diff --git a/meta/store.go b/meta/store.go
index 2115734cc2f..c1e424bed77 100644
--- a/meta/store.go
+++ b/meta/store.go
@@ -997,6 +997,34 @@ func (s *Store) UserCount() (count int, err error) {
 	return
 }
 
+// PrecreateShardGroups creates shard groups whose endtime is before the cutoff time passed in. This
+// avoid the need for these shards to be created when data for the corresponding time range arrives.
+// Shard creation involves Raft consensus, and precreation avoids taking the hit at write-time.
+func (s *Store) PrecreateShardGroups(cutoff time.Time) error {
+	s.read(func(data *Data) error {
+		for _, di := range data.Databases {
+			for _, rp := range di.RetentionPolicies {
+				for _, g := range rp.ShardGroups {
+					// Check to see if it is going to end before our interval
+					if g.EndTime.Before(cutoff) {
+						s.Logger.Printf("pre-creating successive shard group for group %d, database %s, policy %s",
+							g.ID, di.Name, rp.Name)
+						if newGroup, err := s.CreateShardGroupIfNotExists(di.Name, rp.Name, g.EndTime.Add(1*time.Nanosecond)); err != nil {
+							s.Logger.Printf("failed to create successive shard group for group %d: %s",
+								g.ID, err.Error())
+						} else {
+							s.Logger.Printf("new shard group %d successfully created", newGroup.ID)
+						}
+					}
+				}
+
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	return nil
+}
+
 // read executes a function with the current metadata.
 // If an error is returned then the cache is invalidated and retried.
 //
diff --git a/meta/store_test.go b/meta/store_test.go
index 4f9248052fa..ce1382a30a3 100644
--- a/meta/store_test.go
+++ b/meta/store_test.go
@@ -387,6 +387,38 @@ func TestStore_DeleteShardGroup(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Ensure the store correctly precreates shard groups.
+func TestStore_PrecreateShardGroup(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	s := MustOpenStore()
+	defer s.Close()
+
+	// Create node, database, policy, & group.
+	if _, err := s.CreateNode("host0"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	} else if _, err := s.CreateDatabase("db0"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	} else if _, err = s.CreateRetentionPolicy("db0", &meta.RetentionPolicyInfo{Name: "rp0", ReplicaN: 1, Duration: 1 * time.Hour}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	} else if _, err := s.CreateShardGroup("db0", "rp0", time.Date(2000, time.January, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	} else if err := s.PrecreateShardGroups(time.Date(2001, time.January, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	groups, err := s.ShardGroups("db0", "rp0")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(groups) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("shard group precreation failed to create new shard group")
+	}
+	if groups[1].StartTime != time.Date(2000, time.January, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC) {
+		t.Fatalf("precreated shard group has wrong start time, exp %s, got %s",
+			time.Date(2000, time.January, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), groups[1].StartTime)
+	}
+}
+
 // Ensure the store can create a new continuous query.
 func TestStore_CreateContinuousQuery(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
diff --git a/services/precreator/service.go b/services/precreator/service.go
index a9f320768c9..eea833072ae 100644
--- a/services/precreator/service.go
+++ b/services/precreator/service.go
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
-
-	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/meta"
 )
 
 type Service struct {
@@ -20,13 +18,11 @@ type Service struct {
 
 	MetaStore interface {
 		IsLeader() bool
-		VisitRetentionPolicies(f func(d meta.DatabaseInfo, r meta.RetentionPolicyInfo))
-		ShardGroups(database, policy string) ([]meta.ShardGroupInfo, error)
-		CreateShardGroupIfNotExists(database, policy string, timestamp time.Time) (*meta.ShardGroupInfo, error)
+		PrecreateShardGroups(cutoff time.Time) error
 	}
 }
 
-// NewService returns an instance of the Graphite service.
+// NewService returns an instance of the precreation service.
 func NewService(c Config) (*Service, error) {
 	s := Service{
 		checkInterval: time.Duration(c.CheckInterval),
@@ -42,7 +38,7 @@ func (s *Service) SetLogger(l *log.Logger) {
 	s.Logger = l
 }
 
-// Open starts the shard precreation service.
+// Open starts the precreation service.
 func (s *Service) Open() error {
 	if s.done != nil {
 		return nil
@@ -55,7 +51,7 @@ func (s *Service) Open() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Close stops the shard precreation service.
+// Close stops the precreation service.
 func (s *Service) Close() error {
 	if s.done == nil {
 		return nil
@@ -68,7 +64,7 @@ func (s *Service) Close() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// runPrecreation continually checks if shards need precreation.
+// runPrecreation continually checks if resources need precreation.
 func (s *Service) runPrecreation() {
 	defer s.wg.Done()
 
@@ -81,42 +77,21 @@ func (s *Service) runPrecreation() {
 				continue
 			}
 
-			if _, err := s.precreate(time.Now().UTC()); err != nil {
+			if err := s.precreate(time.Now().UTC()); err != nil {
 				s.Logger.Printf("failed to precreate shards: %s", err.Error())
 			}
 		case <-s.done:
-			s.Logger.Println("shard precreation service terminating")
+			s.Logger.Println("precreation service terminating")
 			return
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-// precreate performs actual shard precreation. Returns the number of groups that were created.
-func (s *Service) precreate(t time.Time) (int, error) {
+// precreate performs actual resource precreation.
+func (s *Service) precreate(t time.Time) error {
 	cutoff := t.Add(s.advancePeriod).UTC()
-	numCreated := 0
-
-	s.MetaStore.VisitRetentionPolicies(func(d meta.DatabaseInfo, r meta.RetentionPolicyInfo) {
-		groups, err := s.MetaStore.ShardGroups(d.Name, r.Name)
-		if err != nil {
-			s.Logger.Printf("failed to retrieve shard groups for database %s, policy %s: %s",
-				d.Name, r.Name, err.Error())
-			return
-		}
-		for _, g := range groups {
-			// Check to see if it is going to end before our interval
-			if g.EndTime.Before(cutoff) {
-				s.Logger.Printf("pre-creating successive shard group for group %d, database %s, policy %s",
-					g.ID, d.Name, r.Name)
-				if newGroup, err := s.MetaStore.CreateShardGroupIfNotExists(d.Name, r.Name, g.EndTime.Add(1*time.Nanosecond)); err != nil {
-					s.Logger.Printf("failed to create successive shard group for group %d: %s",
-						g.ID, err.Error())
-				} else {
-					numCreated++
-					s.Logger.Printf("new shard group %d successfully created", newGroup.ID)
-				}
-			}
-		}
-	})
-	return numCreated, nil
+	if err := s.MetaStore.PrecreateShardGroups(cutoff); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
 }
diff --git a/services/precreator/service_test.go b/services/precreator/service_test.go
index 2a01006861c..da73a7ea60b 100644
--- a/services/precreator/service_test.go
+++ b/services/precreator/service_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 package precreator
 
 import (
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/meta"
 	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/toml"
 )
 
@@ -12,78 +12,48 @@ func Test_ShardPrecreation(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	advancePeriod := 5 * time.Minute
 
 	// A test metastaore which returns 2 shard groups, only 1 of which requires a successor.
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(1)
 	ms := metaStore{
-		VisitRetentionPoliciesFn: func(f func(d meta.DatabaseInfo, r meta.RetentionPolicyInfo)) {
-			f(meta.DatabaseInfo{Name: "mydb"}, meta.RetentionPolicyInfo{Name: "myrp"})
-		},
-		ShardGroupsFn: func(database, policy string) ([]meta.ShardGroupInfo, error) {
-			if database != "mydb" || policy != "myrp" {
-				t.Fatalf("ShardGroups called with incorrect database or policy")
-			}
-
-			// Make two shard groups, 1 which needs a successor, the other does not.
-			groups := make([]meta.ShardGroupInfo, 2)
-			groups[0] = meta.ShardGroupInfo{
-				ID:        1,
-				StartTime: now.Add(-1 * time.Hour),
-				EndTime:   now,
-			}
-			groups[1] = meta.ShardGroupInfo{
-				ID:        2,
-				StartTime: now,
-				EndTime:   now.Add(time.Hour),
-			}
-			return groups, nil
-		},
-		CreateShardGroupIfNotExistFn: func(database, policy string, timestamp time.Time) (*meta.ShardGroupInfo, error) {
-			if database != "mydb" || policy != "myrp" {
-				t.Fatalf("ShardGroups called with incorrect database or policy")
+		PrecreateShardGroupsFn: func(u time.Time) error {
+			wg.Done()
+			if u != now.Add(advancePeriod) {
+				t.Fatalf("precreation called with wrong time, got %s, exp %s", u, now)
 			}
-			return &meta.ShardGroupInfo{ID: 3}, nil
+			return nil
 		},
 	}
 
 	srv, err := NewService(Config{
 		CheckInterval: toml.Duration(time.Minute),
-		AdvancePeriod: toml.Duration(5 * time.Minute),
+		AdvancePeriod: toml.Duration(advancePeriod),
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("failed to create shard precreation service: %s", err.Error())
 	}
 	srv.MetaStore = ms
 
-	n, err := srv.precreate(now)
+	err = srv.precreate(now)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("failed to precreate shards: %s", err.Error())
 	}
-	if n != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("incorrect number of shard groups created, exp 1, got %d", n)
-	}
 
+	wg.Wait() // Ensure metastore test function is called.
 	return
 }
 
 // PointsWriter represents a mock impl of PointsWriter.
 type metaStore struct {
-	VisitRetentionPoliciesFn     func(f func(d meta.DatabaseInfo, r meta.RetentionPolicyInfo))
-	ShardGroupsFn                func(database, policy string) ([]meta.ShardGroupInfo, error)
-	CreateShardGroupIfNotExistFn func(database, policy string, timestamp time.Time) (*meta.ShardGroupInfo, error)
+	PrecreateShardGroupsFn func(cutoff time.Time) error
 }
 
 func (m metaStore) IsLeader() bool {
 	return true
 }
 
-func (m metaStore) VisitRetentionPolicies(f func(d meta.DatabaseInfo, r meta.RetentionPolicyInfo)) {
-	m.VisitRetentionPoliciesFn(f)
-}
-
-func (m metaStore) ShardGroups(database, policy string) ([]meta.ShardGroupInfo, error) {
-	return m.ShardGroupsFn(database, policy)
-}
-
-func (m metaStore) CreateShardGroupIfNotExists(database, policy string, timestamp time.Time) (*meta.ShardGroupInfo, error) {
-	return m.CreateShardGroupIfNotExistFn(database, policy, timestamp)
+func (m metaStore) PrecreateShardGroups(timestamp time.Time) error {
+	return m.PrecreateShardGroupsFn(timestamp)
 }