diff --git a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponseIT.java b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponseIT.java
index 2578e528ce726..ed2b315d8895a 100644
--- a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponseIT.java
+++ b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponseIT.java
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ private static void handleZipRestRequest(
                         ActionRunnable.supply(
                             chunkedZipResponse.newEntryListener(
                                 entry.getKey(),
-                                ActionListener.releasing(Releasables.wrap(ref, refs.acquire()))
+                                Releasables.wrap(ref, refs.acquire())
                             ),
                             () -> entry.getValue() == null && randomBoolean() // randomBoolean() to allow some null entries to fail with NPE
                                 ? null
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponse.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponse.java
index af4ba66374e33..b140bb3aba411 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponse.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/ChunkedZipResponse.java
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ public void write(byte[] b, int off, int len) throws IOException {
     public ChunkedZipResponse(String filename, RestChannel restChannel, Releasable onCompletion) {
         this.filename = filename;
         this.restChannel = restChannel;
-        this.listenersRefs = AbstractRefCounted.of(() -> enqueueEntry(null, NO_MORE_ENTRIES, ActionListener.releasing(onCompletion)));
+        this.listenersRefs = AbstractRefCounted.of(() -> enqueueEntry(null, NO_MORE_ENTRIES, onCompletion));
         this.rootListenerRef = Releasables.releaseOnce(listenersRefs::decRef);
     }
 
@@ -130,21 +130,33 @@ public void close() {
      * This method may be called as long as this {@link ChunkedZipResponse} is not closed, or there is at least one other incomplete entry
      * listener.
      *
-     * @param entryName The name of the entry in the response zip file.
-     * @param listener  A listener which is completed when the entry has been completely processed: either fully sent, or else the request
-     *                  was cancelled and the response will not be used any further. If the returned entry listener is completed
-     *                  exceptionally then the exception is passed to {@code listener}, otherwise this listener is completed successfully.
+     * @param entryName  The name of the entry in the response zip file.
+     * @param releasable A resource which is released when the entry has been completely processed: either fully sent, or else the request
+     *                   was cancelled and the response will not be used any further.
      */
-    public ActionListener<ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart> newEntryListener(String entryName, ActionListener<Void> listener) {
+    public ActionListener<ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart> newEntryListener(String entryName, Releasable releasable) {
         if (listenersRefs.tryIncRef()) {
             final var zipEntry = new ZipEntry(filename + "/" + entryName);
-            return ActionListener.assertOnce(ActionListener.releaseAfter(listener.delegateFailureAndWrap((l, firstBodyPart) -> {
-                if (firstBodyPart == null) {
-                    l.onResponse(null);
-                } else {
-                    enqueueEntry(zipEntry, firstBodyPart, l);
+            return ActionListener.assertOnce(ActionListener.releaseAfter(new ActionListener<>() {
+                @Override
+                public void onResponse(ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart chunkedRestResponseBodyPart) {
+                    if (chunkedRestResponseBodyPart == null) {
+                        Releasables.closeExpectNoException(releasable);
+                    } else {
+                        enqueueEntry(zipEntry, chunkedRestResponseBodyPart, releasable);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                public void onFailure(Exception e) {
+                    Releasables.closeExpectNoException(releasable);
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                public String toString() {
+                    return "ZipEntry[" + zipEntry.getName() + "]";
                 }
-            }), listenersRefs::decRef));
+            }, listenersRefs::decRef));
         } else {
             assert false : "already closed";
             throw new AlreadyClosedException("response already closed");
@@ -195,12 +207,12 @@ private boolean tryAcquireQueueRef() {
      *
      * @param zipEntry      The entry metadata.
      * @param firstBodyPart The first part of the entry. Entries may comprise multiple parts, with transmission pauses in between.
-     * @param listener      Completed when the entry has been fully transmitted.
+     * @param releasable    Released when the entry has been fully transmitted.
      */
-    private void enqueueEntry(ZipEntry zipEntry, ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart firstBodyPart, ActionListener<Void> listener) {
+    private void enqueueEntry(ZipEntry zipEntry, ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart firstBodyPart, Releasable releasable) {
         if (tryAcquireQueueRef()) {
             try {
-                entryQueue.add(new ChunkedZipEntry(zipEntry, firstBodyPart, () -> listener.onResponse(null)));
+                entryQueue.add(new ChunkedZipEntry(zipEntry, firstBodyPart, releasable));
                 if (queueLength.getAndIncrement() == 0) {
                     // There is no active AvailableChunksZipResponseBodyPart, but there is now an entry in the queue, so we must create a
                     // AvailableChunksZipResponseBodyPart to process it (along with any other entries that are concurrently added to the
@@ -228,7 +240,7 @@ private void enqueueEntry(ZipEntry zipEntry, ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart firstBo
                 queueRefs.decRef();
             }
         } else {
-            listener.onFailure(new AlreadyClosedException("response already closed"));
+            Releasables.closeExpectNoException(releasable);
         }
     }