diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentParser.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentParser.java
index b43804e1332..3901a45a181 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentParser.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentParser.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import org.apache.lucene.util.BytesRef;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lease.Releasable;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 /**
@@ -130,6 +131,10 @@ public interface XContentParser extends Releasable {
 
     Map<String, Object> mapOrdered() throws IOException;
 
+    List<Object> list() throws IOException;
+
+    List<Object> listOrderedMap() throws IOException;
+
     String text() throws IOException;
 
     String textOrNull() throws IOException;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/support/AbstractXContentParser.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/support/AbstractXContentParser.java
index 77eae8b6b50..274cd9a5e4a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/support/AbstractXContentParser.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/support/AbstractXContentParser.java
@@ -213,6 +213,16 @@ public abstract class AbstractXContentParser implements XContentParser {
         return readOrderedMap(this);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public List<Object> list() throws IOException {
+        return readList(this);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public List<Object> listOrderedMap() throws IOException {
+        return readListOrderedMap(this);
+    }
+
     static interface MapFactory {
         Map<String, Object> newMap();
     }
@@ -239,6 +249,14 @@ public abstract class AbstractXContentParser implements XContentParser {
         return readMap(parser, ORDERED_MAP_FACTORY);
     }
 
+    static List<Object> readList(XContentParser parser) throws IOException {
+        return readList(parser, SIMPLE_MAP_FACTORY);
+    }
+
+    static List<Object> readListOrderedMap(XContentParser parser) throws IOException {
+        return readList(parser, ORDERED_MAP_FACTORY);
+    }
+
     static Map<String, Object> readMap(XContentParser parser, MapFactory mapFactory) throws IOException {
         Map<String, Object> map = mapFactory.newMap();
         XContentParser.Token token = parser.currentToken();
@@ -259,15 +277,16 @@ public abstract class AbstractXContentParser implements XContentParser {
         return map;
     }
 
-    private static List<Object> readList(XContentParser parser, MapFactory mapFactory, XContentParser.Token token) throws IOException {
+    static List<Object> readList(XContentParser parser, MapFactory mapFactory) throws IOException {
         ArrayList<Object> list = new ArrayList<>();
+        XContentParser.Token token;
         while ((token = parser.nextToken()) != XContentParser.Token.END_ARRAY) {
             list.add(readValue(parser, mapFactory, token));
         }
         return list;
     }
 
-    private static Object readValue(XContentParser parser, MapFactory mapFactory, XContentParser.Token token) throws IOException {
+    static Object readValue(XContentParser parser, MapFactory mapFactory, XContentParser.Token token) throws IOException {
         if (token == XContentParser.Token.VALUE_NULL) {
             return null;
         } else if (token == XContentParser.Token.VALUE_STRING) {
@@ -288,7 +307,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractXContentParser implements XContentParser {
         } else if (token == XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT) {
             return readMap(parser, mapFactory);
         } else if (token == XContentParser.Token.START_ARRAY) {
-            return readList(parser, mapFactory, token);
+            return readList(parser, mapFactory);
         } else if (token == XContentParser.Token.VALUE_EMBEDDED_OBJECT) {
             return parser.binaryValue();
         }