diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkProcessor.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkProcessor.java
index d87d3058bee..d0a62eac2fd 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkProcessor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkProcessor.java
@@ -223,18 +223,29 @@ public class BulkProcessor {
         return add((ActionRequest) request);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Adds either a delete or an index request.
+     */
     public BulkProcessor add(ActionRequest request) {
-        internalAdd(request);
+        return add(request, null);
+    }
+
+    public BulkProcessor add(ActionRequest request, @Nullable Object payload) {
+        internalAdd(request, payload);
         return this;
     }
 
-    private synchronized void internalAdd(ActionRequest request) {
-        bulkRequest.add(request);
+    private synchronized void internalAdd(ActionRequest request, @Nullable Object payload) {
+        bulkRequest.add(request, payload);
         executeIfNeeded();
     }
 
-    public synchronized BulkProcessor add(BytesReference data, boolean contentUnsafe, @Nullable String defaultIndex, @Nullable String defaultType) throws Exception {
-        bulkRequest.add(data, contentUnsafe, defaultIndex, defaultType);
+    public BulkProcessor add(BytesReference data, boolean contentUnsafe, @Nullable String defaultIndex, @Nullable String defaultType) throws Exception {
+        return add(data, contentUnsafe, defaultIndex, defaultType, null);
+    }
+
+    public synchronized BulkProcessor add(BytesReference data, boolean contentUnsafe, @Nullable String defaultIndex, @Nullable String defaultType, @Nullable Object payload) throws Exception {
+        bulkRequest.add(data, contentUnsafe, defaultIndex, defaultType, payload);
         executeIfNeeded();
         return this;
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java
index ad96e9fa3df..1293a699d58 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentParser;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.VersionType;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.action.ValidateActions.addValidationError;
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
     private static final int REQUEST_OVERHEAD = 50;
 
     final List<ActionRequest> requests = Lists.newArrayList();
+    List<Object> payloads = null;
 
     private ReplicationType replicationType = ReplicationType.DEFAULT;
     private WriteConsistencyLevel consistencyLevel = WriteConsistencyLevel.DEFAULT;
@@ -66,13 +68,22 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
      */
     public BulkRequest add(ActionRequest... requests) {
         for (ActionRequest request : requests) {
-            if (request instanceof IndexRequest) {
-                add((IndexRequest) request);
-            } else if (request instanceof DeleteRequest) {
-                add((DeleteRequest) request);
-            } else {
-                throw new ElasticSearchIllegalArgumentException("No support for request [" + request + "]");
-            }
+            add(request, null);
+        }
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    public BulkRequest add(ActionRequest request) {
+        return add(request, null);
+    }
+
+    public BulkRequest add(ActionRequest request, @Nullable Object payload) {
+        if (request instanceof IndexRequest) {
+            add((IndexRequest) request, payload);
+        } else if (request instanceof DeleteRequest) {
+            add((DeleteRequest) request, payload);
+        } else {
+            throw new ElasticSearchIllegalArgumentException("No support for request [" + request + "]");
         }
         return this;
     }
@@ -99,11 +110,17 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
      */
     public BulkRequest add(IndexRequest request) {
         request.beforeLocalFork();
-        return internalAdd(request);
+        return internalAdd(request, null);
     }
 
-    BulkRequest internalAdd(IndexRequest request) {
+    public BulkRequest add(IndexRequest request, @Nullable Object payload) {
+        request.beforeLocalFork();
+        return internalAdd(request, payload);
+    }
+
+    BulkRequest internalAdd(IndexRequest request, @Nullable Object payload) {
         requests.add(request);
+        addPayload(payload);
         sizeInBytes += request.source().length() + REQUEST_OVERHEAD;
         return this;
     }
@@ -112,19 +129,58 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
      * Adds an {@link DeleteRequest} to the list of actions to execute.
      */
     public BulkRequest add(DeleteRequest request) {
+        return add(request, null);
+    }
+
+    public BulkRequest add(DeleteRequest request, @Nullable Object payload) {
         requests.add(request);
+        addPayload(payload);
         sizeInBytes += REQUEST_OVERHEAD;
         return this;
     }
 
+    private void addPayload(Object payload) {
+        if (payloads == null) {
+            if (payload == null) {
+                return;
+            }
+            payloads = new ArrayList<Object>(requests.size() + 10);
+            // add requests#size-1 elements to the payloads if it null (we add for an *existing* request)
+            for (int i = 1; i < requests.size(); i++) {
+                payloads.add(null);
+            }
+        }
+        payloads.add(payload);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The list of requests in this bulk request.
+     */
     public List<ActionRequest> requests() {
         return this.requests;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * The list of optional payloads associated with requests in the same order as the requests. Note, elements within
+     * it might be null if no payload has been provided.
+     * <p/>
+     * Note, if no payloads have been provided, this method will return null (as to conserve memory overhead).
+     */
+    @Nullable
+    public List<Object> payloads() {
+        return this.payloads;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The number of actions in the bulk request.
+     */
     public int numberOfActions() {
         return requests.size();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * The estimated size in bytes of the bulk request.
+     */
     public long estimatedSizeInBytes() {
         return sizeInBytes;
     }
@@ -147,6 +203,10 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
      * Adds a framed data in binary format
      */
     public BulkRequest add(BytesReference data, boolean contentUnsafe, @Nullable String defaultIndex, @Nullable String defaultType) throws Exception {
+        return add(data, contentUnsafe, defaultIndex, defaultType, null);
+    }
+
+    public BulkRequest add(BytesReference data, boolean contentUnsafe, @Nullable String defaultIndex, @Nullable String defaultType, @Nullable Object payload) throws Exception {
         XContent xContent = XContentFactory.xContent(data);
         int from = 0;
         int length = data.length();
@@ -225,7 +285,7 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
                 }
 
                 if ("delete".equals(action)) {
-                    add(new DeleteRequest(index, type, id).parent(parent).version(version).versionType(versionType).routing(routing));
+                    add(new DeleteRequest(index, type, id).parent(parent).version(version).versionType(versionType).routing(routing), payload);
                 } else {
                     nextMarker = findNextMarker(marker, from, data, length);
                     if (nextMarker == -1) {
@@ -238,18 +298,18 @@ public class BulkRequest extends ActionRequest<BulkRequest> {
                         if (opType == null) {
                             internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
                                     .source(data.slice(from, nextMarker - from), contentUnsafe)
-                                    .percolate(percolate));
+                                    .percolate(percolate), payload);
                         } else {
                             internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
                                     .create("create".equals(opType))
                                     .source(data.slice(from, nextMarker - from), contentUnsafe)
-                                    .percolate(percolate));
+                                    .percolate(percolate), payload);
                         }
                     } else if ("create".equals(action)) {
                         internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
                                 .create(true)
                                 .source(data.slice(from, nextMarker - from), contentUnsafe)
-                                .percolate(percolate));
+                                .percolate(percolate), payload);
                     }
                     // move pointers
                     from = nextMarker + 1;