diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesService.java
index c3379c9ceaf..71c5895669c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientNodesService.java
@@ -211,7 +211,18 @@ public class TransportClientNodesService extends AbstractComponent {
     }
 
     public <Response> void execute(NodeListenerCallback<Response> callback, ActionListener<Response> listener) {
-        List<DiscoveryNode> nodes = this.nodes;
+        // we first read nodes before checking the closed state; this
+        // is because otherwise we could be subject to a race where we
+        // read the state as not being closed, and then the client is
+        // closed and the nodes list is cleared, and then a
+        // NoNodeAvailableException is thrown
+        // it is important that the order of first setting the state of
+        // closed and then clearing the list of nodes is maintained in
+        // the close method
+        final List<DiscoveryNode> nodes = this.nodes;
+        if (closed) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("transport client is closed");
+        }
         ensureNodesAreAvailable(nodes);
         int index = getNodeNumber();
         RetryListener<Response> retryListener = new RetryListener<>(callback, listener, nodes, index);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ec2065b67e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/transport/TransportClientTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.elasticsearch.client.transport;
+
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.health.ClusterHealthRequest;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
+import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.containsString;
+import static org.hamcrest.object.HasToString.hasToString;
+
+public class TransportClientTests extends ESTestCase {
+
+    public void testThatUsingAClosedClientThrowsAnException() throws ExecutionException, InterruptedException {
+        final TransportClient client = TransportClient.builder().settings(Settings.EMPTY).build();
+        client.close();
+        final IllegalStateException e =
+            expectThrows(IllegalStateException.class, () -> client.admin().cluster().health(new ClusterHealthRequest()).get());
+        assertThat(e, hasToString(containsString("transport client is closed")));
+    }
+
+}