diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
index ce5d05065860f..b417133e4a89d 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
@@ -1629,6 +1629,12 @@ public final boolean shouldProcessCheckpoint(ReplicationCheckpoint requestCheckp
             );
             return false;
         }
+        if (localCheckpoint.getCodec().equals(requestCheckpoint.getCodec()) == false) {
+            logger.trace(
+                () -> new ParameterizedMessage("Shard does not support the received lucene codec version {}", requestCheckpoint.getCodec())
+            );
+            return false;
+        }
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplications.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplications.java
index 6f04c6cf6f665..3ab0a7539fb06 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplications.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplications.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import org.opensearch.OpenSearchException;
 import org.opensearch.action.ActionListener;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNode;
+import org.opensearch.common.util.CancellableThreads;
 import org.opensearch.common.util.concurrent.ConcurrentCollections;
 import org.opensearch.index.IndexService;
 import org.opensearch.index.shard.IndexShard;
@@ -147,6 +148,12 @@ void startSegmentCopy(GetSegmentFilesRequest request, ActionListener<GetSegmentF
      */
     CopyState prepareForReplication(CheckpointInfoRequest request, FileChunkWriter fileChunkWriter) throws IOException {
         final CopyState copyState = getCachedCopyState(request.getCheckpoint());
+        if (copyState.getCheckpoint().getCodec().equals(request.getCheckpoint().getCodec()) == false) {
+            logger.trace("Requested unsupported codec version {}", request.getCheckpoint().getCodec());
+            throw new CancellableThreads.ExecutionCancelledException(
+                new ParameterizedMessage("Requested unsupported codec version {}", request.getCheckpoint().getCodec()).toString()
+            );
+        }
         allocationIdToHandlers.compute(request.getTargetAllocationId(), (allocationId, segrepHandler) -> {
             if (segrepHandler != null) {
                 logger.warn("Override handler for allocation id {}", request.getTargetAllocationId());
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplicationsTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplicationsTests.java
index 677352cdd5120..6e27a4db6afec 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplicationsTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/OngoingSegmentReplicationsTests.java
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 public class OngoingSegmentReplicationsTests extends IndexShardTestCase {
 
     private final IndicesService mockIndicesService = mock(IndicesService.class);
-    private ReplicationCheckpoint testCheckpoint;
+    private ReplicationCheckpoint testCheckpoint, olderCodecTestCheckpoint;
     private DiscoveryNode primaryDiscoveryNode;
     private DiscoveryNode replicaDiscoveryNode;
     private IndexShard primary;
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ public void setUp() throws Exception {
 
         // This mirrors the creation of the ReplicationCheckpoint inside CopyState
         testCheckpoint = new ReplicationCheckpoint(testShardId, primary.getOperationPrimaryTerm(), 0L, 0L, defaultCodecName);
+        olderCodecTestCheckpoint = new ReplicationCheckpoint(testShardId, primary.getOperationPrimaryTerm(), 0L, 0L, "Lucene94");
         IndexService mockIndexService = mock(IndexService.class);
         when(mockIndicesService.indexServiceSafe(testShardId.getIndex())).thenReturn(mockIndexService);
         when(mockIndexService.getShard(testShardId.id())).thenReturn(primary);
@@ -93,6 +94,44 @@ public void tearDown() throws Exception {
         super.tearDown();
     }
 
+    public void testSuccessfulCodecCompatibilityCheck() throws Exception {
+        indexDoc(primary, "1", "{\"foo\" : \"baz\"}", XContentType.JSON, "foobar");
+        primary.refresh("Test");
+        OngoingSegmentReplications replications = spy(new OngoingSegmentReplications(mockIndicesService, recoverySettings));
+        // replica checkpoint is on same/higher lucene codec than primary
+        final CheckpointInfoRequest request = new CheckpointInfoRequest(
+            1L,
+            replica.routingEntry().allocationId().getId(),
+            replicaDiscoveryNode,
+            testCheckpoint
+        );
+        final FileChunkWriter segmentSegmentFileChunkWriter = (fileMetadata, position, content, lastChunk, totalTranslogOps, listener) -> {
+            listener.onResponse(null);
+        };
+        final CopyState copyState = replications.prepareForReplication(request, segmentSegmentFileChunkWriter);
+    }
+
+    public void testFailCodecCompatibilityCheck() throws Exception {
+        indexDoc(primary, "1", "{\"foo\" : \"baz\"}", XContentType.JSON, "foobar");
+        primary.refresh("Test");
+        OngoingSegmentReplications replications = spy(new OngoingSegmentReplications(mockIndicesService, recoverySettings));
+        // replica checkpoint is on lower/older lucene codec than primary
+        final CheckpointInfoRequest request = new CheckpointInfoRequest(
+            1L,
+            replica.routingEntry().allocationId().getId(),
+            replicaDiscoveryNode,
+            olderCodecTestCheckpoint
+        );
+        final FileChunkWriter segmentSegmentFileChunkWriter = (fileMetadata, position, content, lastChunk, totalTranslogOps, listener) -> {
+            listener.onResponse(null);
+        };
+        try {
+            final CopyState copyState = replications.prepareForReplication(request, segmentSegmentFileChunkWriter);
+        } catch (CancellableThreads.ExecutionCancelledException ex) {
+            Assert.assertTrue(ex.getMessage().contains("Requested unsupported codec version"));
+        }
+    }
+
     public void testPrepareAndSendSegments() throws IOException {
         indexDoc(primary, "1", "{\"foo\" : \"baz\"}", XContentType.JSON, "foobar");
         primary.refresh("Test");