diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModule.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModule.java
index 626b020c56c..3e668191ff3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModule.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModule.java
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.cluster.service.InternalClusterService;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.AbstractModule;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.ESLogger;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.Loggers;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Setting;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.ExtensionPoint;
 import org.elasticsearch.gateway.GatewayAllocator;
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.gateway.GatewayAllocator;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 
 /**
  * Configures classes and services that affect the entire cluster.
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ public class ClusterModule extends AbstractModule {
 
     public static final String EVEN_SHARD_COUNT_ALLOCATOR = "even_shard";
     public static final String BALANCED_ALLOCATOR = "balanced"; // default
-    public static final String SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY = "cluster.routing.allocation.type";
+    public static final Setting<String> SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING = new Setting<>("cluster.routing.allocation.type", BALANCED_ALLOCATOR, Function.identity(), false, Setting.Scope.CLUSTER);
     public static final List<Class<? extends AllocationDecider>> DEFAULT_ALLOCATION_DECIDERS =
         Collections.unmodifiableList(Arrays.asList(
             SameShardAllocationDecider.class,
@@ -121,7 +123,7 @@ public class ClusterModule extends AbstractModule {
     @Override
     protected void configure() {
         // bind ShardsAllocator
-        String shardsAllocatorType = shardsAllocators.bindType(binder(), settings, ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY, ClusterModule.BALANCED_ALLOCATOR);
+        String shardsAllocatorType = shardsAllocators.bindType(binder(), settings, ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), ClusterModule.BALANCED_ALLOCATOR);
         if (shardsAllocatorType.equals(ClusterModule.EVEN_SHARD_COUNT_ALLOCATOR)) {
             final ESLogger logger = Loggers.getLogger(getClass(), settings);
             logger.warn("{} allocator has been removed in 2.0 using {} instead", ClusterModule.EVEN_SHARD_COUNT_ALLOCATOR, ClusterModule.BALANCED_ALLOCATOR);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java
index 05978a13053..597f3058bd1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.common.settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.close.TransportCloseIndexAction;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.DestructiveOperations;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.transport.TransportClientNodesService;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterModule;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.InternalClusterInfoService;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.action.index.MappingUpdatedAction;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.MetaData;
@@ -253,5 +254,6 @@ public final class ClusterSettings extends AbstractScopedSettings {
         URLRepository.REPOSITORIES_LIST_DIRECTORIES_SETTING,
         URLRepository.REPOSITORIES_URL_SETTING,
         URLRepository.SUPPORTED_PROTOCOLS_SETTING,
-        Node.NODE_INGEST_SETTING)));
+        Node.NODE_INGEST_SETTING,
+        ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING)));
 }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModuleTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModuleTests.java
index 7cfa0eeaaa7..7af4e375fdc 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModuleTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/ClusterModuleTests.java
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ public class ClusterModuleTests extends ModuleTestCase {
     }
 
     public void testRegisterShardsAllocator() {
-        Settings settings = Settings.builder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY, "custom").build();
+        Settings settings = Settings.builder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), "custom").build();
         ClusterModule module = new ClusterModule(settings);
         module.registerShardsAllocator("custom", FakeShardsAllocator.class);
         assertBinding(module, ShardsAllocator.class, FakeShardsAllocator.class);
@@ -138,14 +138,14 @@ public class ClusterModuleTests extends ModuleTestCase {
     }
 
     public void testUnknownShardsAllocator() {
-        Settings settings = Settings.builder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY, "dne").build();
+        Settings settings = Settings.builder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), "dne").build();
         ClusterModule module = new ClusterModule(settings);
         assertBindingFailure(module, "Unknown [shards_allocator]");
     }
 
     public void testEvenShardsAllocatorBackcompat() {
         Settings settings = Settings.builder()
-            .put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY, ClusterModule.EVEN_SHARD_COUNT_ALLOCATOR).build();
+            .put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), ClusterModule.EVEN_SHARD_COUNT_ALLOCATOR).build();
         ClusterModule module = new ClusterModule(settings);
         assertBinding(module, ShardsAllocator.class, BalancedShardsAllocator.class);
     }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/allocation/ShardsAllocatorModuleIT.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/allocation/ShardsAllocatorModuleIT.java
index 89a7f8ad65c..60fa45ebfa1 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/allocation/ShardsAllocatorModuleIT.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/allocation/ShardsAllocatorModuleIT.java
@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ public class ShardsAllocatorModuleIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
     }
 
     public void testLoadByShortKeyShardsAllocator() throws IOException {
-        Settings build = settingsBuilder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY, "even_shard") // legacy just to make sure we don't barf
+        Settings build = settingsBuilder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), "even_shard") // legacy just to make sure we don't barf
                 .build();
         assertAllocatorInstance(build, BalancedShardsAllocator.class);
-        build = settingsBuilder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_KEY, ClusterModule.BALANCED_ALLOCATOR).build();
+        build = settingsBuilder().put(ClusterModule.SHARDS_ALLOCATOR_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), ClusterModule.BALANCED_ALLOCATOR).build();
         assertAllocatorInstance(build, BalancedShardsAllocator.class);
     }