diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncAction.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncAction.java
index b3fe85abaa5..18051aa99db 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncAction.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncAction.java
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ abstract class AbstractSearchAsyncAction<Result extends SearchPhaseResult> exten
         }
     }
 
-    private ShardSearchFailure[] buildShardFailures() {
+    ShardSearchFailure[] buildShardFailures() {
         AtomicArray<ShardSearchFailure> shardFailures = this.shardFailures.get();
         if (shardFailures == null) {
             return ShardSearchFailure.EMPTY_ARRAY;
@@ -510,20 +510,23 @@ abstract class AbstractSearchAsyncAction<Result extends SearchPhaseResult> exten
         return request;
     }
 
-    protected final SearchResponse buildSearchResponse(InternalSearchResponse internalSearchResponse, String scrollId) {
-        ShardSearchFailure[] failures = buildShardFailures();
-        Boolean allowPartialResults = request.allowPartialSearchResults();
-        assert allowPartialResults != null : "SearchRequest missing setting for allowPartialSearchResults";
-        if (allowPartialResults == false && failures.length > 0){
-            raisePhaseFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("", "Shard failures", null, failures));
-        }
+    protected final SearchResponse buildSearchResponse(InternalSearchResponse internalSearchResponse,
+                                                       String scrollId,
+                                                       ShardSearchFailure[] failures) {
         return new SearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId, getNumShards(), successfulOps.get(),
             skippedOps.get(), buildTookInMillis(), failures, clusters);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void sendSearchResponse(InternalSearchResponse internalSearchResponse, String scrollId) {
-        listener.onResponse(buildSearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId));
+        ShardSearchFailure[] failures = buildShardFailures();
+        Boolean allowPartialResults = request.allowPartialSearchResults();
+        assert allowPartialResults != null : "SearchRequest missing setting for allowPartialSearchResults";
+        if (allowPartialResults == false && failures.length > 0){
+            raisePhaseFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("", "Shard failures", null, failures));
+        } else {
+            listener.onResponse(buildSearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId, failures));
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java
index 165beeb510e..2583e1a76c4 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ public class AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests extends ESTestCase {
             new ArraySearchPhaseResults<>(10), null, false, new AtomicLong());
         String scrollId = randomBoolean() ? null : randomAlphaOfLengthBetween(5, 10);
         InternalSearchResponse internalSearchResponse = InternalSearchResponse.empty();
-        SearchResponse searchResponse = action.buildSearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId);
+        SearchResponse searchResponse = action.buildSearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId, action.buildShardFailures());
         assertEquals(scrollId, searchResponse.getScrollId());
         assertSame(searchResponse.getAggregations(), internalSearchResponse.aggregations());
         assertSame(searchResponse.getSuggest(), internalSearchResponse.suggest());
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ public class AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests extends ESTestCase {
             new IllegalArgumentException());
         String scrollId = randomBoolean() ? null : randomAlphaOfLengthBetween(5, 10);
         InternalSearchResponse internalSearchResponse = InternalSearchResponse.empty();
-        SearchResponse searchResponse = action.buildSearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId);
+        SearchResponse searchResponse = action.buildSearchResponse(internalSearchResponse, scrollId, action.buildShardFailures());
         assertEquals(scrollId, searchResponse.getScrollId());
         assertSame(searchResponse.getAggregations(), internalSearchResponse.aggregations());
         assertSame(searchResponse.getSuggest(), internalSearchResponse.suggest());
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ public class AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests extends ESTestCase {
         assertSame(searchResponse.getHits(), internalSearchResponse.hits());
     }
 
-    public void testBuildSearchResponseDisallowPartialFailures() {
+    public void testSendSearchResponseDisallowPartialFailures() {
         SearchRequest searchRequest = new SearchRequest().allowPartialSearchResults(false);
         AtomicReference<Exception> exception = new AtomicReference<>();
         ActionListener<SearchResponse> listener = ActionListener.wrap(response -> fail("onResponse should not be called"), exception::set);
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ public class AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests extends ESTestCase {
             action.onShardFailure(i, new SearchShardTarget(failureNodeId, failureShardId, failureClusterAlias, OriginalIndices.NONE),
                 new IllegalArgumentException());
         }
-        action.buildSearchResponse(InternalSearchResponse.empty(), randomBoolean() ? null : randomAlphaOfLengthBetween(5, 10));
+        action.sendSearchResponse(InternalSearchResponse.empty(), randomBoolean() ? null : randomAlphaOfLengthBetween(5, 10));
         assertThat(exception.get(), instanceOf(SearchPhaseExecutionException.class));
         SearchPhaseExecutionException searchPhaseExecutionException = (SearchPhaseExecutionException)exception.get();
         assertEquals(0, searchPhaseExecutionException.getSuppressed().length);
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java
index 994dffc0315..fc40c120735 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ public class SearchAsyncActionTests extends ESTestCase {
         asyncAction.start();
         latch.await();
         assertTrue(searchPhaseDidRun.get());
-        SearchResponse searchResponse = asyncAction.buildSearchResponse(null, null);
+        SearchResponse searchResponse = asyncAction.buildSearchResponse(null, null, asyncAction.buildShardFailures());
         assertEquals(shardsIter.size() - numSkipped, numRequests.get());
         assertEquals(0, searchResponse.getFailedShards());
         assertEquals(numSkipped, searchResponse.getSkippedShards());