diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchDirectoryReader.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchDirectoryReader.java
index c6e78aab204..8cded639eb6 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchDirectoryReader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchDirectoryReader.java
@@ -74,6 +74,12 @@ public final class ElasticsearchDirectoryReader extends FilterDirectoryReader {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Adds the given listener to the provided directory reader. The reader must contain an {@link ElasticsearchDirectoryReader} in it's hierarchy
+     * otherwise we can't safely install the listener.
+     *
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the reader doesn't contain an {@link ElasticsearchDirectoryReader} in it's hierarchy
+     */
     @SuppressForbidden(reason = "This is the only sane way to add a ReaderClosedListener")
     public static void addReaderCloseListener(DirectoryReader reader, IndexReader.ReaderClosedListener listener) {
         ElasticsearchDirectoryReader elasticsearchDirectoryReader = getElasticsearchDirectoryReader(reader);
@@ -82,9 +88,12 @@ public final class ElasticsearchDirectoryReader extends FilterDirectoryReader {
             elasticsearchDirectoryReader.addReaderClosedListener(listener);
             return;
         }
-        throw new IllegalStateException("Can't install close listener reader is not an ElasticsearchDirectoryReader/ElasticsearchLeafReader");
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Can't install close listener reader is not an ElasticsearchDirectoryReader/ElasticsearchLeafReader");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Tries to unwrap the given reader until the first {@link ElasticsearchDirectoryReader} instance is found or <code>null</code> if no instance is found;
+     */
     public static ElasticsearchDirectoryReader getElasticsearchDirectoryReader(DirectoryReader reader) {
         if (reader instanceof FilterDirectoryReader) {
             if (reader instanceof ElasticsearchDirectoryReader) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchLeafReader.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchLeafReader.java
index e666b91d824..68c20689efc 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchLeafReader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/lucene/index/ElasticsearchLeafReader.java
@@ -18,10 +18,7 @@
  */
 package org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.index;
 
-import org.apache.lucene.index.DirectoryReader;
-import org.apache.lucene.index.FilterDirectoryReader;
-import org.apache.lucene.index.FilterLeafReader;
-import org.apache.lucene.index.LeafReader;
+import org.apache.lucene.index.*;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.shard.ShardId;
 
 /**
@@ -38,7 +35,7 @@ public final class ElasticsearchLeafReader extends FilterLeafReader {
      *
      * @param in specified base reader.
      */
-    ElasticsearchLeafReader(LeafReader in, ShardId shardId) {
+    public ElasticsearchLeafReader(LeafReader in, ShardId shardId) {
         super(in);
         this.shardId = shardId;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngine.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngine.java
index 3973b47f3ac..a55fa0ce660 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngine.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/InternalEngine.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.ESLogger;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.LoggerInfoStream;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.Lucene;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.index.ElasticsearchDirectoryReader;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.index.ElasticsearchLeafReader;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.uid.Versions;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.math.MathUtils;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
@@ -905,9 +906,10 @@ public class InternalEngine extends Engine {
                 @Override
                 public void warm(LeafReader reader) throws IOException {
                     try {
-                        assert isMergedSegment(reader);
+                        LeafReader esLeafReader = new ElasticsearchLeafReader(reader, shardId);
+                        assert isMergedSegment(esLeafReader);
                         if (warmer != null) {
-                            final Engine.Searcher searcher = new Searcher("warmer", searcherFactory.newSearcher(reader, null));
+                            final Engine.Searcher searcher = new Searcher("warmer", searcherFactory.newSearcher(esLeafReader, null));
                             final IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext context = new IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext(shardId, searcher);
                             warmer.warmNewReaders(context);
                         }
@@ -949,6 +951,9 @@ public class InternalEngine extends Engine {
         @Override
         public IndexSearcher newSearcher(IndexReader reader, IndexReader previousReader) throws IOException {
             IndexSearcher searcher = super.newSearcher(reader, previousReader);
+            if (reader instanceof LeafReader && isMergedSegment((LeafReader)reader)) {
+                return searcher;
+            }
             if (warmer != null) {
                 // we need to pass a custom searcher that does not release anything on Engine.Search Release,
                 // we will release explicitly
@@ -986,10 +991,11 @@ public class InternalEngine extends Engine {
                     }
 
                     if (newSearcher != null) {
-                        IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext context = new IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext(shardId, new Searcher("warmer", newSearcher));
+                        IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext context = new IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext(shardId, new Searcher("new_reader_warming", newSearcher));
                         warmer.warmNewReaders(context);
                     }
-                    warmer.warmTopReader(new IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext(shardId, new Searcher("warmer", searcher)));
+                    assert searcher.getIndexReader() instanceof ElasticsearchDirectoryReader : "this class needs an ElasticsearchDirectoryReader but got: " + searcher.getIndexReader().getClass();
+                    warmer.warmTopReader(new IndicesWarmer.WarmerContext(shardId, new Searcher("top_reader_warming", searcher)));
                 } catch (Throwable e) {
                     if (isEngineClosed.get() == false) {
                         logger.warn("failed to prepare/warm", e);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasChildQueryBuilder.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasChildQueryBuilder.java
index 692f6456a2d..a7b7506ebae 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasChildQueryBuilder.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasChildQueryBuilder.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import org.apache.lucene.index.DirectoryReader;
 import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexReader;
 import org.apache.lucene.index.MultiDocValues;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.IndexSearcher;
+import org.apache.lucene.search.MatchNoDocsQuery;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.Query;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.join.JoinUtil;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.join.ScoreMode;
@@ -288,12 +289,23 @@ public class HasChildQueryBuilder extends AbstractQueryBuilder<HasChildQueryBuil
             if (getBoost() != 1.0F) {
                 return super.rewrite(reader);
             }
-            String joinField = ParentFieldMapper.joinField(parentType);
-            IndexSearcher indexSearcher = new IndexSearcher(reader);
-            indexSearcher.setQueryCache(null);
-            IndexParentChildFieldData indexParentChildFieldData = parentChildIndexFieldData.loadGlobal((DirectoryReader) reader);
-            MultiDocValues.OrdinalMap ordinalMap = ParentChildIndexFieldData.getOrdinalMap(indexParentChildFieldData, parentType);
-            return JoinUtil.createJoinQuery(joinField, innerQuery, toQuery, indexSearcher, scoreMode, ordinalMap, minChildren, maxChildren);
+            if (reader instanceof DirectoryReader) {
+                String joinField = ParentFieldMapper.joinField(parentType);
+                IndexSearcher indexSearcher = new IndexSearcher(reader);
+                indexSearcher.setQueryCache(null);
+                IndexParentChildFieldData indexParentChildFieldData = parentChildIndexFieldData.loadGlobal((DirectoryReader) reader);
+                MultiDocValues.OrdinalMap ordinalMap = ParentChildIndexFieldData.getOrdinalMap(indexParentChildFieldData, parentType);
+                return JoinUtil.createJoinQuery(joinField, innerQuery, toQuery, indexSearcher, scoreMode, ordinalMap, minChildren, maxChildren);
+            } else {
+                if (reader.leaves().isEmpty() && reader.numDocs() == 0) {
+                    // asserting reader passes down a MultiReader during rewrite which makes this
+                    // blow up since for this query to work we have to have a DirectoryReader otherwise
+                    // we can't load global ordinals - for this to work we simply check if the reader has no leaves
+                    // and rewrite to match nothing
+                    return new MatchNoDocsQuery();
+                }
+                throw new IllegalStateException("can't load global ordinals for reader of type: " + reader.getClass() + " must be a DirectoryReader");
+            }
         }
 
         @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapper.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapper.java
index 41352b5c9fd..5aab48ece1b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapper.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapper.java
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class IndexSearcherWrapper {
         if (reader == engineSearcher.reader() && indexSearcher == innerIndexSearcher) {
             return engineSearcher;
         } else {
-            return new Engine.Searcher(engineSearcher.source(), indexSearcher) {
+            Engine.Searcher newSearcher = new Engine.Searcher(engineSearcher.source(), indexSearcher) {
                 @Override
                 public void close() throws ElasticsearchException {
                     try {
@@ -92,6 +92,9 @@ public class IndexSearcherWrapper {
 
                 }
             };
+            // TODO should this be a real exception? this checks that our wrapper doesn't wrap in it's own ElasticsearchDirectoryReader
+            assert ElasticsearchDirectoryReader.getElasticsearchDirectoryReader(newSearcher.getDirectoryReader()) == elasticsearchDirectoryReader : "Wrapper hides actual ElasticsearchDirectoryReader but shouldn't";
+            return newSearcher;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapperTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapperTests.java
index 3411f15a359..451acb7d184 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapperTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexSearcherWrapperTests.java
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ public class IndexSearcherWrapperTests extends ESTestCase {
         final AtomicInteger count = new AtomicInteger();
         final AtomicInteger outerCount = new AtomicInteger();
         try (Engine.Searcher engineSearcher = new Engine.Searcher("foo", searcher)) {
-            final Engine.Searcher wrap = wrapper.wrap(ENGINE_CONFIG, engineSearcher);
+            // sometimes double wrap....
+            final Engine.Searcher wrap = randomBoolean() ? wrapper.wrap(ENGINE_CONFIG, engineSearcher) : wrapper.wrap(ENGINE_CONFIG, wrapper.wrap(ENGINE_CONFIG, engineSearcher));
             assertEquals(1, wrap.reader().getRefCount());
             ElasticsearchDirectoryReader.addReaderCloseListener(wrap.getDirectoryReader(), reader -> {
                 if (reader == open) {