java
index b13f9711bef..71ef9c22c33 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexAliasesService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexAliasesService.java
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ public class MetaDataIndexAliasesService extends AbstractComponent {
                                     if (indexService == null) {
                                         // temporarily create the index and add mappings so we can parse the filter
                                         try {
-                                            indexService = indicesService.createIndex(nodeServicesProvider, indexMetaData, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+                                            indexService = indicesService.createIndex(nodeServicesProvider, indexMetaData, Collections.emptyList());
                                             if (indexMetaData.getMappings().containsKey(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING)) {
                                                 indexService.mapperService().merge(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, indexMetaData.getMappings().get(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING).source(), false, false);
                                             }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexUpgradeService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexUpgradeService.java
index 2d89857f60d..00904af8915 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexUpgradeService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataIndexUpgradeService.java
@@ -218,8 +218,8 @@ public class MetaDataIndexUpgradeService extends AbstractComponent {
         try {
             // We cannot instantiate real analysis server at this point because the node might not have
             // been started yet. However, we don't really need real analyzers at this stage - so we can fake it
-            IndexSettings indexSettings = new IndexSettings(indexMetaData, this.settings, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
-            SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(indexSettings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+            IndexSettings indexSettings = new IndexSettings(indexMetaData, this.settings, Collections.emptyList());
+            SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(indexSettings, Collections.emptyMap());
 
             try (AnalysisService analysisService = new FakeAnalysisService(indexSettings)) {
                 try (MapperService mapperService = new MapperService(indexSettings, analysisService, similarityService, mapperRegistry)) {
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ public class MetaDataIndexUpgradeService extends AbstractComponent {
         };
 
         public FakeAnalysisService(IndexSettings indexSettings) {
-            super(indexSettings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+            super(indexSettings, Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap());
         }
 
         @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java
index 44de399bed4..854d55020dd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ public class MetaDataMappingService extends AbstractComponent {
                                 IndexService indexService;
                                 if (indicesService.hasIndex(index) == false) {
                                     indicesToClose.add(index);
-                                    indexService = indicesService.createIndex(nodeServicesProvider, indexMetaData, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+                                    indexService = indicesService.createIndex(nodeServicesProvider, indexMetaData, Collections.emptyList());
                                     // add mappings for all types, we need them for cross-type validation
                                     for (ObjectCursor<MappingMetaData> mapping : indexMetaData.getMappings().values()) {
                                         indexService.mapperService().merge(mapping.value.type(), mapping.value.source(), false, request.updateAllTypes());
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/util/ExtensionPoint.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/util/ExtensionPoint.java
index 2ce4190a00e..d25113a54bb 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/util/ExtensionPoint.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/util/ExtensionPoint.java
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ public abstract class ExtensionPoint {
     public static final class SelectedType<T> extends ClassMap<T> {
 
         public SelectedType(String name, Class<T> extensionClass) {
-            super(name, extensionClass, Collections.EMPTY_SET);
+            super(name, extensionClass, Collections.emptySet());
         }
 
         /**
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/TransportNodesListGatewayStartedShards.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/TransportNodesListGatewayStartedShards.java
index bfc078a6679..d91b4bd8cdd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/TransportNodesListGatewayStartedShards.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/TransportNodesListGatewayStartedShards.java
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public class TransportNodesListGatewayStartedShards extends TransportNodesAction
                 if (metaData != null) {
                     ShardPath shardPath = null;
                     try {
-                        IndexSettings indexSettings = new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+                        IndexSettings indexSettings = new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.emptyList());
                         shardPath = ShardPath.loadShardPath(logger, nodeEnv, shardId, indexSettings);
                         if (shardPath == null) {
                             throw new IllegalStateException(shardId + " no shard path found");
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisRegistry.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisRegistry.java
index 4e7b66dec8f..86c06dbe54f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisRegistry.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisRegistry.java
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public final class AnalysisRegistry implements Closeable {
     private final Environment environemnt;
 
     public AnalysisRegistry(HunspellService hunspellService, Environment environment) {
-        this(hunspellService, environment, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+        this(hunspellService, environment, Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap());
     }
 
     public AnalysisRegistry(HunspellService hunspellService, Environment environment,
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java
index e6ff9344acd..35dd895bc2e 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ public class Translog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements IndexShardC
                 current = createWriter(checkpoint.generation + 1);
                 this.lastCommittedTranslogFileGeneration = translogGeneration.translogFileGeneration;
             } else {
-                this.recoveredTranslogs = Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
+                this.recoveredTranslogs = Collections.emptyList();
                 IOUtils.rm(location);
                 logger.debug("wipe translog location - creating new translog");
                 Files.createDirectories(location);
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@ public class Translog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements IndexShardC
      * and updated with any future translog.
      */
     public static final class View implements Closeable {
-        public static final Translog.View EMPTY_VIEW = new View(Collections.EMPTY_LIST, null);
+        public static final Translog.View EMPTY_VIEW = new View(Collections.emptyList(), null);
 
         boolean closed;
         // last in this list is always FsTranslog.current
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesService.java
index ca059fa25f0..ad1cd399c36 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesService.java
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ public class IndicesService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<IndicesService> i
         }
         final String indexName = indexMetaData.getIndex();
         final Predicate<String> indexNameMatcher = (indexExpression) -> indexNameExpressionResolver.matchesIndex(indexName, indexExpression, clusterService.state());
-        final IndexSettings idxSettings = new IndexSettings(indexMetaData, this.settings, Collections.EMPTY_LIST, indexNameMatcher);
+        final IndexSettings idxSettings = new IndexSettings(indexMetaData, this.settings, Collections.emptyList(), indexNameMatcher);
         Index index = new Index(indexMetaData.getIndex());
         if (indices.containsKey(index.name())) {
             throw new IndexAlreadyExistsException(index);
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ public class IndicesService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<IndicesService> i
         // play safe here and make sure that we take node level settings into account.
         // we might run on nodes where we use shard FS and then in the future don't delete
         // actual content.
-        return new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+        return new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.emptyList());
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
index fc793a5dfda..64ff6c74587 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ public class IndicesClusterStateService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Indic
             } else {
                 final IndexMetaData metaData = previousState.metaData().index(index);
                 assert metaData != null;
-                indexSettings = new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+                indexSettings = new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.emptyList());
                 indicesService.deleteClosedIndex("closed index no longer part of the metadata", metaData, event.state());
             }
             try {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/store/TransportNodesListShardStoreMetaData.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/store/TransportNodesListShardStoreMetaData.java
index 44c9fbec0e0..d963ea24303 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/store/TransportNodesListShardStoreMetaData.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/store/TransportNodesListShardStoreMetaData.java
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ public class TransportNodesListShardStoreMetaData extends TransportNodesAction<T
             if (!storeType.contains("fs")) {
                 return new StoreFilesMetaData(false, shardId, Store.MetadataSnapshot.EMPTY);
             }
-            final IndexSettings indexSettings = indexService != null ? indexService.getIndexSettings() : new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+            final IndexSettings indexSettings = indexService != null ? indexService.getIndexSettings() : new IndexSettings(metaData, settings, Collections.emptyList());
             final ShardPath shardPath = ShardPath.loadShardPath(logger, nodeEnv, shardId, indexSettings);
             if (shardPath == null) {
                 return new StoreFilesMetaData(false, shardId, Store.MetadataSnapshot.EMPTY);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/percolator/PercolateContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/percolator/PercolateContext.java
index 6e164c3afc5..70abaaaff3d 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/percolator/PercolateContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/percolator/PercolateContext.java
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ public class PercolateContext extends SearchContext {
 
     @Override
     public Set<String> getHeaders() {
-        return Collections.EMPTY_SET;
+        return Collections.emptySet();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java
index 8c5088e757b..2648a183362 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ public abstract class BlobStoreRepository extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Rep
         if (readOnly()) {
             throw new RepositoryException(this.repositoryName, "cannot delete snapshot from a readonly repository");
         }
-        List<String> indices = Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
+        List<String> indices = Collections.emptyList();
         Snapshot snapshot = null;
         try {
             snapshot = readSnapshot(snapshotId);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/script/Template.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/script/Template.java
index babe488d4ad..e488f0a01e5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/script/Template.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/script/Template.java
@@ -121,12 +121,12 @@ public class Template extends Script {
 
     @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
     public static Script parse(Map<String, Object> config, boolean removeMatchedEntries, ParseFieldMatcher parseFieldMatcher) {
-        return new TemplateParser(Collections.EMPTY_MAP, MustacheScriptEngineService.NAME).parse(config, removeMatchedEntries, parseFieldMatcher);
+        return new TemplateParser(Collections.emptyMap(), MustacheScriptEngineService.NAME).parse(config, removeMatchedEntries, parseFieldMatcher);
     }
 
     @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
     public static Template parse(XContentParser parser, ParseFieldMatcher parseFieldMatcher) throws IOException {
-        return new TemplateParser(Collections.EMPTY_MAP, MustacheScriptEngineService.NAME).parse(parser, parseFieldMatcher);
+        return new TemplateParser(Collections.emptyMap(), MustacheScriptEngineService.NAME).parse(parser, parseFieldMatcher);
     }
 
     @Deprecated
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/heuristics/SignificanceHeuristicStreams.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/heuristics/SignificanceHeuristicStreams.java
index c58e923280d..64d2ae659e0 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/heuristics/SignificanceHeuristicStreams.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/heuristics/SignificanceHeuristicStreams.java
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
  */
 public class SignificanceHeuristicStreams {
 
-    private static Map<String, Stream> STREAMS = Collections.EMPTY_MAP;
+    private static Map<String, Stream> STREAMS = Collections.emptyMap();
 
     static {
         HashMap<String, Stream> map = new HashMap<>();
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator.java
index 89955ef0278..0f2ffea9a75 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator.java
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ public abstract class BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator extends SiblingPipelineAgg
                 }
             }
         }
-        return buildAggregation(Collections.EMPTY_LIST, metaData());
+        return buildAggregation(Collections.emptyList(), metaData());
     }
 
     /**
@@ -123,4 +123,4 @@ public abstract class BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator extends SiblingPipelineAgg
         gapPolicy.writeTo(out);
     }
 
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/max/MaxBucketPipelineAggregator.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/max/MaxBucketPipelineAggregator.java
index 8101c3caae2..95a70af7934 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/max/MaxBucketPipelineAggregator.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/max/MaxBucketPipelineAggregator.java
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ public class MaxBucketPipelineAggregator extends BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator
     @Override
     protected InternalAggregation buildAggregation(List<PipelineAggregator> pipelineAggregators, Map<String, Object> metadata) {
         String[] keys = maxBucketKeys.toArray(new String[maxBucketKeys.size()]);
-        return new InternalBucketMetricValue(name(), keys, maxValue, formatter, Collections.EMPTY_LIST, metaData());
+        return new InternalBucketMetricValue(name(), keys, maxValue, formatter, Collections.emptyList(), metaData());
     }
 
     public static class Factory extends PipelineAggregatorFactory {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/min/MinBucketPipelineAggregator.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/min/MinBucketPipelineAggregator.java
index 5da74281290..755b2060ae6 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/min/MinBucketPipelineAggregator.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/bucketmetrics/min/MinBucketPipelineAggregator.java
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ public class MinBucketPipelineAggregator extends BucketMetricsPipelineAggregator
     protected InternalAggregation buildAggregation(java.util.List<PipelineAggregator> pipelineAggregators,
             java.util.Map<String, Object> metadata) {
         String[] keys = minBucketKeys.toArray(new String[minBucketKeys.size()]);
-        return new InternalBucketMetricValue(name(), keys, minValue, formatter, Collections.EMPTY_LIST, metaData());
+        return new InternalBucketMetricValue(name(), keys, minValue, formatter, Collections.emptyList(), metaData());
     };
 
     public static class Factory extends PipelineAggregatorFactory {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/movavg/models/MovAvgModelStreams.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/movavg/models/MovAvgModelStreams.java
index d0314f4c4f6..f1238fb9fbd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/movavg/models/MovAvgModelStreams.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/pipeline/movavg/models/MovAvgModelStreams.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
  */
 public class MovAvgModelStreams {
 
-    private static Map<String, Stream> STREAMS = Collections.EMPTY_MAP;
+    private static Map<String, Stream> STREAMS = Collections.emptyMap();
 
     static {
         HashMap<String, Stream> map = new HashMap<>();
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/Suggesters.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/Suggesters.java
index a6f66fdd763..9eba50f478a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/Suggesters.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/Suggesters.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public final class Suggesters extends ExtensionPoint.ClassMap<Suggester> {
     private final Map<String, Suggester> parsers;
 
     public Suggesters() {
-        this(Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+        this(Collections.emptyMap());
     }
 
     public Suggesters(Map<String, Suggester> suggesters) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/completion/CompletionSuggestionContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/completion/CompletionSuggestionContext.java
index eab62a063a7..8ffd497eb3a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/completion/CompletionSuggestionContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/suggest/completion/CompletionSuggestionContext.java
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ public class CompletionSuggestionContext extends SuggestionSearchContext.Suggest
     private CompletionFieldMapper.CompletionFieldType fieldType;
     private CompletionSuggestionBuilder.FuzzyOptionsBuilder fuzzyOptionsBuilder;
     private CompletionSuggestionBuilder.RegexOptionsBuilder regexOptionsBuilder;
-    private Map<String, List<ContextMapping.QueryContext>> queryContexts = Collections.EMPTY_MAP;
+    private Map<String, List<ContextMapping.QueryContext>> queryContexts = Collections.emptyMap();
     private final MapperService mapperService;
     private final IndexFieldDataService indexFieldDataService;
-    private Set<String> payloadFields = Collections.EMPTY_SET;
+    private Set<String> payloadFields = Collections.emptySet();
 
     CompletionSuggestionContext(Suggester suggester, MapperService mapperService, IndexFieldDataService indexFieldDataService) {
         super(suggester);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/Snapshot.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/Snapshot.java
index d4311cab901..1206ef53501 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/Snapshot.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/Snapshot.java
@@ -29,8 +29,6 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 
-import static java.util.Collections.*;
-
 /**
  * Represent information about snapshot
  */
@@ -93,7 +91,7 @@ public class Snapshot implements Comparable<Snapshot>, ToXContent, FromXContentB
      * Special constructor for the prototype object
      */
     private Snapshot() {
-        this("", (List<String>) EMPTY_LIST, 0);
+        this("", Collections.emptyList(), 0);
     }
 
     private static SnapshotState snapshotState(String reason, List<SnapshotShardFailure> shardFailures) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java
index 2dca60cf53c..dda3451e950 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public class LocalTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
 
     @Override
     public Map<String, BoundTransportAddress> profileBoundAddresses() {
-        return Collections.EMPTY_MAP;
+        return Collections.emptyMap();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/FailAndRetryMockTransport.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/FailAndRetryMockTransport.java
index 95456fda901..9f16ade87e8 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/FailAndRetryMockTransport.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/FailAndRetryMockTransport.java
@@ -189,6 +189,6 @@ abstract class FailAndRetryMockTransport<Response extends TransportResponse> imp
 
     @Override
     public Map<String, BoundTransportAddress> profileBoundAddresses() {
-        return Collections.EMPTY_MAP;
+        return Collections.emptyMap();
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesServiceTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesServiceTests.java
index 3f5a91960fc..093e46186b3 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesServiceTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesServiceTests.java
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public class TransportClientNodesServiceTests extends ESTestCase {
             transport = new FailAndRetryMockTransport<TestResponse>(getRandom()) {
                 @Override
                 public List<String> getLocalAddresses() {
-                    return Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
+                    return Collections.emptyList();
                 }
 
                 @Override
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexModuleTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexModuleTests.java
index 30cb7cc8f99..2b76d03952d 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexModuleTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexModuleTests.java
@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@ public class IndexModuleTests extends ESTestCase {
         Set<ScriptEngineService> scriptEngines = new HashSet<>();
         scriptEngines.add(new MustacheScriptEngineService(settings));
         scriptEngines.addAll(Arrays.asList(scriptEngineServices));
-        ScriptService scriptService = new ScriptService(settings, environment, scriptEngines, new ResourceWatcherService(settings, threadPool), new ScriptContextRegistry(Collections.EMPTY_LIST));
-        IndicesQueriesRegistry indicesQueriesRegistry = new IndicesQueriesRegistry(settings, Collections.EMPTY_SET, new NamedWriteableRegistry());
+        ScriptService scriptService = new ScriptService(settings, environment, scriptEngines, new ResourceWatcherService(settings, threadPool), new ScriptContextRegistry(Collections.emptyList()));
+        IndicesQueriesRegistry indicesQueriesRegistry = new IndicesQueriesRegistry(settings, Collections.emptySet(), new NamedWriteableRegistry());
         return new NodeServicesProvider(threadPool, indicesQueryCache, null, warmer, bigArrays, client, scriptService, indicesQueriesRegistry, indicesFieldDataCache, circuitBreakerService);
     }
 
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ public class IndexModuleTests extends ESTestCase {
             assertEquals("Unknown Similarity type [test_similarity] for [my_similarity]", ex.getMessage());
         }
     }
-  
+
     public void testSetupWithoutType() throws IOException {
         Settings indexSettings = Settings.settingsBuilder()
                 .put("index.similarity.my_similarity.foo", "bar")
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettingsTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettingsTests.java
index 9a1dc3587a9..3f97fe402fa 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettingsTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettingsTests.java
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ public class IndexSettingsTests extends ESTestCase {
     public void testSettingsConsistency() {
         Version version = VersionUtils.getPreviousVersion();
         IndexMetaData metaData = newIndexMeta("index", Settings.settingsBuilder().put(IndexMetaData.SETTING_VERSION_CREATED, version).build());
-        IndexSettings settings = new IndexSettings(metaData, Settings.EMPTY, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+        IndexSettings settings = new IndexSettings(metaData, Settings.EMPTY, Collections.emptyList());
         assertEquals(version, settings.getIndexVersionCreated());
         assertEquals("_na_", settings.getUUID());
         try {
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ public class IndexSettingsTests extends ESTestCase {
         }
 
         metaData = newIndexMeta("index", Settings.settingsBuilder().put(IndexMetaData.SETTING_VERSION_CREATED, Version.CURRENT).put(IndexMetaData.SETTING_INDEX_UUID, "0xdeadbeef").build());
-        settings = new IndexSettings(metaData, Settings.EMPTY, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+        settings = new IndexSettings(metaData, Settings.EMPTY, Collections.emptyList());
         try {
             settings.updateIndexMetaData(newIndexMeta("index", Settings.builder().put(IndexMetaData.SETTING_VERSION_CREATED, Version.CURRENT).put("index.test.setting.int", 42).build()));
             fail("uuid missing/change");
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisModuleTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisModuleTests.java
index ef13a891a29..7cd16e350a4 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisModuleTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisModuleTests.java
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public class AnalysisModuleTests extends ModuleTestCase {
 
     public AnalysisRegistry getNewRegistry(Settings settings) {
        return new AnalysisRegistry(null, new Environment(settings),
-                Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.singletonMap("myfilter", MyFilterTokenFilterFactory::new), Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+                Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.singletonMap("myfilter", MyFilterTokenFilterFactory::new), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap());
     }
 
     private Settings loadFromClasspath(String path) {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisTestsHelper.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisTestsHelper.java
index 7d4164939b0..1404716b0c8 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisTestsHelper.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/AnalysisTestsHelper.java
@@ -51,6 +51,6 @@ public class AnalysisTestsHelper {
         }
         IndexSettings idxSettings = IndexSettingsModule.newIndexSettings(index, settings);
         Environment environment = new Environment(settings);
-        return new AnalysisRegistry(new HunspellService(settings, environment, Collections.EMPTY_MAP), environment).build(idxSettings);
+        return new AnalysisRegistry(new HunspellService(settings, environment, Collections.emptyMap()), environment).build(idxSettings);
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/CompoundAnalysisTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/CompoundAnalysisTests.java
index 0eb916826f4..e685c21422b 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/CompoundAnalysisTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/analysis/CompoundAnalysisTests.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class CompoundAnalysisTests extends ESTestCase {
         Settings settings = getJsonSettings();
         IndexSettings idxSettings = IndexSettingsModule.newIndexSettings(index, settings);
         AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisRegistry(null, new Environment(settings),
-                Collections.EMPTY_MAP,Collections.singletonMap("myfilter", MyFilterTokenFilterFactory::new),Collections.EMPTY_MAP,Collections.EMPTY_MAP).build(idxSettings);
+                Collections.emptyMap(),Collections.singletonMap("myfilter", MyFilterTokenFilterFactory::new),Collections.emptyMap(),Collections.emptyMap()).build(idxSettings);
 
         TokenFilterFactory filterFactory = analysisService.tokenFilter("dict_dec");
         MatcherAssert.assertThat(filterFactory, instanceOf(DictionaryCompoundWordTokenFilterFactory.class));
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public class CompoundAnalysisTests extends ESTestCase {
         Index index = new Index("test");
         IndexSettings idxSettings = IndexSettingsModule.newIndexSettings(index, settings);
         AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisRegistry(null, new Environment(settings),
-                Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.singletonMap("myfilter", MyFilterTokenFilterFactory::new),Collections.EMPTY_MAP,Collections.EMPTY_MAP).build(idxSettings);
+                Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.singletonMap("myfilter", MyFilterTokenFilterFactory::new),Collections.emptyMap(),Collections.emptyMap()).build(idxSettings);
 
         Analyzer analyzer = analysisService.analyzer(analyzerName).analyzer();
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/codec/CodecTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/codec/CodecTests.java
index e8c351c0b37..eae80418b0d 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/codec/CodecTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/codec/CodecTests.java
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class CodecTests extends ESTestCase {
                 .put("path.home", createTempDir())
                 .build();
         IndexSettings settings = IndexSettingsModule.newIndexSettings(new Index("_na"), nodeSettings);
-        SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(settings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+        SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(settings, Collections.emptyMap());
         AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisRegistry(null, new Environment(nodeSettings)).build(settings);
         MapperRegistry mapperRegistry = new MapperRegistry(Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap());
         MapperService service = new MapperService(settings, analysisService, similarityService, mapperRegistry);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java
index 01c47cce05e..2a122c38dde 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java
@@ -1617,7 +1617,7 @@ public class InternalEngineTests extends ESTestCase {
         // now it should be OK.
         IndexSettings indexSettings = new IndexSettings(defaultSettings.getIndexMetaData(),
                 Settings.builder().put(defaultSettings.getSettings()).put(EngineConfig.INDEX_FORCE_NEW_TRANSLOG, true).build(),
-                Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+                Collections.emptyList());
         engine = createEngine(indexSettings, store, primaryTranslogDir, new MergeSchedulerConfig(indexSettings), newMergePolicy());
     }
 
@@ -1901,8 +1901,8 @@ public class InternalEngineTests extends ESTestCase {
             RootObjectMapper.Builder rootBuilder = new RootObjectMapper.Builder("test");
             Index index = new Index(indexName);
             IndexSettings indexSettings = IndexSettingsModule.newIndexSettings(index, settings);
-            AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisService(indexSettings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
-            SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(indexSettings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+            AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisService(indexSettings, Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap());
+            SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(indexSettings, Collections.emptyMap());
             MapperRegistry mapperRegistry = new IndicesModule().getMapperRegistry();
             MapperService mapperService = new MapperService(indexSettings, analysisService, similarityService, mapperRegistry);
             DocumentMapper.Builder b = new DocumentMapper.Builder(settings, rootBuilder, mapperService);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/AbstractQueryTestCase.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/AbstractQueryTestCase.java
index f64dc1a55de..aebf00e0728 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/AbstractQueryTestCase.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/AbstractQueryTestCase.java
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractQueryTestCase<QB extends AbstractQueryBuilder<QB>>
         ).createInjector();
         AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisRegistry(null, new Environment(settings)).build(idxSettings);
         ScriptService scriptService = injector.getInstance(ScriptService.class);
-        SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(idxSettings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+        SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(idxSettings, Collections.emptyMap());
         MapperRegistry mapperRegistry = injector.getInstance(MapperRegistry.class);
         MapperService mapperService = new MapperService(idxSettings, analysisService, similarityService, mapperRegistry);
         indexFieldDataService = new IndexFieldDataService(idxSettings, injector.getInstance(IndicesFieldDataCache.class), injector.getInstance(CircuitBreakerService.class), mapperService);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryParserTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryParserTests.java
index 78379260b72..d62a11077ec 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryParserTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryParserTests.java
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ public class TemplateQueryParserTests extends ESTestCase {
 
         AnalysisService analysisService = new AnalysisRegistry(null, new Environment(settings)).build(idxSettings);
         ScriptService scriptService = injector.getInstance(ScriptService.class);
-        SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(idxSettings, Collections.EMPTY_MAP);
+        SimilarityService similarityService = new SimilarityService(idxSettings, Collections.emptyMap());
         MapperRegistry mapperRegistry = new IndicesModule().getMapperRegistry();
         MapperService mapperService = new MapperService(idxSettings, analysisService, similarityService, mapperRegistry);
         IndexFieldDataService indexFieldDataService =new IndexFieldDataService(idxSettings, injector.getInstance(IndicesFieldDataCache.class), injector.getInstance(CircuitBreakerService.class), mapperService);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/SignificanceHeuristicTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/SignificanceHeuristicTests.java
index b10dfd31b35..d20dff0ae05 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/SignificanceHeuristicTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/aggregations/bucket/significant/SignificanceHeuristicTests.java
@@ -103,13 +103,13 @@ public class SignificanceHeuristicTests extends ESTestCase {
         if (randomBoolean()) {
             buckets.add(new SignificantLongTerms.Bucket(1, 2, 3, 4, 123, InternalAggregations.EMPTY, null));
             sTerms[0] = new SignificantLongTerms(10, 20, "some_name", null, 1, 1, heuristic, buckets,
-                    Collections.EMPTY_LIST, null);
+                    Collections.emptyList(), null);
             sTerms[1] = new SignificantLongTerms();
         } else {
 
             BytesRef term = new BytesRef("someterm");
             buckets.add(new SignificantStringTerms.Bucket(term, 1, 2, 3, 4, InternalAggregations.EMPTY));
-            sTerms[0] = new SignificantStringTerms(10, 20, "some_name", 1, 1, heuristic, buckets, Collections.EMPTY_LIST,
+            sTerms[0] = new SignificantStringTerms(10, 20, "some_name", 1, 1, heuristic, buckets, Collections.emptyList(),
                     null);
             sTerms[1] = new SignificantStringTerms();
         }
diff --git a/plugins/discovery-gce/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/gce/GceComputeServiceImpl.java b/plugins/discovery-gce/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/gce/GceComputeServiceImpl.java
index d8f6dd331b2..0171a7fe539 100644
--- a/plugins/discovery-gce/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/gce/GceComputeServiceImpl.java
+++ b/plugins/discovery-gce/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/gce/GceComputeServiceImpl.java
@@ -79,14 +79,15 @@ public class GceComputeServiceImpl extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<GceCompute
                         return list.execute();
                     }
                 });
-                if (instanceList.isEmpty()) {
-                    return Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
-                }
-                return instanceList.getItems();
+                // assist type inference
+                List<Instance> items = instanceList.isEmpty() ? Collections.emptyList() : instanceList.getItems();
+                return items;
             } catch (PrivilegedActionException e) {
                 logger.warn("Problem fetching instance list for zone {}", zoneId);
                 logger.debug("Full exception:", e);
-                return Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
+                // assist type inference
+                List<Instance> items = Collections.emptyList();
+                return items;
             }
         }).reduce(new ArrayList<>(), (a, b) -> {
             a.addAll(b);
diff --git a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/IndexSettingsModule.java b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/IndexSettingsModule.java
index c040aae1292..39e1857f412 100644
--- a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/IndexSettingsModule.java
+++ b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/IndexSettingsModule.java
@@ -54,6 +54,6 @@ public class IndexSettingsModule extends AbstractModule {
                 .put(settings)
                 .build();
         IndexMetaData metaData = IndexMetaData.builder(index.getName()).settings(build).build();
-        return new IndexSettings(metaData, Settings.EMPTY, Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+        return new IndexSettings(metaData, Settings.EMPTY, Collections.emptyList());
     }
 }
diff --git a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/TestSearchContext.java b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/TestSearchContext.java
index d4e2af5f30c..468b1877250 100644
--- a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/TestSearchContext.java
+++ b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/TestSearchContext.java
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ public class TestSearchContext extends SearchContext {
 
     @Override
     public Set<String> getHeaders() {
-        return Collections.EMPTY_SET;
+        return Collections.emptySet();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/store/MockFSDirectoryService.java b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/store/MockFSDirectoryService.java
index 9c2b8612d51..27a2e6fb22e 100644
--- a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/store/MockFSDirectoryService.java
+++ b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/store/MockFSDirectoryService.java
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ public class MockFSDirectoryService extends FsDirectoryService {
     private FsDirectoryService randomDirectorService(IndexStore indexStore, ShardPath path) {
         final IndexSettings indexSettings = indexStore.getIndexSettings();
         final IndexMetaData build = IndexMetaData.builder(indexSettings.getIndexMetaData()).settings(Settings.builder().put(indexSettings.getSettings()).put(IndexModule.STORE_TYPE, RandomPicks.randomFrom(random, IndexModule.Type.values()).getSettingsKey())).build();
-        final IndexSettings newIndexSettings = new IndexSettings(build, indexSettings.getNodeSettings(), Collections.EMPTY_LIST);
+        final IndexSettings newIndexSettings = new IndexSettings(build, indexSettings.getNodeSettings(), Collections.emptyList());
         return new FsDirectoryService(newIndexSettings, indexStore, path);
     }
 
diff --git a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/transport/CapturingTransport.java b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/transport/CapturingTransport.java
index 476b89aa1a9..2363d98a113 100644
--- a/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/transport/CapturingTransport.java
+++ b/test-framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/transport/CapturingTransport.java
@@ -178,6 +178,6 @@ public class CapturingTransport implements Transport {
 
     @Override
     public List<String> getLocalAddresses() {
-        return Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
+        return Collections.emptyList();
     }
 }