diff --git a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/SegmentReplicationIT.java b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/SegmentReplicationIT.java
index 02da12904a6e7..0d8082da00cd0 100644
--- a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/SegmentReplicationIT.java
+++ b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/indices/replication/SegmentReplicationIT.java
@@ -522,7 +522,6 @@ public void testCancellation() throws Exception {
         assertDocCounts(docCount, primaryNode);
     }
 
-    @AwaitsFix(bugUrl = "https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/issues/5669")
     public void testStartReplicaAfterPrimaryIndexesDocs() throws Exception {
         final String primaryNode = internalCluster().startNode(featureFlagSettings());
         createIndex(INDEX_NAME, Settings.builder().put(indexSettings()).put(IndexMetadata.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS, 0).build());
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
index 5a5356282681e..60c52e9583821 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/IndexShard.java
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.RecoverySource;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.RecoverySource.SnapshotRecoverySource;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.ShardRouting;
+import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.ShardRoutingState;
 import org.opensearch.common.Booleans;
 import org.opensearch.common.CheckedConsumer;
 import org.opensearch.common.CheckedFunction;
@@ -1454,22 +1455,53 @@ public ReplicationCheckpoint getLatestReplicationCheckpoint() {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Checks if checkpoint should be processed
-     *
-     * @param requestCheckpoint       received checkpoint that is checked for processing
-     * @return true if checkpoint should be processed
+     * Checks if this target shard should start a round of segment replication.
+     * @return - True if the shard is able to perform segment replication.
      */
-    public final boolean shouldProcessCheckpoint(ReplicationCheckpoint requestCheckpoint) {
-        if (state().equals(IndexShardState.STARTED) == false) {
-            logger.trace(() -> new ParameterizedMessage("Ignoring new replication checkpoint - shard is not started {}", state()));
+    public boolean isSegmentReplicationAllowed() {
+        if (indexSettings.isSegRepEnabled() == false) {
+            logger.warn("Attempting to perform segment replication when it is not enabled on the index");
             return false;
         }
         if (getReplicationTracker().isPrimaryMode()) {
-            logger.warn("Ignoring new replication checkpoint - shard is in primaryMode and cannot receive any checkpoints.");
+            logger.warn("Shard is in primary mode and cannot perform segment replication as a replica.");
             return false;
         }
         if (this.routingEntry().primary()) {
-            logger.warn("Ignoring new replication checkpoint - primary shard cannot receive any checkpoints.");
+            logger.warn("Shard is marked as primary and cannot perform segment replication as a replica");
+            return false;
+        }
+        if (state().equals(IndexShardState.STARTED) == false
+            && (state() == IndexShardState.POST_RECOVERY && shardRouting.state() == ShardRoutingState.INITIALIZING) == false) {
+            logger.warn(
+                () -> new ParameterizedMessage(
+                    "Shard is not started or recovering {} {} and cannot perform segment replication as a replica",
+                    state(),
+                    shardRouting.state()
+                )
+            );
+            return false;
+        }
+        if (getReplicationEngine().isEmpty()) {
+            logger.warn(
+                () -> new ParameterizedMessage(
+                    "Shard does not have the correct engine type to perform segment replication {}.",
+                    getEngine().getClass()
+                )
+            );
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks if checkpoint should be processed
+     *
+     * @param requestCheckpoint       received checkpoint that is checked for processing
+     * @return true if checkpoint should be processed
+     */
+    public final boolean shouldProcessCheckpoint(ReplicationCheckpoint requestCheckpoint) {
+        if (isSegmentReplicationAllowed() == false) {
             return false;
         }
         ReplicationCheckpoint localCheckpoint = getLatestReplicationCheckpoint();
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
index 83f4e0c7cbed9..e8adcbdc1c89a 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@
 import org.opensearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNode;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNodes;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.ShardRouting;
-import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.ShardRoutingState;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.RoutingTable;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.IndexShardRoutingTable;
 import org.opensearch.cluster.routing.RoutingNode;
@@ -811,11 +810,7 @@ private void forceSegmentReplication(
         StepListener<Void> forceSegRepListener
     ) {
         IndexShard indexShard = (IndexShard) indexService.getShardOrNull(shardRouting.id());
-        if (indexShard != null
-            && indexShard.indexSettings().isSegRepEnabled()
-            && shardRouting.primary() == false
-            && shardRouting.state() == ShardRoutingState.INITIALIZING
-            && indexShard.state() == IndexShardState.POST_RECOVERY) {
+        if (indexShard != null && indexShard.isSegmentReplicationAllowed()) {
             segmentReplicationTargetService.startReplication(
                 ReplicationCheckpoint.empty(shardRouting.shardId()),
                 indexShard,
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/SegmentReplicationIndexShardTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/SegmentReplicationIndexShardTests.java
index c46f97b5ec785..44771faf36871 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/SegmentReplicationIndexShardTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/shard/SegmentReplicationIndexShardTests.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import org.opensearch.index.IndexSettings;
 import org.opensearch.index.engine.DocIdSeqNoAndSource;
 import org.opensearch.index.engine.InternalEngine;
+import org.opensearch.index.engine.InternalEngineFactory;
 import org.opensearch.index.engine.NRTReplicationEngine;
 import org.opensearch.index.engine.NRTReplicationEngineFactory;
 import org.opensearch.index.mapper.MapperService;
@@ -97,6 +98,12 @@ public void testReplicationCheckpointNotNullForSegRep() throws IOException {
         closeShards(indexShard);
     }
 
+    public void testIsSegmentReplicationAllowed_WrongEngineType() throws IOException {
+        final IndexShard indexShard = newShard(false, settings, new InternalEngineFactory());
+        assertFalse(indexShard.isSegmentReplicationAllowed());
+        closeShards(indexShard);
+    }
+
     public void testSegmentReplication_Index_Update_Delete() throws Exception {
         String mappings = "{ \"" + MapperService.SINGLE_MAPPING_NAME + "\": { \"properties\": { \"foo\": { \"type\": \"keyword\"} }}}";
         try (ReplicationGroup shards = createGroup(2, settings, mappings, new NRTReplicationEngineFactory())) {