diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/fieldstats/TransportFieldStatsTransportAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/fieldstats/TransportFieldStatsTransportAction.java
index bf70fa4910e..d0fb90f455c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/fieldstats/TransportFieldStatsTransportAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/fieldstats/TransportFieldStatsTransportAction.java
@@ -133,7 +133,6 @@ public class TransportFieldStatsTransportAction extends TransportBroadcastAction
         IndexService indexServices = indicesService.indexServiceSafe(shardId.getIndex());
         MapperService mapperService = indexServices.mapperService();
         IndexShard shard = indexServices.shardSafe(shardId.id());
-        shard.readAllowed();
         try (Engine.Searcher searcher = shard.acquireSearcher("fieldstats")) {
             for (String field : request.getFields()) {
                 MappedFieldType fieldType = mapperService.fullName(field);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/percolator/PercolatorQueriesRegistry.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/percolator/PercolatorQueriesRegistry.java
index 7c194f00c64..22ca67b9c62 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/percolator/PercolatorQueriesRegistry.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/percolator/PercolatorQueriesRegistry.java
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ public class PercolatorQueriesRegistry extends AbstractIndexShardComponent imple
         }
 
         @Override
-        public void afterIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {
+        public void beforeIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {
             if (hasPercolatorType(indexShard)) {
                 // percolator index has started, fetch what we can from it and initialize the indices
                 // we have
@@ -274,8 +274,9 @@ public class PercolatorQueriesRegistry extends AbstractIndexShardComponent imple
 
         private int loadQueries(IndexShard shard) {
             shard.refresh("percolator_load_queries");
-            // Maybe add a mode load? This isn't really a write. We need write b/c state=post_recovery
-            try (Engine.Searcher searcher = shard.acquireSearcher("percolator_load_queries", true)) {
+            // NOTE: we acquire the searcher via the engine directly here since this is executed right
+            // before the shard is marked as POST_RECOVERY
+            try (Engine.Searcher searcher = shard.engine().acquireSearcher("percolator_load_queries")) {
                 Query query = new TermQuery(new Term(TypeFieldMapper.NAME, PercolatorService.TYPE_NAME));
                 QueriesLoaderCollector queryCollector = new QueriesLoaderCollector(PercolatorQueriesRegistry.this, logger, mapperService, indexFieldDataService);
                 searcher.searcher().search(query, queryCollector);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
index 74a3dae27bb..af121a6f707 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
@@ -742,11 +742,7 @@ public class IndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent {
     }
 
     public Engine.Searcher acquireSearcher(String source) {
-        return acquireSearcher(source, false);
-    }
-
-    public Engine.Searcher acquireSearcher(String source, boolean searcherForWriteOperation) {
-        readAllowed(searcherForWriteOperation);
+        readAllowed();
         return engine().acquireSearcher(source);
     }
 
@@ -776,6 +772,7 @@ public class IndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent {
     }
 
     public IndexShard postRecovery(String reason) throws IndexShardStartedException, IndexShardRelocatedException, IndexShardClosedException {
+        indicesLifecycle.beforeIndexShardPostRecovery(this);
         synchronized (mutex) {
             if (state == IndexShardState.CLOSED) {
                 throw new IndexShardClosedException(shardId);
@@ -907,20 +904,9 @@ public class IndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent {
     }
 
     public void readAllowed() throws IllegalIndexShardStateException {
-        readAllowed(false);
-    }
-
-
-    private void readAllowed(boolean writeOperation) throws IllegalIndexShardStateException {
         IndexShardState state = this.state; // one time volatile read
-        if (writeOperation) {
-            if (state != IndexShardState.STARTED && state != IndexShardState.RELOCATED && state != IndexShardState.RECOVERING && state != IndexShardState.POST_RECOVERY) {
-                throw new IllegalIndexShardStateException(shardId, state, "operations only allowed when started/relocated");
-            }
-        } else {
-            if (state != IndexShardState.STARTED && state != IndexShardState.RELOCATED) {
-                throw new IllegalIndexShardStateException(shardId, state, "operations only allowed when started/relocated");
-            }
+        if (state != IndexShardState.STARTED && state != IndexShardState.RELOCATED) {
+            throw new IllegalIndexShardStateException(shardId, state, "operations only allowed when started/relocated");
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesLifecycle.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesLifecycle.java
index 42262c81e9e..211b6d4869d 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesLifecycle.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/IndicesLifecycle.java
@@ -97,9 +97,16 @@ public interface IndicesLifecycle {
 
         }
 
-        public void afterIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {
+        /**
+         * Called right after the shard is moved into POST_RECOVERY mode
+         */
+        public void afterIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {}
 
-        }
+        /**
+         * Called right before the shard is moved into POST_RECOVERY mode.
+         * The shard is ready to be used but not yet marked as POST_RECOVERY.
+         */
+        public void beforeIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {}
 
         /**
          * Called after the index shard has been started.
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/InternalIndicesLifecycle.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/InternalIndicesLifecycle.java
index 046acb7f625..77050714db2 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/InternalIndicesLifecycle.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/InternalIndicesLifecycle.java
@@ -121,6 +121,18 @@ public class InternalIndicesLifecycle extends AbstractComponent implements Indic
         }
     }
 
+    public void beforeIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {
+        for (Listener listener : listeners) {
+            try {
+                listener.beforeIndexShardPostRecovery(indexShard);
+            } catch (Throwable t) {
+                logger.warn("{} failed to invoke before shard post recovery callback", t, indexShard.shardId());
+                throw t;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+
     public void afterIndexShardPostRecovery(IndexShard indexShard) {
         for (Listener listener : listeners) {
             try {