diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/remote/RemoteInfoResponse.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/remote/RemoteInfoResponse.java
index 8e9360bdb1238..b8c2c29a0c8f9 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/remote/RemoteInfoResponse.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/cluster/remote/RemoteInfoResponse.java
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ public final class RemoteInfoResponse extends ActionResponse implements ToXConte
         this.infos = Collections.unmodifiableList(new ArrayList<>(infos));
     }
 
+    public List<RemoteConnectionInfo> getInfos() {
+        return infos;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void writeTo(StreamOutput out) throws IOException {
         super.writeTo(out);
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/RemoteConnectionInfo.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/RemoteConnectionInfo.java
index 7c51ca7b9c892..b79b79236d958 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/RemoteConnectionInfo.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/RemoteConnectionInfo.java
@@ -92,6 +92,30 @@ public RemoteConnectionInfo(StreamInput input) throws IOException {
         skipUnavailable = input.readBoolean();
     }
 
+    public List<String> getSeedNodes() {
+        return seedNodes;
+    }
+
+    public int getConnectionsPerCluster() {
+        return connectionsPerCluster;
+    }
+
+    public TimeValue getInitialConnectionTimeout() {
+        return initialConnectionTimeout;
+    }
+
+    public int getNumNodesConnected() {
+        return numNodesConnected;
+    }
+
+    public String getClusterAlias() {
+        return clusterAlias;
+    }
+
+    public boolean isSkipUnavailable() {
+        return skipUnavailable;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void writeTo(StreamOutput out) throws IOException {
         if (out.getVersion().onOrAfter(Version.V_7_0_0)) {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/action/ShardFollowTasksExecutor.java b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/action/ShardFollowTasksExecutor.java
index d9af0d6e71c04..1a1a60678de42 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/action/ShardFollowTasksExecutor.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/action/ShardFollowTasksExecutor.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.persistent.PersistentTasksExecutor;
 import org.elasticsearch.tasks.TaskId;
 import org.elasticsearch.threadpool.ThreadPool;
+import org.elasticsearch.transport.NoSuchRemoteClusterException;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.ccr.Ccr;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.ccr.CcrSettings;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.ccr.action.bulk.BulkShardOperationsAction;
@@ -114,7 +115,16 @@ protected void innerUpdateMapping(long minRequiredMappingVersion, LongConsumer h
                 final Index followerIndex = params.getFollowShardId().getIndex();
                 final Index leaderIndex = params.getLeaderShardId().getIndex();
                 final Supplier<TimeValue> timeout = () -> isStopped() ? TimeValue.MINUS_ONE : waitForMetadataTimeOut;
-                CcrRequests.getIndexMetadata(remoteClient(params), leaderIndex, minRequiredMappingVersion, 0L, timeout, ActionListener.wrap(
+
+                final Client remoteClient;
+                try {
+                    remoteClient = remoteClient(params);
+                } catch (NoSuchRemoteClusterException e) {
+                    errorHandler.accept(e);
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                CcrRequests.getIndexMetadata(remoteClient, leaderIndex, minRequiredMappingVersion, 0L, timeout, ActionListener.wrap(
                     indexMetaData -> {
                         if (indexMetaData.getMappings().isEmpty()) {
                             assert indexMetaData.getMappingVersion() == 1;
@@ -173,7 +183,7 @@ protected void innerUpdateSettings(final LongConsumer finalHandler, final Consum
                 };
                 try {
                     remoteClient(params).admin().cluster().state(clusterStateRequest, ActionListener.wrap(onResponse, errorHandler));
-                } catch (Exception e) {
+                } catch (NoSuchRemoteClusterException e) {
                     errorHandler.accept(e);
                 }
             }
@@ -231,7 +241,7 @@ protected void innerSendShardChangesRequest(long from, int maxOperationCount, Co
                 request.setPollTimeout(params.getReadPollTimeout());
                 try {
                     remoteClient(params).execute(ShardChangesAction.INSTANCE, request, ActionListener.wrap(handler::accept, errorHandler));
-                } catch (Exception e) {
+                } catch (NoSuchRemoteClusterException e) {
                     errorHandler.accept(e);
                 }
             }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrSingleNodeTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrSingleNodeTestCase.java
index c2760aa5efd6b..0316482571eb2 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrSingleNodeTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/CcrSingleNodeTestCase.java
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.xpack;
 
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.remote.RemoteInfoAction;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.remote.RemoteInfoRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.settings.ClusterUpdateSettingsRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.ActiveShardCount;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.service.ClusterService;
@@ -15,6 +17,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.license.LicensesMetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.plugins.Plugin;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.ESSingleNodeTestCase;
+import org.elasticsearch.transport.RemoteConnectionInfo;
 import org.elasticsearch.transport.TransportService;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.ccr.CcrSettings;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.ccr.LocalStateCcr;
@@ -30,6 +33,7 @@
 
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.test.hamcrest.ElasticsearchAssertions.assertAcked;
 import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.CcrIntegTestCase.removeCCRRelatedMetadataFromClusterState;
@@ -57,11 +61,17 @@ protected Collection<Class<? extends Plugin>> getPlugins() {
     }
 
     @Before
-    public void setupLocalRemote() {
+    public void setupLocalRemote() throws Exception {
         ClusterUpdateSettingsRequest updateSettingsRequest = new ClusterUpdateSettingsRequest();
         String address = getInstanceFromNode(TransportService.class).boundAddress().publishAddress().toString();
         updateSettingsRequest.transientSettings(Settings.builder().put("cluster.remote.local.seeds", address));
         assertAcked(client().admin().cluster().updateSettings(updateSettingsRequest).actionGet());
+
+        assertBusy(() -> {
+            List<RemoteConnectionInfo> infos = client().execute(RemoteInfoAction.INSTANCE, new RemoteInfoRequest()).get().getInfos();
+            assertThat(infos.size(), equalTo(1));
+            assertThat(infos.get(0).getNumNodesConnected(), equalTo(1));
+        });
     }
 
     @Before
@@ -76,10 +86,15 @@ public void purgeCCRMetadata() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @After
-    public void removeLocalRemote() {
+    public void removeLocalRemote() throws Exception {
         ClusterUpdateSettingsRequest updateSettingsRequest = new ClusterUpdateSettingsRequest();
         updateSettingsRequest.transientSettings(Settings.builder().put("cluster.remote.local.seeds", (String) null));
         assertAcked(client().admin().cluster().updateSettings(updateSettingsRequest).actionGet());
+
+        assertBusy(() -> {
+            List<RemoteConnectionInfo> infos = client().execute(RemoteInfoAction.INSTANCE, new RemoteInfoRequest()).get().getInfos();
+            assertThat(infos.size(), equalTo(0));
+        });
     }
 
     protected AutoFollowStats getAutoFollowStats() {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/LocalIndexFollowingIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/LocalIndexFollowingIT.java
index 2fc4c45e54e27..0df3f4ea47f43 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/LocalIndexFollowingIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ccr/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ccr/LocalIndexFollowingIT.java
@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ public void testDoNotCreateFollowerIfLeaderDoesNotHaveSoftDeletes() throws Excep
         assertThat(client().admin().indices().prepareExists("follower-index").get().isExists(), equalTo(false));
     }
 
-    @AwaitsFix(bugUrl = "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/38695")
     public void testRemoveRemoteConnection() throws Exception {
         PutAutoFollowPatternAction.Request request = new PutAutoFollowPatternAction.Request();
         request.setName("my_pattern");