diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java
index 6978bbbb1f8..e725b1dd98d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.validate.query;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastShardOperationRequest;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.BytesHolder;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
@@ -29,14 +30,10 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 
 /**
  * Internal validate request executed directly against a specific index shard.
- *
- *
  */
 class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
 
-    private byte[] querySource;
-    private int querySourceOffset;
-    private int querySourceLength;
+    private BytesHolder querySource;
 
     private String[] types = Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY;
 
@@ -50,24 +47,14 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
     public ShardValidateQueryRequest(String index, int shardId, @Nullable String[] filteringAliases, ValidateQueryRequest request) {
         super(index, shardId);
         this.querySource = request.querySource();
-        this.querySourceOffset = request.querySourceOffset();
-        this.querySourceLength = request.querySourceLength();
         this.types = request.types();
         this.filteringAliases = filteringAliases;
     }
 
-    public byte[] querySource() {
+    public BytesHolder querySource() {
         return querySource;
     }
 
-    public int querySourceOffset() {
-        return querySourceOffset;
-    }
-
-    public int querySourceLength() {
-        return querySourceLength;
-    }
-
     public String[] types() {
         return this.types;
     }
@@ -79,10 +66,8 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
     @Override
     public void readFrom(StreamInput in) throws IOException {
         super.readFrom(in);
-        querySourceLength = in.readVInt();
-        querySourceOffset = 0;
-        querySource = new byte[querySourceLength];
-        in.readFully(querySource);
+        querySource = in.readBytesReference();
+
         int typesSize = in.readVInt();
         if (typesSize > 0) {
             types = new String[typesSize];
@@ -102,8 +87,8 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
     @Override
     public void writeTo(StreamOutput out) throws IOException {
         super.writeTo(out);
-        out.writeVInt(querySourceLength);
-        out.writeBytes(querySource, querySourceOffset, querySourceLength);
+        out.writeBytesHolder(querySource);
+
         out.writeVInt(types.length);
         for (String type : types) {
             out.writeUTF(type);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java
index 84cd7156c50..a8fec5bce64 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java
@@ -136,11 +136,11 @@ public class TransportValidateQueryAction extends TransportBroadcastOperationAct
     protected ShardValidateQueryResponse shardOperation(ShardValidateQueryRequest request) throws ElasticSearchException {
         IndexQueryParserService queryParserService = indicesService.indexServiceSafe(request.index()).queryParserService();
         boolean valid;
-        if (request.querySourceLength() == 0) {
+        if (request.querySource().length() == 0) {
             valid = true;
         } else {
             try {
-                queryParserService.parse(request.querySource(), request.querySourceOffset(), request.querySourceLength());
+                queryParserService.parse(request.querySource().bytes(), request.querySource().offset(), request.querySource().length());
                 valid = true;
             } catch (QueryParsingException e) {
                 valid = false;
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java
index f5264ee7e34..18030e6d175 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionRequestValidationException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastOperationRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastOperationThreading;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.Requests;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.BytesHolder;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Required;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Unicode;
@@ -45,8 +46,6 @@ import java.util.Map;
  * <p/>
  * <p>The request requires the query source to be set either using {@link #query(org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilder)},
  * or {@link #query(byte[])}.
- *
- *
  */
 public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest {
 
@@ -111,16 +110,8 @@ public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest {
     /**
      * The query source to execute.
      */
-    byte[] querySource() {
-        return querySource;
-    }
-
-    int querySourceOffset() {
-        return querySourceOffset;
-    }
-
-    int querySourceLength() {
-        return querySourceLength;
+    BytesHolder querySource() {
+        return new BytesHolder(querySource, querySourceOffset, querySourceLength);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -218,11 +209,11 @@ public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest {
     public void readFrom(StreamInput in) throws IOException {
         super.readFrom(in);
 
+        BytesHolder bytes = in.readBytesReference();
         querySourceUnsafe = false;
-        querySourceOffset = 0;
-        querySourceLength = in.readVInt();
-        querySource = new byte[querySourceLength];
-        in.readFully(querySource);
+        querySource = bytes.bytes();
+        querySourceOffset = bytes.offset();
+        querySourceLength = bytes.length();
 
         int typesSize = in.readVInt();
         if (typesSize > 0) {
@@ -237,8 +228,7 @@ public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest {
     public void writeTo(StreamOutput out) throws IOException {
         super.writeTo(out);
 
-        out.writeVInt(querySourceLength);
-        out.writeBytes(querySource, querySourceOffset, querySourceLength);
+        out.writeBytesHolder(querySource, querySourceOffset, querySourceLength);
 
         out.writeVInt(types.length);
         for (String type : types) {
@@ -248,6 +238,6 @@ public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest {
 
     @Override
     public String toString() {
-        return "[" + Arrays.toString(indices) + "]" + Arrays.toString(types) + ", querySource[" + Unicode.fromBytes(querySource) + "]";
+        return "[" + Arrays.toString(indices) + "]" + Arrays.toString(types) + ", querySource[" + Unicode.fromBytes(querySource, querySourceOffset, querySourceLength) + "]";
     }
 }