diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/NettyTransport.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/NettyTransport.java
index 90ac25ab3f3..3d119c80cae 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/NettyTransport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/NettyTransport.java
@@ -103,6 +103,13 @@ public class NettyTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
         NettyStaticSetup.setup();
     }
 
+    public static final String WORKER_COUNT = "transport.netty.worker_count";
+    public static final String CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_RECOVERY = "transport.connections_per_node.recovery";
+    public static final String CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_BULK = "transport.connections_per_node.bulk";
+    public static final String CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_REG = "transport.connections_per_node.reg";
+    public static final String CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_STATE = "transport.connections_per_node.state";
+    public static final String CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_PING = "transport.connections_per_node.ping";
+
     private final NetworkService networkService;
     final Version version;
 
@@ -182,7 +189,7 @@ public class NettyTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
             System.setProperty("org.jboss.netty.epollBugWorkaround", "true");
         }
 
-        this.workerCount = componentSettings.getAsInt("worker_count", EsExecutors.boundedNumberOfProcessors(settings) * 2);
+        this.workerCount = settings.getAsInt(WORKER_COUNT, EsExecutors.boundedNumberOfProcessors(settings) * 2);
         this.bossCount = componentSettings.getAsInt("boss_count", 1);
         this.blockingServer = settings.getAsBoolean("transport.tcp.blocking_server", settings.getAsBoolean(TCP_BLOCKING_SERVER, settings.getAsBoolean(TCP_BLOCKING, false)));
         this.blockingClient = settings.getAsBoolean("transport.tcp.blocking_client", settings.getAsBoolean(TCP_BLOCKING_CLIENT, settings.getAsBoolean(TCP_BLOCKING, false)));
@@ -197,11 +204,11 @@ public class NettyTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
         this.reuseAddress = componentSettings.getAsBoolean("reuse_address", settings.getAsBoolean(TCP_REUSE_ADDRESS, NetworkUtils.defaultReuseAddress()));
         this.tcpSendBufferSize = componentSettings.getAsBytesSize("tcp_send_buffer_size", settings.getAsBytesSize(TCP_SEND_BUFFER_SIZE, TCP_DEFAULT_SEND_BUFFER_SIZE));
         this.tcpReceiveBufferSize = componentSettings.getAsBytesSize("tcp_receive_buffer_size", settings.getAsBytesSize(TCP_RECEIVE_BUFFER_SIZE, TCP_DEFAULT_RECEIVE_BUFFER_SIZE));
-        this.connectionsPerNodeRecovery = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.recovery", settings.getAsInt("transport.connections_per_node.recovery", 2));
-        this.connectionsPerNodeBulk = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.bulk", settings.getAsInt("transport.connections_per_node.bulk", 3));
-        this.connectionsPerNodeReg = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.reg", settings.getAsInt("transport.connections_per_node.reg", 6));
-        this.connectionsPerNodeState = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.high", settings.getAsInt("transport.connections_per_node.state", 1));
-        this.connectionsPerNodePing = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.ping", settings.getAsInt("transport.connections_per_node.ping", 1));
+        this.connectionsPerNodeRecovery = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.recovery", settings.getAsInt(CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_RECOVERY, 2));
+        this.connectionsPerNodeBulk = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.bulk", settings.getAsInt(CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_BULK, 3));
+        this.connectionsPerNodeReg = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.reg", settings.getAsInt(CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_REG, 6));
+        this.connectionsPerNodeState = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.high", settings.getAsInt(CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_STATE, 1));
+        this.connectionsPerNodePing = componentSettings.getAsInt("connections_per_node.ping", settings.getAsInt(CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_PING, 1));
 
         // we want to have at least 1 for reg/state/ping
         if (this.connectionsPerNodeReg == 0) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/InternalTestCluster.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/InternalTestCluster.java
index 6bd14bddb8e..2738c5bac4d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/InternalTestCluster.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/InternalTestCluster.java
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.threadpool.ThreadPool;
 import org.elasticsearch.transport.Transport;
 import org.elasticsearch.transport.TransportModule;
 import org.elasticsearch.transport.TransportService;
+import org.elasticsearch.transport.netty.NettyTransport;
 import org.junit.Assert;
 
 import java.io.Closeable;
@@ -330,6 +331,15 @@ public final class InternalTestCluster extends TestCluster {
                 builder.put("indices.fielddata.cache.expire", TimeValue.timeValueMillis(1 + random.nextInt(10000)));
             }
         }
+
+        // randomize netty settings
+        if (random.nextBoolean()) {
+            builder.put(NettyTransport.WORKER_COUNT, random.nextInt(3) + 1);
+            builder.put(NettyTransport.CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_RECOVERY, random.nextInt(2) + 1);
+            builder.put(NettyTransport.CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_BULK, random.nextInt(3) + 1);
+            builder.put(NettyTransport.CONNECTIONS_PER_NODE_REG, random.nextInt(6) + 1);
+        }
+
         return builder.build();
     }