diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/OutboundHandler.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/OutboundHandler.java
index 9d8c1b2ecbeb9..5da5fd425b666 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/OutboundHandler.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/OutboundHandler.java
@@ -109,7 +109,13 @@ void sendResponse(final Version nodeVersion, final TcpChannel channel, final lon
         }
         OutboundMessage.Response message = new OutboundMessage.Response(threadPool.getThreadContext(), response, version,
             requestId, isHandshake, compressionScheme);
-        ActionListener<Void> listener = ActionListener.wrap(() -> messageListener.onResponseSent(requestId, action, response));
+        ActionListener<Void> listener = ActionListener.wrap(() -> {
+                try {
+                    messageListener.onResponseSent(requestId, action, response);
+                } finally {
+                    response.decRef();
+                }
+        });
         sendMessage(channel, message, listener);
     }
 
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportActionProxy.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportActionProxy.java
index 68bb590a7df9c..a7ae4537b1f14 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportActionProxy.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportActionProxy.java
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ public T read(StreamInput in) throws IOException {
         @Override
         public void handleResponse(T response) {
             try {
+                response.incRef();
                 channel.sendResponse(response);
             } catch (IOException e) {
                 throw new UncheckedIOException(e);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrIntegTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrIntegTestCase.java
index 5f2f34d69d8c3..ecaf82e8e1104 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrIntegTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrIntegTestCase.java
@@ -259,6 +259,9 @@ public void afterTest() throws Exception {
             clusterGroup.leaderCluster.wipe(Collections.emptySet());
             clusterGroup.followerCluster.wipe(Collections.emptySet());
         }
+
+        clusterGroup.leaderCluster.assertAfterTest();
+        clusterGroup.followerCluster.assertAfterTest();
     }
 
     private NodeConfigurationSource createNodeConfigurationSource(final String leaderSeedAddress, final boolean leaderCluster) {