diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexService.java
index 6c01e61586d..3eaad1eee54 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexService.java
@@ -26,13 +26,11 @@ import org.apache.lucene.store.AlreadyClosedException;
 import org.apache.lucene.util.Accountable;
 import org.elasticsearch.Assertions;
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
-import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionListener;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.Client;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardRouting;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.NamedWriteableRegistry;
-import org.elasticsearch.common.lease.Releasable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Setting;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Setting.Property;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
@@ -790,23 +788,18 @@ public class IndexService extends AbstractIndexComponent implements IndicesClust
                         continue;
                     case STARTED:
                         try {
-                            shard.acquirePrimaryOperationPermit(
-                                    ActionListener.wrap(
-                                            releasable -> {
-                                                try (Releasable ignored = releasable) {
-                                                        shard.maybeSyncGlobalCheckpoint("background");
-                                                }
-                                            },
-                                            e -> {
-                                                if (!(e instanceof AlreadyClosedException || e instanceof IndexShardClosedException)) {
-                                                    logger.info(
-                                                            new ParameterizedMessage(
-                                                                    "{} failed to execute background global checkpoint sync",
-                                                                    shard.shardId()),
-                                                            e);
-                                                }
-                                            }),
-                                    ThreadPool.Names.SAME, "background global checkpoint sync");
+                            shard.runUnderPrimaryPermit(
+                                    () -> shard.maybeSyncGlobalCheckpoint("background"),
+                                    e -> {
+                                        if (e instanceof AlreadyClosedException == false
+                                                && e instanceof IndexShardClosedException == false) {
+                                            logger.warn(
+                                                    new ParameterizedMessage(
+                                                            "{} failed to execute background global checkpoint sync", shard.shardId()), e);
+                                        }
+                                    },
+                                    ThreadPool.Names.SAME,
+                                    "background global checkpoint sync");
                         } catch (final AlreadyClosedException | IndexShardClosedException e) {
                             // the shard was closed concurrently, continue
                         }
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
index c76c845328b..8a10f4021d2 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
@@ -2395,6 +2395,34 @@ public class IndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements IndicesCl
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Runs the specified runnable under a permit and otherwise calling back the specified failure callback. This method is really a
+     * convenience for {@link #acquirePrimaryOperationPermit(ActionListener, String, Object)} where the listener equates to
+     * try-with-resources closing the releasable after executing the runnable on successfully acquiring the permit, an otherwise calling
+     * back the failure callback.
+     *
+     * @param runnable the runnable to execute under permit
+     * @param onFailure the callback on failure
+     * @param executorOnDelay the executor to execute the runnable on if permit acquisition is blocked
+     * @param debugInfo debug info
+     */
+    public void runUnderPrimaryPermit(
+            final Runnable runnable,
+            final Consumer<Exception> onFailure,
+            final String executorOnDelay,
+            final Object debugInfo) {
+        verifyNotClosed();
+        assert shardRouting.primary() : "runUnderPrimaryPermit should only be called on primary shard but was " + shardRouting;
+        final ActionListener<Releasable> onPermitAcquired = ActionListener.wrap(
+                releasable -> {
+                    try (Releasable ignore = releasable) {
+                        runnable.run();
+                    }
+                },
+                onFailure);
+        acquirePrimaryOperationPermit(onPermitAcquired, executorOnDelay, debugInfo);
+    }
+
     private <E extends Exception> void bumpPrimaryTerm(final long newPrimaryTerm,
                                                        final CheckedRunnable<E> onBlocked,
                                                        @Nullable ActionListener<Releasable> combineWithAction) {
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java
index 5c7dd089534..9bb98da6e96 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.BrokenBarrierException;
@@ -331,6 +332,70 @@ public class IndexShardTests extends IndexShardTestCase {
                 randomNonNegativeLong(), null, TimeValue.timeValueSeconds(30L)));
     }
 
+    public void testRunUnderPrimaryPermitRunsUnderPrimaryPermit() throws IOException {
+        final IndexShard indexShard = newStartedShard(true);
+        try {
+            assertThat(indexShard.getActiveOperationsCount(), equalTo(0));
+            indexShard.runUnderPrimaryPermit(
+                    () -> assertThat(indexShard.getActiveOperationsCount(), equalTo(1)),
+                    e -> fail(e.toString()),
+                    ThreadPool.Names.SAME,
+                    "test");
+                assertThat(indexShard.getActiveOperationsCount(), equalTo(0));
+        } finally {
+            closeShards(indexShard);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testRunUnderPrimaryPermitOnFailure() throws IOException {
+        final IndexShard indexShard = newStartedShard(true);
+        final AtomicBoolean invoked = new AtomicBoolean();
+        try {
+            indexShard.runUnderPrimaryPermit(
+                    () -> {
+                        throw new RuntimeException("failure");
+                    },
+                    e -> {
+                        assertThat(e, instanceOf(RuntimeException.class));
+                        assertThat(e.getMessage(), equalTo("failure"));
+                        invoked.set(true);
+                    },
+                    ThreadPool.Names.SAME,
+                    "test");
+            assertTrue(invoked.get());
+        } finally {
+            closeShards(indexShard);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testRunUnderPrimaryPermitDelaysToExecutorWhenBlocked() throws Exception {
+        final IndexShard indexShard = newStartedShard(true);
+        try {
+            final PlainActionFuture<Releasable> onAcquired = new PlainActionFuture<>();
+            indexShard.acquireAllPrimaryOperationsPermits(onAcquired, new TimeValue(Long.MAX_VALUE, TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS));
+            final Releasable permit = onAcquired.actionGet();
+            final CountDownLatch latch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+            final String executorOnDelay =
+                    randomFrom(ThreadPool.Names.FLUSH, ThreadPool.Names.GENERIC, ThreadPool.Names.MANAGEMENT, ThreadPool.Names.SAME);
+            indexShard.runUnderPrimaryPermit(
+                    () -> {
+                        final String expectedThreadPoolName =
+                                executorOnDelay.equals(ThreadPool.Names.SAME) ? "generic" : executorOnDelay.toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
+                        assertThat(Thread.currentThread().getName(), containsString(expectedThreadPoolName));
+                        latch.countDown();
+                    },
+                    e -> fail(e.toString()),
+                    executorOnDelay,
+                    "test");
+            permit.close();
+            latch.await();
+            // we could race and assert on the count before the permit is returned
+            assertBusy(() -> assertThat(indexShard.getActiveOperationsCount(), equalTo(0)));
+        } finally {
+            closeShards(indexShard);
+        }
+    }
+
     public void testRejectOperationPermitWithHigherTermWhenNotStarted() throws IOException {
         IndexShard indexShard = newShard(false);
         expectThrows(IndexShardNotStartedException.class, () ->