diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListener.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListener.java
index 532396ee6095c..a2a964a6c78cd 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListener.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListener.java
@@ -72,9 +72,12 @@ public void onResponse(T element) {
     @Override
     public void onFailure(Exception e) {
         if (failure.compareAndSet(null, e) == false) {
-            failure.accumulateAndGet(e, (previous, current) -> {
-                previous.addSuppressed(current);
-                return previous;
+            failure.accumulateAndGet(e, (current, update) -> {
+                // we have to avoid self-suppression!
+                if (update != current) {
+                    current.addSuppressed(update);
+                }
+                return current;
             });
         }
         if (countDown.countDown()) {
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListenerTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListenerTests.java
index 9f6454d4e4bcf..1f5b34caa04d1 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListenerTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/GroupedActionListenerTests.java
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.instanceOf;
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.nullValue;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.not;
 
 public class GroupedActionListenerTests extends ESTestCase {
 
@@ -139,4 +142,22 @@ public void testConcurrentFailures() throws InterruptedException {
         assertThat(exception, instanceOf(IOException.class));
         assertEquals(numGroups - 1, exception.getSuppressed().length);
     }
+
+    /*
+     * It can happen that the same exception causes a grouped listener to be notified of the failure multiple times. Since we suppress
+     * additional exceptions into the first exception, we have to guard against suppressing into the same exception, which could occur if we
+     * are notified of with the same failure multiple times. This test verifies that the guard against self-suppression remains.
+     */
+    public void testRepeatNotificationForTheSameException() {
+        final AtomicReference<Exception> finalException = new AtomicReference<>();
+        final GroupedActionListener<Void> listener =
+            new GroupedActionListener<Void>(ActionListener.wrap(r -> {}, finalException::set), 2, Collections.emptyList());
+        final Exception e = new Exception();
+        // repeat notification for the same exception
+        listener.onFailure(e);
+        listener.onFailure(e);
+        assertThat(finalException.get(), not(nullValue()));
+        assertThat(finalException.get(), equalTo(e));
+    }
+
 }