diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/DelegatingTransportChannel.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/DelegatingTransportChannel.java
index af85b438618..bc3b4b3c2ab 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/DelegatingTransportChannel.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/DelegatingTransportChannel.java
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.transport;
 
+import org.elasticsearch.Version;
+
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 /**
@@ -71,4 +73,9 @@ public class DelegatingTransportChannel implements TransportChannel {
     public TransportChannel getChannel() {
         return channel;
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public Version getVersion() {
+        return channel.getVersion();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TcpTransportChannel.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TcpTransportChannel.java
index 9b09f7f8ed3..03632eb951a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TcpTransportChannel.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TcpTransportChannel.java
@@ -105,5 +105,9 @@ public final class TcpTransportChannel<Channel> implements TransportChannel {
         return channel;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public Version getVersion() {
+        return version;
+    }
 }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportChannel.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportChannel.java
index d9fbcad30e0..dbf12f297c1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportChannel.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportChannel.java
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.transport;
 
+import org.elasticsearch.Version;
+
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 /**
@@ -39,4 +41,11 @@ public interface TransportChannel {
     void sendResponse(TransportResponse response, TransportResponseOptions options) throws IOException;
 
     void sendResponse(Exception exception) throws IOException;
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the version of the other party that this channel will send a response to.
+     */
+    default Version getVersion() {
+        return Version.CURRENT;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java
index 1d38c384075..d956149b0df 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java
@@ -1155,6 +1155,11 @@ public class TransportService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent {
         public String getChannelType() {
             return "direct";
         }
+
+        @Override
+        public Version getVersion() {
+            return localNode.getVersion();
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty4/SimpleNetty4TransportTests.java b/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty4/SimpleNetty4TransportTests.java
index 3875cea31ac..721cbf8e348 100644
--- a/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty4/SimpleNetty4TransportTests.java
+++ b/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty4/SimpleNetty4TransportTests.java
@@ -72,8 +72,10 @@ public class SimpleNetty4TransportTests extends AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase
                 return version;
             }
         };
-        return new MockTransportService(Settings.EMPTY, transport, threadPool, TransportService.NOOP_TRANSPORT_INTERCEPTOR,
-                clusterSettings);
+        MockTransportService mockTransportService =
+            MockTransportService.createNewService(Settings.EMPTY, transport, version, threadPool, clusterSettings);
+        mockTransportService.start();
+        return mockTransportService;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase.java b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase.java
index 86616d32b5d..afbacf6f63f 100644
--- a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase.java
+++ b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase.java
@@ -1248,6 +1248,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase extends ESTestCase {
                     response.value1 = 1;
                     response.value2 = 2;
                     channel.sendResponse(response);
+                    assertEquals(version0, channel.getVersion());
                 }
             });
 
@@ -1289,6 +1290,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase extends ESTestCase {
                     Version0Response response = new Version0Response();
                     response.value1 = 1;
                     channel.sendResponse(response);
+                    assertEquals(version0, channel.getVersion());
                 }
             });
 
@@ -1333,6 +1335,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase extends ESTestCase {
                 response.value1 = 1;
                 response.value2 = 2;
                 channel.sendResponse(response);
+                assertEquals(version1, channel.getVersion());
             });
 
         Version1Request version1Request = new Version1Request();
@@ -1374,6 +1377,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractSimpleTransportTestCase extends ESTestCase {
                 Version0Response response = new Version0Response();
                 response.value1 = 1;
                 channel.sendResponse(response);
+                assertEquals(version0, channel.getVersion());
             });
 
         Version0Request version0Request = new Version0Request();