diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/recovery/RecoveryTarget.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/recovery/RecoveryTarget.java
index fe549169fcc..dbcf594517a 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/recovery/RecoveryTarget.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/recovery/RecoveryTarget.java
@@ -99,37 +99,39 @@ public class RecoveryTarget extends AbstractComponent {
         });
     }
 
-    public void startRecovery(final StartRecoveryRequest request, final RecoveryListener listener) {
+    public void startRecovery(final StartRecoveryRequest request, boolean fromRetry, final RecoveryListener listener) {
         if (request.sourceNode() == null) {
             listener.onIgnoreRecovery(false, "No node to recovery from, retry on next cluster state update");
             return;
         }
         final InternalIndexShard shard = (InternalIndexShard) indicesService.indexServiceSafe(request.shardId().index().name()).shardSafe(request.shardId().id());
-        // mark the shard as recovering
-        IndexShardState preRecoveryState;
-        try {
-            preRecoveryState = shard.recovering();
-        } catch (IllegalIndexShardStateException e) {
-            // that's fine, since we might be called concurrently, just ignore this, we are already recovering
-            listener.onIgnoreRecovery(false, "already in recovering process, " + e.getMessage());
+        if (!fromRetry) {
+            try {
+                shard.recovering();
+            } catch (IllegalIndexShardStateException e) {
+                // that's fine, since we might be called concurrently, just ignore this, we are already recovering
+                listener.onIgnoreRecovery(false, "already in recovering process, " + e.getMessage());
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+        if (shard.state() == IndexShardState.CLOSED) {
+            listener.onIgnoreRecovery(false, "shard closed, stop recovery");
             return;
         }
-        final IndexShardState fPreRecoveryState = preRecoveryState;
         threadPool.cached().execute(new Runnable() {
             @Override public void run() {
-                doRecovery(shard, fPreRecoveryState, request, listener);
+                doRecovery(shard, request, listener);
             }
         });
     }
 
-    private void doRecovery(final InternalIndexShard shard, final IndexShardState preRecoveryState, final StartRecoveryRequest request, final RecoveryListener listener) {
-        // we know we are on a thread, we can spin till we can engage in recovery
+    private void doRecovery(final InternalIndexShard shard, final StartRecoveryRequest request, final RecoveryListener listener) {
+        if (shard.state() == IndexShardState.CLOSED) {
+            listener.onIgnoreRecovery(false, "shard closed, stop recovery");
+            return;
+        }
+
         if (!recoveryThrottler.tryRecovery(shard.shardId(), "peer recovery target")) {
-            if (shard.state() == IndexShardState.CLOSED) {
-                listener.onIgnoreRecovery(false, "shard closed, stop recovery");
-                return;
-            }
-            shard.restoreRecoveryState(preRecoveryState);
             listener.onRetryRecovery(recoveryThrottler.throttleInterval());
             return;
         }
@@ -151,7 +153,6 @@ public class RecoveryTarget extends AbstractComponent {
                 }
                 logger.trace("[{}][{}] retrying recovery in [{}], source shard is busy", request.shardId().index().name(), request.shardId().id(), recoveryThrottler.throttleInterval());
                 removeAndCleanOnGoingRecovery(request.shardId());
-                shard.restoreRecoveryState(preRecoveryState);
                 listener.onRetryRecovery(recoveryThrottler.throttleInterval());
                 return;
             }
@@ -193,11 +194,6 @@ public class RecoveryTarget extends AbstractComponent {
             }
 
             if (cause instanceof IndexShardNotStartedException || cause instanceof IndexMissingException || cause instanceof IndexShardMissingException) {
-                try {
-                    shard.restoreRecoveryState(preRecoveryState);
-                } catch (IndexShardNotRecoveringException e1) {
-                    // ignore this, we might be closing...
-                }
                 listener.onRetryRecovery(recoveryThrottler.throttleInterval());
                 return;
             }
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
index 7c72725f0dc..88347d6aab4 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
@@ -148,17 +148,6 @@ public class InternalIndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements I
         }
     }
 
-    public InternalIndexShard restoreRecoveryState(IndexShardState stateToRestore) {
-        synchronized (mutex) {
-            if (this.state != IndexShardState.RECOVERING) {
-                throw new IndexShardNotRecoveringException(shardId, state);
-            }
-            logger.debug("state: [{}]->[{}], restored after recovery", state, stateToRestore);
-            this.state = stateToRestore;
-        }
-        return this;
-    }
-
     public InternalIndexShard relocated() throws IndexShardNotStartedException {
         synchronized (mutex) {
             if (state != IndexShardState.STARTED) {
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
index a88d4a9057c..3cb1f2c617f 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ public class IndicesClusterStateService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Indic
                     try {
                         // we are recovering a backup from a primary, so no need to mark it as relocated
                         final StartRecoveryRequest request = new StartRecoveryRequest(indexShard.shardId(), sourceNode, nodes.localNode(), false, indexShard.store().listWithMd5());
-                        recoveryTarget.startRecovery(request, new PeerRecoveryListener(request, shardRouting, indexService));
+                        recoveryTarget.startRecovery(request, false, new PeerRecoveryListener(request, shardRouting, indexService));
                     } catch (Exception e) {
                         handleRecoveryFailure(indexService, shardRouting, true, e);
                         break;
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ public class IndicesClusterStateService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Indic
                 try {
                     // we are recovering a backup from a primary, so no need to mark it as relocated
                     final StartRecoveryRequest request = new StartRecoveryRequest(indexShard.shardId(), sourceNode, nodes.localNode(), false, indexShard.store().listWithMd5());
-                    recoveryTarget.startRecovery(request, new PeerRecoveryListener(request, shardRouting, indexService));
+                    recoveryTarget.startRecovery(request, false, new PeerRecoveryListener(request, shardRouting, indexService));
                 } catch (Exception e) {
                     handleRecoveryFailure(indexService, shardRouting, true, e);
                 }
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ public class IndicesClusterStateService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Indic
         @Override public void onRetryRecovery(TimeValue retryAfter) {
             threadPool.schedule(new Runnable() {
                 @Override public void run() {
-                    recoveryTarget.startRecovery(request, PeerRecoveryListener.this);
+                    recoveryTarget.startRecovery(request, true, PeerRecoveryListener.this);
                 }
             }, retryAfter);
         }