diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/DocumentParser.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/DocumentParser.java
index 5793e1f32808f..7cd7952893f91 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/DocumentParser.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/DocumentParser.java
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ static void parseObjectOrField(DocumentParserContext context, Mapper mapper) thr
                 fieldMapper.parse(context);
             }
             if (context.isWithinCopyTo() == false) {
-                List<String> copyToFields = fieldMapper.copyTo().copyToFields();
+                List<String> copyToFields = context.mappingLookup().copyToFieldsForParsing(mapper.name());
                 if (copyToFields.isEmpty() == false) {
                     XContentParser.Token currentToken = context.parser().currentToken();
                     if (currentToken.isValue() == false && currentToken != XContentParser.Token.VALUE_NULL) {
@@ -696,10 +696,6 @@ private static void failIfMatchesRoutingPath(DocumentParserContext context, Stri
      */
     private static void parseCopyFields(DocumentParserContext context, List<String> copyToFields) throws IOException {
         for (String field : copyToFields) {
-            if (context.mappingLookup().inferenceFields().get(field) != null) {
-                // ignore copy_to that targets inference fields, values are already extracted in the coordinating node to perform inference.
-                continue;
-            }
             // In case of a hierarchy of nested documents, we need to figure out
             // which document the field should go to
             LuceneDocument targetDoc = null;
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/FieldTypeLookup.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/FieldTypeLookup.java
index 5e3dbe9590b99..4dfdca9abcaa0 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/FieldTypeLookup.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/FieldTypeLookup.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.Set;
@@ -36,6 +37,12 @@ final class FieldTypeLookup {
      */
     private final Map<String, Set<String>> fieldToCopiedFields;
 
+    /**
+     * Contains the effective copy_to fields for each field. Fields that don't have
+     * to be actually parsed by the target copy_to fields will be removed from this list.
+     */
+    private final Map<String, List<String>> copyToFields;
+
     private final int maxParentPathDots;
 
     FieldTypeLookup(
@@ -48,6 +55,8 @@ final class FieldTypeLookup {
         final Map<String, String> fullSubfieldNameToParentPath = new HashMap<>();
         final Map<String, DynamicFieldType> dynamicFieldTypes = new HashMap<>();
         final Map<String, Set<String>> fieldToCopiedFields = new HashMap<>();
+        final Map<String, List<String>> effectiveCopyTo = new HashMap<>();
+        final Set<String> inferenceFieldMappers = new HashSet<>();
         for (FieldMapper fieldMapper : fieldMappers) {
             String fieldName = fieldMapper.name();
             MappedFieldType fieldType = fieldMapper.fieldType();
@@ -56,7 +65,9 @@ final class FieldTypeLookup {
             if (fieldType instanceof DynamicFieldType) {
                 dynamicFieldTypes.put(fieldType.name(), (DynamicFieldType) fieldType);
             }
-            for (String targetField : fieldMapper.copyTo().copyToFields()) {
+            List<String> copyToFields = fieldMapper.copyTo().copyToFields();
+            effectiveCopyTo.put(fieldName, copyToFields);
+            for (String targetField : copyToFields) {
                 Set<String> sourcePath = fieldToCopiedFields.get(targetField);
                 if (sourcePath == null) {
                     Set<String> copiedFields = new HashSet<>();
@@ -65,6 +76,14 @@ final class FieldTypeLookup {
                 }
                 fieldToCopiedFields.get(targetField).add(fieldName);
             }
+            if (fieldMapper instanceof InferenceFieldMapper) {
+                inferenceFieldMappers.add(fieldName);
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Remove all inference field mappers from the effective copy to list
+        for (FieldMapper fieldMapper : fieldMappers) {
+            effectiveCopyTo.get(fieldMapper.name()).removeAll(inferenceFieldMappers);
         }
 
         int maxParentPathDots = 0;
@@ -97,6 +116,8 @@ final class FieldTypeLookup {
         // make values into more compact immutable sets to save memory
         fieldToCopiedFields.entrySet().forEach(e -> e.setValue(Set.copyOf(e.getValue())));
         this.fieldToCopiedFields = Map.copyOf(fieldToCopiedFields);
+        effectiveCopyTo.entrySet().forEach(e -> e.setValue(List.copyOf(e.getValue())));
+        this.copyToFields = Map.copyOf(effectiveCopyTo);
     }
 
     public static int dotCount(String path) {
@@ -205,6 +226,10 @@ Set<String> sourcePaths(String field) {
         return fieldToCopiedFields.containsKey(resolvedField) ? fieldToCopiedFields.get(resolvedField) : Set.of(resolvedField);
     }
 
+    List<String> copyToFields(String field) {
+        return copyToFields.getOrDefault(field, Collections.emptyList());
+    }
+
     /**
      * If field is a leaf multi-field return the path to the parent field. Otherwise, return null.
      */
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MappingLookup.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MappingLookup.java
index bf879f30e5a29..271eca2be870b 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MappingLookup.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MappingLookup.java
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ private MappingLookup(
         this.mapping = mapping;
         Map<String, Mapper> fieldMappers = new HashMap<>();
         Map<String, ObjectMapper> objects = new HashMap<>();
+        Map<String, List<String>> effectiveCopyTo = new HashMap<>();
 
         List<NestedObjectMapper> nestedMappers = new ArrayList<>();
         for (ObjectMapper mapper : objectMappers) {
@@ -448,6 +449,19 @@ public Set<String> sourcePaths(String field) {
         return fieldTypesLookup().sourcePaths(field);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Retrieves the effective copy to fields for the given field that should be parsed. Some fields may skip
+     * parsing as the value may have already been calculated by another process and doesn't need to be parsed
+     * by the document parser
+     *
+     * @param field the  field for which to look up the _source path. Note that the field. Note that the field should be a
+     *             concrete field and *not* an alias.
+     * @return A list of field names that the field should be copied to for parsing
+     */
+    public List<String> copyToFieldsForParsing(String field) {
+        return fieldTypesLookup().copyToFields(field);
+    }
+
     /**
      * If field is a leaf multi-field return the path to the parent field. Otherwise, return null.
      */