diff --git a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpErrorResponse.java b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpErrorResponse.java
index 9b3b3cef5b58..40ce16145e78 100644
--- a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpErrorResponse.java
+++ b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpErrorResponse.java
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ public enum ErrorCode {
         PARENT_HOST_NOT_READY,
         CERTIFICATE_NOT_READY,
         LOAD_BALANCER_NOT_READY,
-        CONFIG_NOT_CONVERGED
+        CONFIG_NOT_CONVERGED,
+        REINDEXING_STATUS_UNAVAILABLE
     }
 
     public static HttpErrorResponse notFoundError(String msg) {
@@ -109,6 +110,10 @@ public static HttpErrorResponse loadBalancerNotReady(String msg) {
         return new HttpErrorResponse(CONFLICT, ErrorCode.LOAD_BALANCER_NOT_READY.name(), msg);
     }
 
+    public static HttpResponse reindexingStatusUnavailable(String msg) {
+        return new HttpErrorResponse(CONFLICT, ErrorCode.REINDEXING_STATUS_UNAVAILABLE.name(), msg);
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void render(OutputStream stream) throws IOException {
         new JsonFormat(true).encode(stream, slime);
diff --git a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpHandler.java b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpHandler.java
index 53dbda9c4d13..25ae21f33833 100644
--- a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpHandler.java
+++ b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/HttpHandler.java
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ public HttpResponse handle(HttpRequest request) {
             return HttpErrorResponse.configNotConverged(getMessage(e, request));
         } catch (LoadBalancerServiceException e) {
             return HttpErrorResponse.loadBalancerNotReady(getMessage(e, request));
+        } catch (ReindexingStatusException e) {
+            return HttpErrorResponse.reindexingStatusUnavailable(getMessage(e, request));
         } catch (Exception e) {
             log.log(Level.WARNING, "Unexpected exception handling a config server request", e);
             return HttpErrorResponse.internalServerError(getMessage(e, request));
diff --git a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/ReindexingStatusException.java b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/ReindexingStatusException.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4f990fcfe6d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/ReindexingStatusException.java
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// Copyright Yahoo. Licensed under the terms of the Apache 2.0 license. See LICENSE in the project root.
+package com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http;
+
+/**
+ * Exception indicating that the reindexing status for an application is currently unavailable, e.g. if the cluster is
+ * recently configured and its nodes are not yet up.
+ *
+ * @author mpolden
+ */
+public class ReindexingStatusException extends RuntimeException {
+
+    public ReindexingStatusException(String message) {
+        super(message);
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/v2/ApplicationHandler.java b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/v2/ApplicationHandler.java
index fc33830e7071..8afffd93a293 100644
--- a/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/v2/ApplicationHandler.java
+++ b/configserver/src/main/java/com/yahoo/vespa/config/server/http/v2/ApplicationHandler.java
@@ -24,12 +24,15 @@
 import com.yahoo.slime.SlimeUtils;
 import com.yahoo.text.StringUtilities;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.ApplicationRepository;
+import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.application.ApplicationReindexing;
+import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.application.ClusterReindexing;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.application.ConfigConvergenceChecker;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.ContentHandler;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.ContentRequest;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.HttpHandler;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.JSONResponse;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.NotFoundException;
+import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.ReindexingStatusException;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.v2.request.ApplicationContentRequest;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.v2.response.ApplicationSuspendedResponse;
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.http.v2.response.DeleteApplicationResponse;
@@ -39,6 +42,7 @@
 import com.yahoo.vespa.config.server.tenant.Tenant;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.time.Duration;
 import java.time.Instant;
@@ -296,9 +300,15 @@ private HttpResponse getReindexingStatus(ApplicationId applicationId) {
         if (tenant == null)
             throw new NotFoundException("Tenant '" + applicationId.tenant().value() + "' not found");
 
-        return new ReindexingResponse(getActiveModelOrThrow(applicationId).documentTypesByCluster(),
-                                      applicationRepository.getReindexing(applicationId),
-                                      applicationRepository.getClusterReindexingStatus(applicationId));
+        try {
+            Map<String, Set<String>> documentTypes = getActiveModelOrThrow(applicationId).documentTypesByCluster();
+            ApplicationReindexing reindexing = applicationRepository.getReindexing(applicationId);
+            Map<String, ClusterReindexing> clusters = applicationRepository.getClusterReindexingStatus(applicationId);
+            return new ReindexingResponse(documentTypes, reindexing, clusters);
+        } catch (UncheckedIOException e) {
+            throw new ReindexingStatusException("Reindexing status for '" + applicationId +
+                                                "' is currently unavailable");
+        }
     }
 
     private HttpResponse restart(ApplicationId applicationId, HttpRequest request) {