diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/delete/DeleteRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/delete/DeleteRequest.java
index 104575f874b..a0fb3e79181 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/delete/DeleteRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/delete/DeleteRequest.java
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ public class DeleteRequest extends ShardReplicationOperationRequest<DeleteReques
     private long version = Versions.MATCH_ANY;
     private VersionType versionType = VersionType.INTERNAL;
 
+    public DeleteRequest() {
+    }
+
     /**
      * Constructs a new delete request against the specified index. The {@link #type(String)} and {@link #id(String)}
      * must be set.
@@ -74,8 +77,19 @@ public class DeleteRequest extends ShardReplicationOperationRequest<DeleteReques
         this.id = id;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Copy constructor that creates a new delete request that is a copy of the one provided as an argument.
+     */
     public DeleteRequest(DeleteRequest request) {
-        super(request);
+        this(request, request);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Copy constructor that creates a new delete request that is a copy of the one provided as an argument.
+     * The new request will inherit though headers and context from the original request that caused it.
+     */
+    public DeleteRequest(DeleteRequest request, ActionRequest originalRequest) {
+        super(request, originalRequest);
         this.type = request.type();
         this.id = request.id();
         this.routing = request.routing();
@@ -84,9 +98,6 @@ public class DeleteRequest extends ShardReplicationOperationRequest<DeleteReques
         this.versionType = request.versionType();
     }
 
-    public DeleteRequest() {
-    }
-
     /**
      * Creates a delete request caused by some other request, which is provided as an
      * argument so that its headers and context can be copied to the new request
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/index/IndexRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/index/IndexRequest.java
index b21b5105a07..09ae0cd6238 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/index/IndexRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/index/IndexRequest.java
@@ -160,6 +160,28 @@ public class IndexRequest extends ShardReplicationOperationRequest<IndexRequest>
         super(request);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Copy constructor that creates a new index request that is a copy of the one provided as an argument.
+     * The new request will inherit though headers and context from the original request that caused it.
+     */
+    public IndexRequest(IndexRequest indexRequest, ActionRequest originalRequest) {
+        super(indexRequest, originalRequest);
+        this.type = indexRequest.type;
+        this.id = indexRequest.id;
+        this.routing = indexRequest.routing;
+        this.parent = indexRequest.parent;
+        this.timestamp = indexRequest.timestamp;
+        this.ttl = indexRequest.ttl;
+        this.source = indexRequest.source;
+        this.sourceUnsafe = indexRequest.sourceUnsafe;
+        this.opType = indexRequest.opType;
+        this.autoGeneratedId = indexRequest.autoGeneratedId;
+        this.refresh = indexRequest.refresh;
+        this.version = indexRequest.version;
+        this.versionType = indexRequest.versionType;
+        this.contentType = indexRequest.contentType;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Constructs a new index request against the specific index. The {@link #type(String)}
      * {@link #source(byte[])} must be set.
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/ShardReplicationOperationRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/ShardReplicationOperationRequest.java
index 7e902d3ad3e..79f9cef94dc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/ShardReplicationOperationRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/ShardReplicationOperationRequest.java
@@ -54,12 +54,26 @@ public abstract class ShardReplicationOperationRequest<T extends ShardReplicatio
 
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Creates a new request that inherits headers and context from the request provided as argument.
+     */
     protected ShardReplicationOperationRequest(ActionRequest request) {
         super(request);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Copy constructor that creates a new request that is a copy of the one provided as an argument.
+     */
     protected ShardReplicationOperationRequest(T request) {
-        super(request);
+        this(request, request);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Copy constructor that creates a new request that is a copy of the one provided as an argument.
+     * The new request will inherit though headers and context from the original request that caused it.
+     */
+    protected ShardReplicationOperationRequest(T request, ActionRequest originalRequest) {
+        super(originalRequest);
         this.timeout = request.timeout();
         this.index = request.index();
         this.threadedOperation = request.operationThreaded();
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/TransportUpdateAction.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/TransportUpdateAction.java
index 7aa095d824d..b18b5d868be 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/TransportUpdateAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/TransportUpdateAction.java
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ public class TransportUpdateAction extends TransportInstanceSingleOperationActio
         final UpdateHelper.Result result = updateHelper.prepare(request.request(), indexShard);
         switch (result.operation()) {
             case UPSERT:
-                IndexRequest upsertRequest = result.action();
+                IndexRequest upsertRequest = new IndexRequest((IndexRequest)result.action(), request.request());
                 // we fetch it from the index request so we don't generate the bytes twice, its already done in the index request
                 final BytesReference upsertSourceBytes = upsertRequest.source();
                 indexAction.execute(upsertRequest, new ActionListener<IndexResponse>() {
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ public class TransportUpdateAction extends TransportInstanceSingleOperationActio
                 });
                 break;
             case INDEX:
-                IndexRequest indexRequest = result.action();
+                IndexRequest indexRequest = new IndexRequest((IndexRequest)result.action(), request.request());
                 // we fetch it from the index request so we don't generate the bytes twice, its already done in the index request
                 final BytesReference indexSourceBytes = indexRequest.source();
                 indexAction.execute(indexRequest, new ActionListener<IndexResponse>() {
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ public class TransportUpdateAction extends TransportInstanceSingleOperationActio
                 });
                 break;
             case DELETE:
-                DeleteRequest deleteRequest = result.action();
+                DeleteRequest deleteRequest = new DeleteRequest((DeleteRequest)result.action(), request.request());
                 deleteAction.execute(deleteRequest, new ActionListener<DeleteResponse>() {
                     @Override
                     public void onResponse(DeleteResponse response) {