diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
index f8abcf31808..5f930ad4859 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
@@ -634,6 +634,7 @@ public class SnapshotsService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Clus
                 if (event.routingTableChanged()) {
                     processStartedShards(event);
                 }
+                removeFinishedSnapshotFromClusterState(event);
                 finalizeSnapshotDeletionFromPreviousMaster(event);
             }
         } catch (Exception e) {
@@ -663,6 +664,26 @@ public class SnapshotsService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Clus
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Removes a finished snapshot from the cluster state.  This can happen if the previous
+     * master node processed a cluster state update that marked the snapshot as finished,
+     * but the previous master node died before removing the snapshot in progress from the
+     * cluster state.  It is then the responsibility of the new master node to end the
+     * snapshot and remove it from the cluster state.
+     */
+    private void removeFinishedSnapshotFromClusterState(ClusterChangedEvent event) {
+        if (event.localNodeMaster() && !event.previousState().nodes().isLocalNodeElectedMaster()) {
+            SnapshotsInProgress snapshotsInProgress = event.state().custom(SnapshotsInProgress.TYPE);
+            if (snapshotsInProgress != null && !snapshotsInProgress.entries().isEmpty()) {
+                for (SnapshotsInProgress.Entry entry : snapshotsInProgress.entries()) {
+                    if (entry.state().completed()) {
+                        endSnapshot(entry);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Cleans up shard snapshots that were running on removed nodes
      *