diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlan.java b/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlan.java
index d61747d0eb..aa86b61767 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlan.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlan.java
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 
 package org.opensearch.sql.executor.execution;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang3.NotImplementedException;
 import org.opensearch.sql.common.response.ResponseListener;
 import org.opensearch.sql.executor.ExecutionEngine;
 import org.opensearch.sql.executor.PaginatedPlanCache;
@@ -51,6 +50,8 @@ public void execute() {
   @Override
   // TODO why can't use listener given in the constructor?
   public void explain(ResponseListener<ExecutionEngine.ExplainResponse> listener) {
-    throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Explain of query continuation is not supported");
+    listener.onFailure(new UnsupportedOperationException(
+        "Explain of a paged query continuation is not supported. "
+        + "Use `explain` for the initial query request."));
   }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactory.java b/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactory.java
index 881046ec0b..c3a84ea286 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactory.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactory.java
@@ -76,11 +76,13 @@ public AbstractPlan create(
   /**
    * Creates a ContinuePaginatedPlan from a cursor.
    */
-  public AbstractPlan create(String cursor, ResponseListener<ExecutionEngine.QueryResponse>
-      queryResponseListener) {
+  public AbstractPlan create(String cursor, boolean isExplain,
+      ResponseListener<ExecutionEngine.QueryResponse> queryResponseListener,
+      ResponseListener<ExecutionEngine.ExplainResponse> explainListener) {
     QueryId queryId = QueryId.queryId();
-    return new ContinuePaginatedPlan(queryId, cursor, paginatedQueryService, paginatedPlanCache,
+    var cpp = new ContinuePaginatedPlan(queryId, cursor, paginatedQueryService, paginatedPlanCache,
         queryResponseListener);
+    return isExplain ? new ExplainPlan(queryId, cpp, explainListener) : cpp;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlanTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlanTest.java
index c8c95a0ae6..6822eca727 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlanTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/ContinuePaginatedPlanTest.java
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.fail;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 import static org.opensearch.sql.executor.PaginatedPlanCacheTest.buildCursor;
 
@@ -114,7 +116,8 @@ public void onFailure(Exception e) {
 
   @Test
   public void explain_is_not_supported() {
-    assertThrows(UnsupportedOperationException.class,
-        () -> ContinuePaginatedPlan.None.explain(null));
+    var listener = mock(ResponseListener.class);
+    ContinuePaginatedPlan.None.explain(listener);
+    verify(listener).onFailure(any(UnsupportedOperationException.class));
   }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactoryTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactoryTest.java
index 72225f0884..08718cb4d6 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactoryTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/executor/execution/QueryPlanFactoryTest.java
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 package org.opensearch.sql.executor.execution;
 
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertAll;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
@@ -78,8 +79,12 @@ public void createFromExplainShouldSuccess() {
 
   @Test
   public void createFromCursorShouldSuccess() {
-    AbstractPlan queryExecution = factory.create("", queryListener);
-    assertTrue(queryExecution instanceof ContinuePaginatedPlan);
+    AbstractPlan queryExecution = factory.create("", false, queryListener, explainListener);
+    AbstractPlan explainExecution = factory.create("", true, queryListener, explainListener);
+    assertAll(
+        () -> assertTrue(queryExecution instanceof ContinuePaginatedPlan),
+        () -> assertTrue(explainExecution instanceof ExplainPlan)
+    );
   }
 
   @Test
diff --git a/sql/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/sql/SQLService.java b/sql/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/sql/SQLService.java
index 2acc44de63..7013842066 100644
--- a/sql/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/sql/SQLService.java
+++ b/sql/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/sql/SQLService.java
@@ -68,23 +68,8 @@ private AbstractPlan plan(
       Optional<ResponseListener<ExplainResponse>> explainListener) {
     if (request.getCursor().isPresent()) {
       // Handle v2 cursor here -- legacy cursor was handled earlier.
-      if (queryListener.isEmpty() && explainListener.isPresent()) { // explain request
-        // TODO explain should be processed inside the plan
-        explainListener.get().onFailure(new UnsupportedOperationException(
-            "`explain` request for cursor requests is not supported. "
-            + "Use `explain` for the initial query request."));
-        return new AbstractPlan(QueryId.queryId()) {
-          @Override
-          public void execute() {
-          }
-
-          @Override
-          public void explain(ResponseListener<ExplainResponse> listener) {
-          }
-        };
-      }
-      // non-explain request
-      return queryExecutionFactory.create(request.getCursor().get(), queryListener.get());
+      return queryExecutionFactory.create(request.getCursor().get(), request.isExplainRequest(),
+          queryListener.orElse(null), explainListener.orElse(null));
     } else {
       // 1.Parse query and convert parse tree (CST) to abstract syntax tree (AST)
       ParseTree cst = parser.parse(request.getQuery());