diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/ClearScrollController.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/ClearScrollController.java
index ac708d9b6b0c7..87276ee1e4eaf 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/ClearScrollController.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/ClearScrollController.java
@@ -134,10 +134,13 @@ private void onFreedContext(boolean freed) {
 
     private void onFailedFreedContext(Throwable e, DiscoveryNode node) {
         logger.warn((Supplier<?>) () -> new ParameterizedMessage("Clear SC failed on node[{}]", node), e);
+        /*
+         * We have to set the failure marker before we count down otherwise we can expose the failure marker before we have set it to a
+         * racing thread successfully freeing a context. This would lead to that thread responding that the clear scroll succeeded.
+         */
+        hasFailed.set(true);
         if (expectedOps.countDown()) {
             listener.onResponse(new ClearScrollResponse(false, freedSearchContexts.get()));
-        } else {
-            hasFailed.set(true);
         }
     }
 }