diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java
index fb3c49d83cb93..52d4542faaf77 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java
@@ -24,9 +24,12 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamOutput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.Writeable;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.AbstractRunnable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.ConcurrentCollections;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.EsExecutors;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.ThrottledTaskRunner;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.Nullable;
+import org.elasticsearch.core.Releasable;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchPhaseResult;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchService;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.dfs.DfsSearchResult;
@@ -60,6 +63,7 @@
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 import java.util.function.BiFunction;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchTransportAPMMetrics.ACTION_ATTRIBUTE_NAME;
@@ -455,9 +459,10 @@ public static void registerRequestHandler(
             boolean freed = searchService.freeReaderContext(request.id());
             channel.sendResponse(SearchFreeContextResponse.of(freed));
         };
+        final Executor freeContextExecutor = buildFreeContextExecutor(transportService);
         transportService.registerRequestHandler(
             FREE_CONTEXT_SCROLL_ACTION_NAME,
-            transportService.getThreadPool().generic(),
+            freeContextExecutor,
             ScrollFreeContextRequest::new,
             instrumentedHandler(FREE_CONTEXT_SCROLL_ACTION_METRIC, transportService, searchTransportMetrics, freeContextHandler)
         );
@@ -470,7 +475,7 @@ public static void registerRequestHandler(
 
         transportService.registerRequestHandler(
             FREE_CONTEXT_ACTION_NAME,
-            transportService.getThreadPool().generic(),
+            freeContextExecutor,
             SearchFreeContextRequest::new,
             instrumentedHandler(FREE_CONTEXT_ACTION_METRIC, transportService, searchTransportMetrics, freeContextHandler)
         );
@@ -478,7 +483,7 @@ public static void registerRequestHandler(
 
         transportService.registerRequestHandler(
             CLEAR_SCROLL_CONTEXTS_ACTION_NAME,
-            transportService.getThreadPool().generic(),
+            freeContextExecutor,
             ClearScrollContextsRequest::new,
             instrumentedHandler(CLEAR_SCROLL_CONTEXTS_ACTION_METRIC, transportService, searchTransportMetrics, (request, channel, task) -> {
                 searchService.freeAllScrollContexts();
@@ -626,6 +631,32 @@ public static void registerRequestHandler(
         TransportActionProxy.registerProxyAction(transportService, QUERY_CAN_MATCH_NODE_NAME, true, CanMatchNodeResponse::new);
     }
 
+    private static Executor buildFreeContextExecutor(TransportService transportService) {
+        final ThrottledTaskRunner throttledTaskRunner = new ThrottledTaskRunner(
+            "free_context",
+            1,
+            transportService.getThreadPool().generic()
+        );
+        return r -> throttledTaskRunner.enqueueTask(new ActionListener<>() {
+            @Override
+            public void onResponse(Releasable releasable) {
+                try (releasable) {
+                    r.run();
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onFailure(Exception e) {
+                if (r instanceof AbstractRunnable abstractRunnable) {
+                    abstractRunnable.onFailure(e);
+                }
+                // should be impossible, GENERIC pool doesn't reject anything
+                logger.error("unexpected failure running " + r, e);
+                assert false : new AssertionError("unexpected failure running " + r, e);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     private static <Request extends TransportRequest> TransportRequestHandler<Request> instrumentedHandler(
         String actionQualifier,
         TransportService transportService,