diff --git a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/routing/allocation/decider/DiskThresholdDeciderIT.java b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/routing/allocation/decider/DiskThresholdDeciderIT.java
index 100674a44737e..2d268a26a5755 100644
--- a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/routing/allocation/decider/DiskThresholdDeciderIT.java
+++ b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/routing/allocation/decider/DiskThresholdDeciderIT.java
@@ -246,8 +246,10 @@ public void testIndexCreateBlockIsRemovedWhenAnyNodesNotExceedHighWatermarkWithA
             (discoveryNode, fsInfoPath) -> setDiskUsage(fsInfoPath, TOTAL_SPACE_BYTES, TOTAL_SPACE_BYTES)
         );
 
-        // Validate if index create block is removed on the cluster
+        // Validate if index create block is removed on the cluster. Need to refresh this periodically as well to remove
+        // the node from high watermark breached list.
         assertBusy(() -> {
+            clusterInfoService.refresh();
             ClusterState state1 = client().admin().cluster().prepareState().setLocal(true).get().getState();
             assertFalse(state1.blocks().hasGlobalBlockWithId(Metadata.CLUSTER_CREATE_INDEX_BLOCK.id()));
         }, 30L, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
diff --git a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/shards/ClusterShardLimitIT.java b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/shards/ClusterShardLimitIT.java
index fb97ae59aae91..5eef7074e1dd6 100644
--- a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/shards/ClusterShardLimitIT.java
+++ b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/opensearch/cluster/shards/ClusterShardLimitIT.java
@@ -245,23 +245,22 @@ public void testIndexCreationOverLimitForDotIndexesFail() {
         assertFalse(clusterState.getMetadata().hasIndex(".test-index"));
     }
 
-    @AwaitsFix(bugUrl = "https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/issues/6287")
     public void testCreateIndexWithMaxClusterShardSetting() {
-        int dataNodes = client().admin().cluster().prepareState().get().getState().getNodes().getDataNodes().size();
-        ClusterState clusterState = client().admin().cluster().prepareState().get().getState();
-        setMaxShardLimit(dataNodes, shardsPerNodeKey);
+        int maxAllowedShardsPerNode = client().admin().cluster().prepareState().get().getState().getNodes().getDataNodes().size();
+        setMaxShardLimit(maxAllowedShardsPerNode, shardsPerNodeKey);
 
-        int maxAllowedShards = dataNodes + 1;
-        int extraShardCount = maxAllowedShards + 1;
+        // Always keep
+        int maxAllowedShardsPerCluster = maxAllowedShardsPerNode * 1000;
+        int extraShardCount = 1;
         // Getting total active shards in the cluster.
         int currentActiveShards = client().admin().cluster().prepareHealth().get().getActiveShards();
         try {
-            setMaxShardLimit(maxAllowedShards, SETTING_MAX_SHARDS_PER_CLUSTER_KEY);
+            setMaxShardLimit(maxAllowedShardsPerCluster, SETTING_MAX_SHARDS_PER_CLUSTER_KEY);
             prepareCreate("test_index_with_cluster_shard_limit").setSettings(
                 Settings.builder().put(IndexMetadata.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_SHARDS, extraShardCount).put(SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS, 0).build()
             ).get();
         } catch (final IllegalArgumentException ex) {
-            verifyException(Math.min(maxAllowedShards, dataNodes * dataNodes), currentActiveShards, extraShardCount, ex);
+            verifyException(maxAllowedShardsPerCluster, currentActiveShards, extraShardCount, ex);
         } finally {
             setMaxShardLimit(-1, SETTING_MAX_SHARDS_PER_CLUSTER_KEY);
         }
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java
index 2792746f4d5e0..0cfa6e0dbe490 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/index/engine/InternalEngineTests.java
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@
 import org.apache.lucene.store.AlreadyClosedException;
 import org.apache.lucene.store.Directory;
 import org.apache.lucene.store.Lock;
+import org.apache.lucene.tests.index.ForceMergePolicy;
 import org.apache.lucene.tests.mockfile.ExtrasFS;
 import org.apache.lucene.tests.store.MockDirectoryWrapper;
 import org.apache.lucene.util.Bits;
@@ -153,6 +154,7 @@
 import org.opensearch.index.translog.TranslogDeletionPolicyFactory;
 import org.opensearch.index.translog.TranslogException;
 import org.opensearch.index.translog.listener.TranslogEventListener;
+import org.opensearch.test.DummyShardLock;
 import org.opensearch.test.IndexSettingsModule;
 import org.opensearch.test.MockLogAppender;
 import org.opensearch.test.VersionUtils;
@@ -3291,12 +3293,15 @@ public void onFailedEngine(String reason, Exception e) {
             final AtomicReference<RetentionLeases> retentionLeasesHolder = new AtomicReference<>(
                 new RetentionLeases(primaryTerm, retentionLeasesVersion.get(), Collections.emptyList())
             );
+
+            // Just allow force merge so that regular merge does not close the shard first before any any other operation
+            //
             InternalEngine engine = createEngine(
                 config(
                     defaultSettings,
                     store,
                     createTempDir(),
-                    newMergePolicy(),
+                    newForceMergePolicy(),
                     null,
                     null,
                     null,
@@ -3401,7 +3406,7 @@ public void onFailedEngine(String reason, Exception e) {
                     defaultSettings,
                     store,
                     createTempDir(),
-                    newMergePolicy(),
+                    newForceMergePolicy(),
                     null,
                     null,
                     null,
@@ -3481,7 +3486,8 @@ public void eval(MockDirectoryWrapper dir) throws IOException {
         wrapper.failOn(fail);
         MockLogAppender mockAppender = MockLogAppender.createForLoggers(Loggers.getLogger(Engine.class, shardId));
         try {
-            Store store = createStore(wrapper);
+            // Create a store where directory is closed during unreferenced file cleanup.
+            Store store = createFailingDirectoryStore(wrapper);
             final Engine.EventListener eventListener = new Engine.EventListener() {
                 @Override
                 public void onFailedEngine(String reason, Exception e) {
@@ -3508,7 +3514,7 @@ public void onFailedEngine(String reason, Exception e) {
                     defaultSettings,
                     store,
                     createTempDir(),
-                    newMergePolicy(),
+                    newForceMergePolicy(),
                     null,
                     null,
                     null,
@@ -3570,6 +3576,33 @@ public void testSettings() {
         assertEquals(currentIndexWriterConfig.getCodec().getName(), codecService.codec(codecName).getName());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Creates a merge policy which only supports force merge.
+     * @return returns a merge policy which only supports force merge.
+     */
+    private MergePolicy newForceMergePolicy() {
+        return new ForceMergePolicy(new TieredMergePolicy());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a store where directory is closed when referenced while unreferenced file cleanup.
+     *
+     * @param directory directory used for creating the store.
+     * @return a store where directory is closed when referenced while unreferenced file cleanup.
+     */
+    private Store createFailingDirectoryStore(final Directory directory) {
+        return new Store(shardId, INDEX_SETTINGS, directory, new DummyShardLock(shardId)) {
+            @Override
+            public Directory directory() {
+                if (callStackContainsAnyOf("cleanUpUnreferencedFiles")) {
+                    throw new AlreadyClosedException("store is already closed");
+                }
+
+                return super.directory();
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
     public void testCurrentTranslogUUIIDIsCommitted() throws IOException {
         final AtomicLong globalCheckpoint = new AtomicLong(SequenceNumbers.NO_OPS_PERFORMED);
         try (Store store = createStore()) {