diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java
index 04eb14669e7..a8960387e6f 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java
@@ -206,10 +206,19 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Cluste
         if (enforceRecoverAfterTime && recoverAfterTime != null) {
             if (scheduledRecovery.compareAndSet(false, true)) {
                 logger.info("delaying initial state recovery for [{}]. {}", recoverAfterTime, reason);
-                threadPool.schedule(() -> {
-                    if (recovered.compareAndSet(false, true)) {
-                        logger.info("recover_after_time [{}] elapsed. performing state recovery...", recoverAfterTime);
-                        recoveryRunnable.run();
+                threadPool.schedule(new AbstractRunnable() {
+                    @Override
+                    public void onFailure(Exception e) {
+                        logger.warn("delayed state recovery failed", e);
+                        resetRecoveredFlags();
+                    }
+
+                    @Override
+                    protected void doRun() {
+                        if (recovered.compareAndSet(false, true)) {
+                            logger.info("recover_after_time [{}] elapsed. performing state recovery...", recoverAfterTime);
+                            recoveryRunnable.run();
+                        }
                     }
                 }, recoverAfterTime, ThreadPool.Names.GENERIC);
             }
@@ -218,10 +227,8 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Cluste
                 threadPool.generic().execute(new AbstractRunnable() {
                     @Override
                     public void onFailure(final Exception e) {
-                        logger.warn("Recovery failed", e);
-                        // we reset `recovered` in the listener don't reset it here otherwise there might be a race
-                        // that resets it to false while a new recover is already running?
-                        GatewayService.this.onFailure("state recovery failed: " + e.getMessage());
+                        logger.warn("state recovery failed", e);
+                        resetRecoveredFlags();
                     }
 
                     @Override
@@ -233,11 +240,9 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Cluste
         }
     }
 
-    private void onFailure(final String message) {
+    private void resetRecoveredFlags() {
         recovered.set(false);
         scheduledRecovery.set(false);
-        // don't remove the block here, we don't want to allow anything in such a case
-        logger.info("metadata state not restored, reason: {}", message);
     }
 
     class RecoverStateUpdateTask extends ClusterStateUpdateTask {
@@ -257,10 +262,16 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Cluste
             logger.info("recovered [{}] indices into cluster_state", newState.metaData().indices().size());
         }
 
+        @Override
+        public void onNoLongerMaster(String source) {
+            logger.debug("stepped down as master before recovering state [{}]", source);
+            resetRecoveredFlags();
+        }
+
         @Override
         public void onFailure(final String source, final Exception e) {
             logger.info(() -> new ParameterizedMessage("unexpected failure during [{}]", source), e);
-            GatewayService.this.onFailure("failed to update cluster state");
+            resetRecoveredFlags();
         }
     }
 
@@ -280,7 +291,8 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements Cluste
 
         @Override
         public void onFailure(final String msg) {
-            GatewayService.this.onFailure(msg);
+            logger.info("state recovery failed: {}", msg);
+            resetRecoveredFlags();
         }
 
     }