diff --git a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/ClientYamlTestClient.java b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/ClientYamlTestClient.java
index 748a08384ca..c18dad907bd 100644
--- a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/ClientYamlTestClient.java
+++ b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/ClientYamlTestClient.java
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ import org.elasticsearch.client.ResponseException;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.RestClient;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.Loggers;
-import org.elasticsearch.common.util.set.Sets;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.restspec.ClientYamlSuiteRestApi;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.restspec.ClientYamlSuiteRestPath;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.restspec.ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec;
@@ -44,7 +43,6 @@ import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Objects;
-import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
  * Used by {@link ESClientYamlSuiteTestCase} to execute REST requests according to the tests written in yaml suite files. Wraps a
@@ -53,11 +51,6 @@ import java.util.Set;
  */
 public class ClientYamlTestClient {
     private static final Logger logger = Loggers.getLogger(ClientYamlTestClient.class);
-    /**
-     * Query params that don't need to be declared in the spec, they are supported by default.
-     */
-    private static final Set<String> ALWAYS_ACCEPTED_QUERY_STRING_PARAMS = Sets.newHashSet(
-            "ignore", "error_trace", "human", "filter_path", "pretty", "source");
 
     private final ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec restSpec;
     private final RestClient restClient;
@@ -108,7 +101,8 @@ public class ClientYamlTestClient {
             if (restApi.getPathParts().contains(entry.getKey())) {
                 pathParts.put(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue());
             } else {
-                if (restApi.getParams().contains(entry.getKey()) || ALWAYS_ACCEPTED_QUERY_STRING_PARAMS.contains(entry.getKey())) {
+                if (restApi.getParams().contains(entry.getKey()) || restSpec.isGlobalParameter(entry.getKey())
+                        || restSpec.isClientParameter(entry.getKey())) {
                     queryStringParams.put(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue());
                 } else {
                     throw new IllegalArgumentException("param [" + entry.getKey() + "] not supported in ["
diff --git a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/restspec/ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec.java b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/restspec/ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec.java
index 4efed709e22..15f2f7e3016 100644
--- a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/restspec/ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec.java
+++ b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/yaml/restspec/ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec.java
@@ -30,18 +30,21 @@ import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
  * Holds the specification used to turn {@code do} actions in the YAML suite into REST api calls.
  */
 public class ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec {
-    Map<String, ClientYamlSuiteRestApi> restApiMap = new HashMap<>();
+    private final Set<String> globalParameters = new HashSet<>();
+    private final Map<String, ClientYamlSuiteRestApi> restApiMap = new HashMap<>();
 
     private ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec() {
     }
 
-    void addApi(ClientYamlSuiteRestApi restApi) {
+    private void addApi(ClientYamlSuiteRestApi restApi) {
         ClientYamlSuiteRestApi previous = restApiMap.putIfAbsent(restApi.getName(), restApi);
         if (previous != null) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("cannot register api [" + restApi.getName() + "] found in [" + restApi.getLocation() + "]. "
@@ -57,6 +60,21 @@ public class ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec {
         return restApiMap.values();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns whether the provided parameter is one of those parameters that are supported by all Elasticsearch api
+     */
+    public boolean isGlobalParameter(String param) {
+        return globalParameters.contains(param);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns whether the provided parameter is one of those parameters that are supported by the Elasticsearch language clients, meaning
+     * that they influence the client behaviour and don't get sent to Elasticsearch
+     */
+    public boolean isClientParameter(String name) {
+        return "ignore".equals(name);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Parses the complete set of REST spec available under the provided directories
      */
@@ -66,15 +84,39 @@ public class ClientYamlSuiteRestSpec {
         for (String path : paths) {
             for (Path jsonFile : FileUtils.findJsonSpec(fileSystem, optionalPathPrefix, path)) {
                 try (InputStream stream = Files.newInputStream(jsonFile)) {
+                    String filename = jsonFile.getFileName().toString();
                     try (XContentParser parser = JsonXContent.jsonXContent.createParser(NamedXContentRegistry.EMPTY, stream)) {
-                        ClientYamlSuiteRestApi restApi = restApiParser.parse(jsonFile.toString(), parser);
-                        String filename = jsonFile.getFileName().toString();
-                        String expectedApiName = filename.substring(0, filename.lastIndexOf('.'));
-                        if (restApi.getName().equals(expectedApiName) == false) {
-                            throw new IllegalArgumentException("found api [" + restApi.getName() + "] in [" + jsonFile.toString() + "]. " +
-                                    "Each api is expected to have the same name as the file that defines it.");
+                        if (filename.equals("_common.json")) {
+                            String currentFieldName = null;
+                            while (parser.nextToken() != XContentParser.Token.END_OBJECT) {
+                                if (parser.currentToken() == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME) {
+                                    currentFieldName = parser.currentName();
+                                } else if (parser.currentToken() == XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT
+                                        && "params".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                                    while (parser.nextToken() == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME) {
+                                        String param = parser.currentName();
+                                        if (restSpec.globalParameters.contains(param)) {
+                                            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Found duplicate global param [" + param + "]");
+                                        }
+                                        restSpec.globalParameters.add(param);
+                                        parser.nextToken();
+                                        if (parser.currentToken() != XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT) {
+                                            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Expected params field in rest api definition to " +
+                                                    "contain an object");
+                                        }
+                                        parser.skipChildren();
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            }
+                        } else {
+                            ClientYamlSuiteRestApi restApi = restApiParser.parse(jsonFile.toString(), parser);
+                            String expectedApiName = filename.substring(0, filename.lastIndexOf('.'));
+                            if (restApi.getName().equals(expectedApiName) == false) {
+                                throw new IllegalArgumentException("found api [" + restApi.getName() + "] in [" + jsonFile.toString() +
+                                        "]. " + "Each api is expected to have the same name as the file that defines it.");
+                            }
+                            restSpec.addApi(restApi);
                         }
-                        restSpec.addApi(restApi);
                     }
                 } catch (Exception ex) {
                     throw new IOException("Can't parse rest spec file: [" + jsonFile + "]", ex);