diff --git a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexProxyCreator.java b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexProxyCreator.java
index ea25df52eba4..578e636d0412 100644
--- a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexProxyCreator.java
+++ b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexProxyCreator.java
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ public IndexProxyCreator( IndexSamplingConfig samplingConfig,
     public IndexProxy createPopulatingIndexProxy( final long ruleId,
                                                   final IndexDescriptor descriptor,
                                                   final SchemaIndexProvider.Descriptor providerDescriptor,
-                                                  final boolean constraint,
+                                                  IndexConfiguration config,
+                                                  final boolean flipToTentative,
                                                   final IndexingService.Monitor monitor,
                                                   final IndexPopulationJob populationJob ) throws IOException
     {
@@ -67,7 +68,6 @@ public IndexProxy createPopulatingIndexProxy( final long ruleId,
 
         // TODO: This is here because there is a circular dependency from PopulatingIndexProxy to FlippableIndexProxy
         final String indexUserDescription = indexUserDescription( descriptor, providerDescriptor );
-        final IndexConfiguration config = IndexConfiguration.of( constraint );
         IndexPopulator populator = populatorFromProvider( providerDescriptor, ruleId, descriptor, config,
                 samplingConfig );
 
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public IndexProxy createPopulatingIndexProxy( final long ruleId,
                     descriptor, config, onlineAccessorFromProvider( providerDescriptor, ruleId,
                     config, samplingConfig ), storeView, providerDescriptor, true
             );
-            if ( constraint )
+            if ( flipToTentative )
             {
                 return new TentativeConstraintIndexProxy( flipper, onlineProxy );
             }
diff --git a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexingService.java b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexingService.java
index a1c8a74602b5..6e054d08ecd8 100644
--- a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexingService.java
+++ b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/api/index/IndexingService.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 import org.neo4j.kernel.api.exceptions.index.IndexNotFoundKernelException;
 import org.neo4j.kernel.api.exceptions.index.IndexPopulationFailedKernelException;
 import org.neo4j.kernel.api.exceptions.schema.ConstraintVerificationFailedKernelException;
+import org.neo4j.kernel.api.index.IndexConfiguration;
 import org.neo4j.kernel.api.index.IndexDescriptor;
 import org.neo4j.kernel.api.index.IndexUpdater;
 import org.neo4j.kernel.api.index.InternalIndexState;
@@ -210,8 +211,18 @@ public void init()
                     break;
                 case POPULATING:
                     // The database was shut down during population, or a crash has occurred, or some other sad thing.
-                    indexProxy = indexProxyCreator
-                            .createRecoveringIndexProxy( descriptor, providerDescriptor, constraint );
+                    if ( constraint && indexRule.getOwningConstraint() == null )
+                    {
+                        // don't bother rebuilding if we are going to throw the index away anyhow
+                        indexProxy = indexProxyCreator.createFailedIndexProxy(
+                                indexId, descriptor, providerDescriptor, constraint,
+                                failure( "Constraint for index was not committed." ) );
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        indexProxy = indexProxyCreator
+                                .createRecoveringIndexProxy( descriptor, providerDescriptor, constraint );
+                    }
                     break;
                 case FAILED:
                     IndexPopulationFailure failure = failure( provider.getPopulationFailure( indexId ) );
@@ -269,17 +280,16 @@ public void start() throws Exception
             for ( Map.Entry<Long,RebuildingIndexDescriptor> entry : rebuildingDescriptors.entrySet() )
             {
                 long indexId = entry.getKey();
-                RebuildingIndexDescriptor descriptors = entry.getValue();
-
-                /*
-                 * Passing in "false" for unique here may seem surprising, and.. well, yes, it is, I was surprised too.
-                 * However, it is actually perfectly safe, because whenever we have constraint indexes here, they will
-                 * be in a state where they didn't finish populating, and despite the fact that we re-create them here,
-                 * they will get dropped as soon as recovery is completed by the constraint system.
-                 */
+                RebuildingIndexDescriptor descriptor = entry.getValue();
+
                 IndexProxy proxy = indexProxyCreator.createPopulatingIndexProxy(
-                        indexId, descriptors.getIndexDescriptor(), descriptors.getProviderDescriptor(), false,
-                        monitor, populationJob );
+                        indexId,
+                        descriptor.getIndexDescriptor(),
+                        descriptor.getProviderDescriptor(),
+                        descriptor.getConfiguration(),
+                        false, // never pass through a tentative online state during recovery
+                        monitor,
+                        populationJob );
                 proxy.start();
                 indexMap.putIndexProxy( indexId, proxy );
             }
@@ -524,7 +534,8 @@ public void createIndexes( IndexRule... rules ) throws IOException
             {
                 populationJob = populationJob == null ? newIndexPopulationJob() : populationJob;
                 index = indexProxyCreator.createPopulatingIndexProxy(
-                        ruleId, descriptor, providerDescriptor, constraint, monitor, populationJob );
+                        ruleId, descriptor, providerDescriptor, IndexConfiguration.of( constraint ), constraint,
+                        monitor, populationJob );
                 index.start();
             }
             else