diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/CanMatchPreFilterSearchPhase.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/CanMatchPreFilterSearchPhase.java
index 5e67a1068a1be..f2f5b6df35711 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/CanMatchPreFilterSearchPhase.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/CanMatchPreFilterSearchPhase.java
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ public CanMatchNodeRequest.Shard buildShardLevelRequest(SearchShardIterator shar
     }
 
     public void start() {
-        if (shardsIts.size() == 0) {
+        if (shardsIts.isEmpty()) {
             finishPhase();
             return;
         }
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchShardIterator.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchShardIterator.java
index bf020cbd309eb..00ff8f33f5659 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchShardIterator.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchShardIterator.java
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 
 import org.elasticsearch.action.OriginalIndices;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardRouting;
-import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardsIterator;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.PlainIterator;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.TimeValue;
@@ -113,15 +112,6 @@ SearchShardTarget nextOrNull() {
         return null;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Return the number of shards remaining in this {@link ShardsIterator}
-     *
-     * @return number of shard remaining
-     */
-    int remaining() {
-        return targetNodesIterator.remaining();
-    }
-
     /**
      * Returns a non-null value if this request should use a specific search context instead of the latest one.
      */
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/TransportSearchShardsAction.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/TransportSearchShardsAction.java
index 83889b7cf752a..d76ba859fac37 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/TransportSearchShardsAction.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/TransportSearchShardsAction.java
@@ -22,10 +22,8 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.service.ClusterService;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.Index;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.Rewriteable;
-import org.elasticsearch.index.shard.ShardId;
 import org.elasticsearch.injection.guice.Inject;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchService;
-import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchShardTarget;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.builder.SearchSourceBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.internal.AliasFilter;
 import org.elasticsearch.tasks.Task;
@@ -172,15 +170,7 @@ public void searchShards(Task task, SearchShardsRequest searchShardsRequest, Act
     private static List<SearchShardsGroup> toGroups(List<SearchShardIterator> shardIts) {
         List<SearchShardsGroup> groups = new ArrayList<>(shardIts.size());
         for (SearchShardIterator shardIt : shardIts) {
-            boolean skip = shardIt.skip();
-            shardIt.reset();
-            List<String> targetNodes = new ArrayList<>();
-            SearchShardTarget target;
-            while ((target = shardIt.nextOrNull()) != null) {
-                targetNodes.add(target.getNodeId());
-            }
-            ShardId shardId = shardIt.shardId();
-            groups.add(new SearchShardsGroup(shardId, targetNodes, skip));
+            groups.add(new SearchShardsGroup(shardIt.shardId(), shardIt.getTargetNodeIds(), shardIt.skip()));
         }
         return groups;
     }
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java
index 11085558dbe16..4ec3e972ae61b 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/AbstractSearchAsyncActionTests.java
@@ -225,7 +225,6 @@ public void testShardNotAvailableWithDisallowPartialFailures() {
         // skip one to avoid the "all shards failed" failure.
         SearchShardIterator skipIterator = new SearchShardIterator(null, null, Collections.emptyList(), null);
         skipIterator.skip(true);
-        skipIterator.reset();
         action.skipShard(skipIterator);
         assertThat(exception.get(), instanceOf(SearchPhaseExecutionException.class));
         SearchPhaseExecutionException searchPhaseExecutionException = (SearchPhaseExecutionException) exception.get();
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java
index 647d16977181f..afd3bee4c4ab8 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchAsyncActionTests.java
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ public void testAllowPartialResults() throws InterruptedException {
 
         SearchTransportService transportService = new SearchTransportService(null, null, null);
         Map<String, Transport.Connection> lookup = new HashMap<>();
-        Map<ShardId, Boolean> seenShard = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+        Map<ShardId, AtomicInteger> seenShard = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
         lookup.put(primaryNode.getId(), new MockConnection(primaryNode));
         lookup.put(replicaNode.getId(), new MockConnection(replicaNode));
         Map<String, AliasFilter> aliasFilters = Collections.singletonMap("_na_", AliasFilter.EMPTY);
@@ -581,17 +581,18 @@ protected void executePhaseOnShard(
                     Transport.Connection connection,
                     SearchActionListener<TestSearchPhaseResult> listener
                 ) {
-                    seenShard.computeIfAbsent(shardIt.shardId(), (i) -> {
+                    AtomicInteger retries = seenShard.computeIfAbsent(shardIt.shardId(), (i) -> {
                         numRequests.incrementAndGet(); // only count this once per shard copy
-                        return Boolean.TRUE;
+                        return new AtomicInteger(0);
                     });
+                    int numRetries = retries.incrementAndGet();
                     new Thread(() -> {
                         TestSearchPhaseResult testSearchPhaseResult = new TestSearchPhaseResult(
                             new ShardSearchContextId(UUIDs.randomBase64UUID(), contextIdGenerator.incrementAndGet()),
                             connection.getNode()
                         );
                         try {
-                            if (shardIt.remaining() > 0) {
+                            if (numRetries < shardIt.size()) {
                                 numFailReplicas.incrementAndGet();
                                 listener.onFailure(new RuntimeException());
                             } else {
@@ -643,10 +644,8 @@ public void testSkipUnavailableSearchShards() throws InterruptedException {
             );
             // Skip all the shards
             searchShardIterator.skip(true);
-            searchShardIterator.reset();
             searchShardIterators.add(searchShardIterator);
         }
-        List<SearchShardIterator> shardsIter = searchShardIterators;
         Map<String, Transport.Connection> lookup = Map.of(primaryNode.getId(), new MockConnection(primaryNode));
 
         CountDownLatch latch = new CountDownLatch(1);
@@ -665,11 +664,11 @@ public void testSkipUnavailableSearchShards() throws InterruptedException {
             null,
             request,
             responseListener,
-            shardsIter,
+            searchShardIterators,
             new TransportSearchAction.SearchTimeProvider(0, 0, () -> 0),
             ClusterState.EMPTY_STATE,
             null,
-            new ArraySearchPhaseResults<>(shardsIter.size()),
+            new ArraySearchPhaseResults<>(searchShardIterators.size()),
             request.getMaxConcurrentShardRequests(),
             SearchResponse.Clusters.EMPTY
         ) {
@@ -702,7 +701,7 @@ protected void run() {
         assertNotNull(searchResponse.get());
         assertThat(searchResponse.get().getSkippedShards(), equalTo(numUnavailableSkippedShards));
         assertThat(searchResponse.get().getFailedShards(), equalTo(0));
-        assertThat(searchResponse.get().getSuccessfulShards(), equalTo(shardsIter.size()));
+        assertThat(searchResponse.get().getSuccessfulShards(), equalTo(searchShardIterators.size()));
     }
 
     static List<SearchShardIterator> getShardsIter(
@@ -728,7 +727,6 @@ static List<SearchShardIterator> getShardsIter(
         for (int i = 0; i < numShards; i++) {
             ArrayList<ShardRouting> started = new ArrayList<>();
             ArrayList<ShardRouting> initializing = new ArrayList<>();
-            ArrayList<ShardRouting> unassigned = new ArrayList<>();
 
             ShardRouting routing = ShardRouting.newUnassigned(
                 new ShardId(index, i),
@@ -758,8 +756,6 @@ static List<SearchShardIterator> getShardsIter(
                     } else {
                         initializing.add(routing);
                     }
-                } else {
-                    unassigned.add(routing); // unused yet
                 }
             }
             Collections.shuffle(started, random());