diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/SnapshotsInProgress.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/SnapshotsInProgress.java
index a4e585c2f0528..6ae6a8109ddd0 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/SnapshotsInProgress.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/SnapshotsInProgress.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterState.Custom;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.ImmutableOpenMap;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamOutput;
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ public String toString() {
         return builder.append("]").toString();
     }
 
-    public static class Entry {
+    public static class Entry implements ToXContent {
         private final State state;
         private final Snapshot snapshot;
         private final boolean includeGlobalState;
@@ -210,7 +211,50 @@ public int hashCode() {
 
         @Override
         public String toString() {
-            return snapshot.toString();
+            return Strings.toString(this);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public XContentBuilder toXContent(XContentBuilder builder, Params params) throws IOException {
+            builder.startObject();
+            builder.field(REPOSITORY, snapshot.getRepository());
+            builder.field(SNAPSHOT, snapshot.getSnapshotId().getName());
+            builder.field(UUID, snapshot.getSnapshotId().getUUID());
+            builder.field(INCLUDE_GLOBAL_STATE, includeGlobalState());
+            builder.field(PARTIAL, partial);
+            builder.field(STATE, state);
+            builder.startArray(INDICES);
+            {
+                for (IndexId index : indices) {
+                    index.toXContent(builder, params);
+                }
+            }
+            builder.endArray();
+            builder.humanReadableField(START_TIME_MILLIS, START_TIME, new TimeValue(startTime));
+            builder.field(REPOSITORY_STATE_ID, repositoryStateId);
+            builder.startArray(SHARDS);
+            {
+                for (ObjectObjectCursor<ShardId, ShardSnapshotStatus> shardEntry : shards) {
+                    ShardId shardId = shardEntry.key;
+                    ShardSnapshotStatus status = shardEntry.value;
+                    builder.startObject();
+                    {
+                        builder.field(INDEX, shardId.getIndex());
+                        builder.field(SHARD, shardId.getId());
+                        builder.field(STATE, status.state());
+                        builder.field(NODE, status.nodeId());
+                    }
+                    builder.endObject();
+                }
+            }
+            builder.endArray();
+            builder.endObject();
+            return builder;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean isFragment() {
+            return false;
         }
 
         private ImmutableOpenMap<String, List<ShardId>> findWaitingIndices(ImmutableOpenMap<ShardId, ShardSnapshotStatus> shards) {
@@ -507,48 +551,12 @@ public void writeTo(StreamOutput out) throws IOException {
     public XContentBuilder toXContent(XContentBuilder builder, ToXContent.Params params) throws IOException {
         builder.startArray(SNAPSHOTS);
         for (Entry entry : entries) {
-            toXContent(entry, builder, params);
+            entry.toXContent(builder, params);
         }
         builder.endArray();
         return builder;
     }
 
-    public void toXContent(Entry entry, XContentBuilder builder, ToXContent.Params params) throws IOException {
-        builder.startObject();
-        builder.field(REPOSITORY, entry.snapshot().getRepository());
-        builder.field(SNAPSHOT, entry.snapshot().getSnapshotId().getName());
-        builder.field(UUID, entry.snapshot().getSnapshotId().getUUID());
-        builder.field(INCLUDE_GLOBAL_STATE, entry.includeGlobalState());
-        builder.field(PARTIAL, entry.partial());
-        builder.field(STATE, entry.state());
-        builder.startArray(INDICES);
-        {
-            for (IndexId index : entry.indices()) {
-                index.toXContent(builder, params);
-            }
-        }
-        builder.endArray();
-        builder.humanReadableField(START_TIME_MILLIS, START_TIME, new TimeValue(entry.startTime()));
-        builder.field(REPOSITORY_STATE_ID, entry.getRepositoryStateId());
-        builder.startArray(SHARDS);
-        {
-            for (ObjectObjectCursor<ShardId, ShardSnapshotStatus> shardEntry : entry.shards) {
-                ShardId shardId = shardEntry.key;
-                ShardSnapshotStatus status = shardEntry.value;
-                builder.startObject();
-                {
-                    builder.field(INDEX, shardId.getIndex());
-                    builder.field(SHARD, shardId.getId());
-                    builder.field(STATE, status.state());
-                    builder.field(NODE, status.nodeId());
-                }
-                builder.endObject();
-            }
-        }
-        builder.endArray();
-        builder.endObject();
-    }
-
     public enum ShardState {
         INIT((byte) 0, false, false),
         SUCCESS((byte) 2, true, false),
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
index e9b7915cf98ed..d038262fd4d2d 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
@@ -764,18 +764,21 @@ public ClusterState execute(ClusterState currentState) {
                         ImmutableOpenMap.Builder<ShardId, ShardSnapshotStatus> shards = ImmutableOpenMap.builder();
                         boolean snapshotChanged = false;
                         for (ObjectObjectCursor<ShardId, ShardSnapshotStatus> shardEntry : snapshot.shards()) {
-                            ShardSnapshotStatus shardStatus = shardEntry.value;
+                            final ShardSnapshotStatus shardStatus = shardEntry.value;
+                            final ShardId shardId = shardEntry.key;
                             if (!shardStatus.state().completed() && shardStatus.nodeId() != null) {
                                 if (nodes.nodeExists(shardStatus.nodeId())) {
-                                    shards.put(shardEntry.key, shardEntry.value);
+                                    shards.put(shardId, shardStatus);
                                 } else {
                                     // TODO: Restart snapshot on another node?
                                     snapshotChanged = true;
                                     logger.warn("failing snapshot of shard [{}] on closed node [{}]",
-                                        shardEntry.key, shardStatus.nodeId());
-                                    shards.put(shardEntry.key,
+                                        shardId, shardStatus.nodeId());
+                                    shards.put(shardId,
                                         new ShardSnapshotStatus(shardStatus.nodeId(), ShardState.FAILED, "node shutdown"));
                                 }
+                            } else {
+                                shards.put(shardId, shardStatus);
                             }
                         }
                         if (snapshotChanged) {
@@ -807,6 +810,8 @@ public void onFailure(Exception e) {
                             }
                         }, updatedSnapshot.getRepositoryStateId(), false);
                     }
+                    assert updatedSnapshot.shards().size() == snapshot.shards().size()
+                        : "Shard count changed during snapshot status update from [" + snapshot + "] to [" + updatedSnapshot + "]";
                 }
                 if (changed) {
                     return ClusterState.builder(currentState)