diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchPhaseExecutionException.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchPhaseExecutionException.java
index 68bcf6d269c..40e8b0730ff 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchPhaseExecutionException.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchPhaseExecutionException.java
@@ -38,13 +38,11 @@ public class SearchPhaseExecutionException extends ElasticsearchException {
     private final ShardSearchFailure[] shardFailures;
 
     public SearchPhaseExecutionException(String phaseName, String msg, ShardSearchFailure[] shardFailures) {
-        super(msg);
-        this.phaseName = phaseName;
-        this.shardFailures = shardFailures;
+        this(phaseName, msg, null, shardFailures);
     }
 
     public SearchPhaseExecutionException(String phaseName, String msg, Throwable cause, ShardSearchFailure[] shardFailures) {
-        super(msg, cause);
+        super(msg, deduplicateCause(cause, shardFailures));
         this.phaseName = phaseName;
         this.shardFailures = shardFailures;
     }
@@ -63,12 +61,26 @@ public class SearchPhaseExecutionException extends ElasticsearchException {
     public void writeTo(StreamOutput out) throws IOException {
         super.writeTo(out);
         out.writeOptionalString(phaseName);
-        out.writeVInt(shardFailures == null ? 0 : shardFailures.length);
-        if (shardFailures != null) {
+        out.writeVInt(shardFailures.length);
+        for (ShardSearchFailure failure : shardFailures) {
+            failure.writeTo(out);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static final Throwable deduplicateCause(Throwable cause, ShardSearchFailure[] shardFailures) {
+        if (shardFailures == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("shardSearchFailures must not be null");
+        }
+        // if the cause of this exception is also the cause of one of the shard failures we don't add it
+        // to prevent duplication in stack traces rendered to the REST layer
+        if (cause != null) {
             for (ShardSearchFailure failure : shardFailures) {
-                failure.writeTo(out);
+                if (failure.getCause() == cause) {
+                    return null;
+                }
             }
         }
+        return cause;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryAndFetchAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryAndFetchAction.java
index cd4238ccdea..2a953f9b732 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryAndFetchAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryAndFetchAction.java
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ public class TransportSearchScrollQueryAndFetchAction extends AbstractComponent
 
         public void start() {
             if (scrollId.getContext().length == 0) {
-                listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "no nodes to search on", null));
+                listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "no nodes to search on", ShardSearchFailure.EMPTY_ARRAY));
                 return;
             }
 
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ public class TransportSearchScrollQueryAndFetchAction extends AbstractComponent
             successfulOps.decrementAndGet();
             if (counter.decrementAndGet() == 0) {
                 if (successfulOps.get() == 0) {
-                    listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query_fetch", "all shards failed", buildShardFailures()));
+                    listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query_fetch", "all shards failed", t, buildShardFailures()));
                 } else {
                     finishHim();
                 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction.java
index 85b06ea7860..8f2df714319 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction.java
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ public class TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction extends AbstractComponent
 
         public void start() {
             if (scrollId.getContext().length == 0) {
-                listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "no nodes to search on", null));
+                listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "no nodes to search on", ShardSearchFailure.EMPTY_ARRAY));
                 return;
             }
             final AtomicInteger counter = new AtomicInteger(scrollId.getContext().length);
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ public class TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction extends AbstractComponent
                         try {
                             executeFetchPhase();
                         } catch (Throwable e) {
-                            listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "Fetch failed", e, null));
+                            listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "Fetch failed", e, ShardSearchFailure.EMPTY_ARRAY));
                             return;
                         }
                     }
@@ -181,12 +181,12 @@ public class TransportSearchScrollQueryThenFetchAction extends AbstractComponent
             successfulOps.decrementAndGet();
             if (counter.decrementAndGet() == 0) {
                 if (successfulOps.get() == 0) {
-                    listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "all shards failed", buildShardFailures()));
+                    listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "all shards failed", t, buildShardFailures()));
                 } else {
                     try {
                         executeFetchPhase();
                     } catch (Throwable e) {
-                        listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "Fetch failed", e, null));
+                        listener.onFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException("query", "Fetch failed", e, ShardSearchFailure.EMPTY_ARRAY));
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchTypeAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchTypeAction.java
index fa5776387dd..31cd3986d2f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchTypeAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/type/TransportSearchTypeAction.java
@@ -220,17 +220,19 @@ public abstract class TransportSearchTypeAction extends TransportAction<SearchRe
                         logger.trace("{}: Failed to execute [{}]", t, shard, request);
                     }
                 }
+                final ShardSearchFailure[] shardSearchFailures = buildShardFailures();
                 if (successfulOps.get() == 0) {
                     if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
                         logger.debug("All shards failed for phase: [{}]", t, firstPhaseName());
                     }
+
                     // no successful ops, raise an exception
-                    raiseEarlyFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException(firstPhaseName(), "all shards failed", buildShardFailures()));
+                    raiseEarlyFailure(new SearchPhaseExecutionException(firstPhaseName(), "all shards failed", t, shardSearchFailures));
                 } else {
                     try {
                         innerMoveToSecondPhase();
                     } catch (Throwable e) {
-                        raiseEarlyFailure(new ReduceSearchPhaseException(firstPhaseName(), "", e, buildShardFailures()));
+                        raiseEarlyFailure(new ReduceSearchPhaseException(firstPhaseName(), "", e, shardSearchFailures));
                     }
                 }
             } else {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ESExceptionTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ESExceptionTests.java
index 4d81b3488cb..5aeaf9601ef 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ESExceptionTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ESExceptionTests.java
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ public class ESExceptionTests extends ESTestCase {
                     new SearchShardTarget("node_1", "foo", 1));
             ShardSearchFailure failure1 = new ShardSearchFailure(new ParsingException(1, 2, "foobar", null),
                     new SearchShardTarget("node_1", "foo", 2));
-            SearchPhaseExecutionException ex = new SearchPhaseExecutionException("search", "all shards failed", new ShardSearchFailure[]{failure, failure1});
+            SearchPhaseExecutionException ex = new SearchPhaseExecutionException("search", "all shards failed", randomBoolean() ? failure1.getCause() : failure.getCause(), new ShardSearchFailure[]{failure, failure1});
             XContentBuilder builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder();
             builder.startObject();
             ex.toXContent(builder, PARAMS);
@@ -163,6 +163,21 @@ public class ESExceptionTests extends ESTestCase {
             String expected = "{\"type\":\"search_phase_execution_exception\",\"reason\":\"all shards failed\",\"phase\":\"search\",\"grouped\":true,\"failed_shards\":[{\"shard\":1,\"index\":\"foo\",\"node\":\"node_1\",\"reason\":{\"type\":\"parsing_exception\",\"reason\":\"foobar\",\"line\":1,\"col\":2}},{\"shard\":1,\"index\":\"foo1\",\"node\":\"node_1\",\"reason\":{\"type\":\"query_shard_exception\",\"reason\":\"foobar\",\"index\":\"foo1\"}}]}";
             assertEquals(expected, builder.string());
         }
+        {
+            ShardSearchFailure failure = new ShardSearchFailure(new ParsingException(1, 2, "foobar", null),
+                    new SearchShardTarget("node_1", "foo", 1));
+            ShardSearchFailure failure1 = new ShardSearchFailure(new ParsingException(1, 2, "foobar", null),
+                    new SearchShardTarget("node_1", "foo", 2));
+            NullPointerException nullPointerException = new NullPointerException();
+            SearchPhaseExecutionException ex = new SearchPhaseExecutionException("search", "all shards failed", nullPointerException, new ShardSearchFailure[]{failure, failure1});
+            assertEquals(nullPointerException, ex.getCause());
+            XContentBuilder builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder();
+            builder.startObject();
+            ex.toXContent(builder, PARAMS);
+            builder.endObject();
+            String expected = "{\"type\":\"search_phase_execution_exception\",\"reason\":\"all shards failed\",\"phase\":\"search\",\"grouped\":true,\"failed_shards\":[{\"shard\":1,\"index\":\"foo\",\"node\":\"node_1\",\"reason\":{\"type\":\"parsing_exception\",\"reason\":\"foobar\",\"line\":1,\"col\":2}}],\"caused_by\":{\"type\":\"null_pointer_exception\",\"reason\":null}}";
+            assertEquals(expected, builder.string());
+        }
     }
 
     public void testGetRootCause() {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryIT.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryIT.java
index ce5eca5d11c..d4816f8d334 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryIT.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/TemplateQueryIT.java
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ public class TemplateQueryIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
                                     templateParams)).get();
             fail("Expected SearchPhaseExecutionException");
         } catch (SearchPhaseExecutionException e) {
-            assertThat(e.getCause().getMessage(), containsString("Illegal index script format"));
+            assertThat(e.toString(), containsString("Illegal index script format"));
         }
     }