diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java
index abec904b21e..da8d2cf3766 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java
@@ -24,10 +24,13 @@ import org.elasticsearch.ElasticSearchIllegalStateException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionListener;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.BaseAction;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterChangedEvent;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterService;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterState;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.TimeoutClusterStateListener;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNodes;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.unit.TimeValue;
 import org.elasticsearch.threadpool.ThreadPool;
 import org.elasticsearch.transport.*;
 
@@ -70,6 +73,10 @@ public abstract class TransportMasterNodeOperationAction<Request extends MasterN
     }
 
     @Override protected void doExecute(final Request request, final ActionListener<Response> listener) {
+        innerExecute(request, listener, false);
+    }
+
+    private void innerExecute(final Request request, final ActionListener<Response> listener, final boolean retrying) {
         final ClusterState clusterState = clusterService.state();
         DiscoveryNodes nodes = clusterState.nodes();
         if (nodes.localNodeMaster()) {
@@ -98,8 +105,43 @@ public abstract class TransportMasterNodeOperationAction<Request extends MasterN
                     listener.onResponse(response);
                 }
 
-                @Override public void handleException(RemoteTransportException exp) {
-                    listener.onFailure(exp);
+                @Override public void handleException(final RemoteTransportException exp) {
+                    if (retrying) {
+                        listener.onFailure(exp);
+                    } else {
+                        if (exp.unwrapCause() instanceof ConnectTransportException) {
+                            // we want to retry here a bit to see if a new master is elected
+                            clusterService.add(TimeValue.timeValueSeconds(30), new TimeoutClusterStateListener() {
+                                @Override public void postAdded() {
+                                    ClusterState clusterStateV2 = clusterService.state();
+                                    if (!clusterState.nodes().masterNodeId().equals(clusterStateV2.nodes().masterNodeId())) {
+                                        // master changes while adding the listener, try here 
+                                        clusterService.remove(this);
+                                        innerExecute(request, listener, true);
+                                    }
+                                }
+
+                                @Override public void onClose() {
+                                    clusterService.remove(this);
+                                    listener.onFailure(new ElasticSearchIllegalStateException("node is shutting down"));
+                                }
+
+                                @Override public void onTimeout(TimeValue timeout) {
+                                    clusterService.remove(this);
+                                    listener.onFailure(exp);
+                                }
+
+                                @Override public void clusterChanged(ClusterChangedEvent event) {
+                                    if (event.nodesDelta().masterNodeChanged()) {
+                                        clusterService.remove(this);
+                                        innerExecute(request, listener, true);
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            });
+                        } else {
+                            listener.onFailure(exp);
+                        }
+                    }
                 }
             });
         }
diff --git a/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/recovery/FullRollingRestartTests.java b/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/recovery/FullRollingRestartTests.java
index 3cbdbeb536f..6c167df3042 100644
--- a/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/recovery/FullRollingRestartTests.java
+++ b/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/recovery/FullRollingRestartTests.java
@@ -73,10 +73,12 @@ public class FullRollingRestartTests extends AbstractNodesTests {
 
         // now start shutting nodes down
         closeNode("node1");
-        closeNode("node2");
-
         // make sure the cluster state is green, and all has been recovered
         assertThat(client("node5").admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setTimeout("1m").setWaitForGreenStatus().execute().actionGet().status(), equalTo(ClusterHealthStatus.GREEN));
+        closeNode("node2");
+        // make sure the cluster state is green, and all has been recovered
+        assertThat(client("node5").admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setTimeout("1m").setWaitForGreenStatus().execute().actionGet().status(), equalTo(ClusterHealthStatus.GREEN));
+
 
         client("node5").admin().indices().prepareRefresh().execute().actionGet();
         for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
@@ -84,6 +86,8 @@ public class FullRollingRestartTests extends AbstractNodesTests {
         }
 
         closeNode("node3");
+        // make sure the cluster state is green, and all has been recovered
+        assertThat(client("node5").admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setTimeout("1m").setWaitForGreenStatus().execute().actionGet().status(), equalTo(ClusterHealthStatus.GREEN));
         closeNode("node4");
 
         // make sure the cluster state is green, and all has been recovered