diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/deletebyquery/TransportShardDeleteByQueryAction.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/deletebyquery/TransportShardDeleteByQueryAction.java
index 7f2cd83497c..89fbd36ec6c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/deletebyquery/TransportShardDeleteByQueryAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/deletebyquery/TransportShardDeleteByQueryAction.java
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ public class TransportShardDeleteByQueryAction extends TransportShardReplication
     protected PrimaryResponse<ShardDeleteByQueryResponse, ShardDeleteByQueryRequest> shardOperationOnPrimary(ClusterState clusterState, PrimaryOperationRequest shardRequest) {
         ShardDeleteByQueryRequest request = shardRequest.request;
         IndexShard indexShard = indicesService.indexServiceSafe(shardRequest.request.index()).shardSafe(shardRequest.shardId);
-        Engine.DeleteByQuery deleteByQuery = indexShard.prepareDeleteByQuery(request.querySource(), request.filteringAliases(), request.types());
+        Engine.DeleteByQuery deleteByQuery = indexShard.prepareDeleteByQuery(request.querySource(), request.filteringAliases(), request.types())
+                .origin(Engine.Operation.Origin.PRIMARY);
         indexShard.deleteByQuery(deleteByQuery);
         return new PrimaryResponse<ShardDeleteByQueryResponse, ShardDeleteByQueryRequest>(shardRequest.request, new ShardDeleteByQueryResponse(), null);
     }
@@ -102,7 +103,8 @@ public class TransportShardDeleteByQueryAction extends TransportShardReplication
     protected void shardOperationOnReplica(ReplicaOperationRequest shardRequest) {
         ShardDeleteByQueryRequest request = shardRequest.request;
         IndexShard indexShard = indicesService.indexServiceSafe(shardRequest.request.index()).shardSafe(shardRequest.shardId);
-        Engine.DeleteByQuery deleteByQuery = indexShard.prepareDeleteByQuery(request.querySource(), request.filteringAliases(), request.types());
+        Engine.DeleteByQuery deleteByQuery = indexShard.prepareDeleteByQuery(request.querySource(), request.filteringAliases(), request.types())
+                .origin(Engine.Operation.Origin.REPLICA);
         indexShard.deleteByQuery(deleteByQuery);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/Engine.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/Engine.java
index d917ef85050..5f0d8144069 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/Engine.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/Engine.java
@@ -748,6 +748,7 @@ public interface Engine extends IndexShardComponent, CloseableComponent {
         private final Filter aliasFilter;
         private final String[] types;
         private final Filter parentFilter;
+        private Operation.Origin origin = Operation.Origin.PRIMARY;
 
         private long startTime;
         private long endTime;
@@ -789,6 +790,15 @@ public interface Engine extends IndexShardComponent, CloseableComponent {
             return parentFilter;
         }
 
+        public DeleteByQuery origin(Operation.Origin origin) {
+            this.origin = origin;
+            return this;
+        }
+
+        public Operation.Origin origin() {
+            return this.origin;
+        }
+
         public DeleteByQuery startTime(long startTime) {
             this.startTime = startTime;
             return this;
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
index f96d8ef3570..4689d1129c5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
@@ -691,7 +691,8 @@ public class InternalIndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements I
                     break;
                 case DELETE_BY_QUERY:
                     Translog.DeleteByQuery deleteByQuery = (Translog.DeleteByQuery) operation;
-                    engine.delete(prepareDeleteByQuery(deleteByQuery.source(), deleteByQuery.filteringAliases(), deleteByQuery.types()));
+                    engine.delete(prepareDeleteByQuery(deleteByQuery.source(), deleteByQuery.filteringAliases(), deleteByQuery.types())
+                            .origin(Engine.Operation.Origin.RECOVERY));
                     break;
                 default:
                     throw new ElasticSearchIllegalStateException("No operation defined for [" + operation + "]");