@@ -12,63 +12,47 @@ inputs:
     required: true
     # Version must match production and be published on docker.elastic.co.
     default: '8.12.0'
+  mode:
+    description: >-
+      'both' starts Elasticsearch and waits until it is ready.
+      'start' starts it in the background and returns right away.
+      'wait' waits for a background start from an earlier 'start' step, then for readiness.
+    required: false
+    default: 'both'
 
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
   steps:
-    # Pull from Elastic's registry to avoid Docker Hub rate limits.
-    # A pull is faster than restoring and loading a cached image tarball.
-    - name: Pull Docker image
+    - name: Start Elasticsearch
+      if: ${{ inputs.mode == 'both' }}
       shell: bash
       env:
-        ES_IMAGE: docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:${{ inputs.elasticsearch_version }}
-      run: |
-        for attempt in 1 2 3; do
-          docker pull "$ES_IMAGE" && exit 0
-          echo "Pull attempt $attempt failed"
-          sleep $((attempt * 10))
-        done
-        exit 1
+        ES_VERSION: ${{ inputs.elasticsearch_version }}
+      run: bash "$GITHUB_ACTION_PATH/start.sh"
 
-    # Run a single-node container with settings copied from getong/elasticsearch-action.
-    - name: Run Docker container
+    # Later steps such as npm ci and the build run while the image pulls and Elasticsearch boots.
+    - name: Start Elasticsearch in the background
+      if: ${{ inputs.mode == 'start' }}
       shell: bash
       env:
-        INPUT_ELASTICSEARCH_VERSION: ${{ inputs.elasticsearch_version }}
-        INPUT_HOST_PORT: 9200
-        INPUT_CONTAINER_PORT: 9200
-        INPUT_HOST_NODE_PORT: 9300
-        INPUT_NODE_PORT: 9300
-        INPUT_DISCOVERY_TYPE: 'single-node'
+        ES_VERSION: ${{ inputs.elasticsearch_version }}
+        ES_STATUS_FILE: ${{ runner.temp }}/elasticsearch-start.status
+        ES_LOG_FILE: ${{ runner.temp }}/elasticsearch-start.log
       run: |
-        docker network create elastic
-
-        docker run --network elastic \
-          -e 'node.name=es1' \
-          -e 'cluster.name=docker-elasticsearch' \
-          -e 'cluster.initial_master_nodes=es1' \
-          -e 'discovery.seed_hosts=es1' \
-          -e 'cluster.routing.allocation.disk.threshold_enabled=false' \
-          -e 'bootstrap.memory_lock=true' \
-          -e 'ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms1g -Xmx1g' \
-          -e 'xpack.security.enabled=false' \
-          -e 'xpack.license.self_generated.type=basic' \
-          --ulimit nofile=65536:65536 \
-          --ulimit memlock=-1:-1 \
-          --name='es1' \
-          -d \
-          -p $INPUT_HOST_PORT:$INPUT_CONTAINER_PORT \
-          -p $INPUT_HOST_NODE_PORT:$INPUT_NODE_PORT \
-          -e discovery_type=$INPUT_DISCOVERY_TYPE \
-          docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:$INPUT_ELASTICSEARCH_VERSION
+        rm -f "$ES_STATUS_FILE"
+        (
+          status=0
+          bash "$GITHUB_ACTION_PATH/start.sh" || status=$?
+          echo "$status" > "$ES_STATUS_FILE.tmp"
+          mv "$ES_STATUS_FILE.tmp" "$ES_STATUS_FILE"
+        ) > "$ES_LOG_FILE" 2>&1 < /dev/null &
+        echo "Starting Elasticsearch in the background. A mode: wait step prints the log."
 
-        for i in {1..120}; do
-          if curl --silent --fail http://localhost:9200; then
-            echo "Elasticsearch is up and running"
-            exit 0
-          fi
-          echo "Waiting for Elasticsearch to be ready..."
-          sleep 1
-        done
-        echo "Elasticsearch did not become ready in time"
-        exit 1
+    - name: Wait for Elasticsearch
+      if: ${{ inputs.mode != 'start' }}
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        ES_BACKGROUND: ${{ inputs.mode == 'wait' }}
+        ES_STATUS_FILE: ${{ runner.temp }}/elasticsearch-start.status
+        ES_LOG_FILE: ${{ runner.temp }}/elasticsearch-start.log
+      run: bash "$GITHUB_ACTION_PATH/wait.sh"
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Pull the Elasticsearch image and start the es1 container. wait.sh checks readiness.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+image="docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:$ES_VERSION"
+
+# Pull from Elastic's registry to avoid Docker Hub rate limits.
+# A pull is faster than restoring and loading a cached image tarball.
+pulled=false
+for attempt in 1 2 3; do
+  if docker pull "$image"; then
+    pulled=true
+    break
+  fi
+  echo "Pull attempt $attempt failed"
+  sleep $((attempt * 10))
+done
+if [ "$pulled" != true ]; then
+  echo "Could not pull $image"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Run a single-node container with settings copied from getong/elasticsearch-action.
+docker network create elastic
+
+docker run --network elastic \
+  -e 'node.name=es1' \
+  -e 'cluster.name=docker-elasticsearch' \
+  -e 'cluster.initial_master_nodes=es1' \
+  -e 'discovery.seed_hosts=es1' \
+  -e 'cluster.routing.allocation.disk.threshold_enabled=false' \
+  -e 'bootstrap.memory_lock=true' \
+  -e 'ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms1g -Xmx1g' \
+  -e 'xpack.security.enabled=false' \
+  -e 'xpack.license.self_generated.type=basic' \
+  --ulimit nofile=65536:65536 \
+  --ulimit memlock=-1:-1 \
+  --name='es1' \
+  -d \
+  -p 9200:9200 \
+  -p 9300:9300 \
+  -e discovery_type=single-node \
+  "$image"
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Wait until Elasticsearch answers on localhost:9200.
+# With ES_BACKGROUND=true, first wait for the background start.sh to finish.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [ "${ES_BACKGROUND:-false}" = true ]; then
+  for _ in {1..300}; do
+    [ -f "$ES_STATUS_FILE" ] && break
+    sleep 1
+  done
+  echo "::group::Background start log"
+  cat "$ES_LOG_FILE" || true
+  echo "::endgroup::"
+  if [ ! -f "$ES_STATUS_FILE" ]; then
+    echo "::error::Elasticsearch start did not finish in time. Did a mode: start step run first?"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  status=$(cat "$ES_STATUS_FILE")
+  if [ "$status" != 0 ]; then
+    echo "::error::Elasticsearch start failed with exit code $status"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+fi
+
+for _ in {1..120}; do
+  if curl --silent --fail http://localhost:9200; then
+    echo
+    echo "Elasticsearch is up and running"
+    exit 0
+  fi
+  echo "Waiting for Elasticsearch to be ready..."
+  sleep 1
+done
+echo "::error::Elasticsearch did not become ready in time"
+docker logs --tail 100 es1 || true
+exit 1
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ on:
       # Debugging changes to this workflow need the same PR index test.
       - .github/workflows/index-general-search-pr.yml
       # Setup changes can break the local Elasticsearch path this workflow tests.
-      - .github/actions/setup-elasticsearch/action.yml
+      - '.github/actions/setup-elasticsearch/**'
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
 
@@ -95,8 +95,11 @@ jobs:
           # Fetch 2 commits so tj-actions/changed-files can diff without extra API calls
           fetch-depth: 2
 
+      # Start Elasticsearch early so the pull and boot overlap with setup and build.
       - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-elasticsearch
         if: ${{ matrix.name == 'search' || matrix.name == 'languages' }}
+        with:
+          mode: start
 
       - uses: ./.github/actions/node-npm-setup
 
@@ -148,6 +151,11 @@ jobs:
         # Only routing tests cover archived enterprise server URLs.
         if: ${{ matrix.name == 'redirects' }}
 
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-elasticsearch
+        if: ${{ matrix.name == 'search' || matrix.name == 'languages' }}
+        with:
+          mode: wait
+
       - name: Index fixtures into the local Elasticsearch
         # Run indexing only for suites that query the local Elasticsearch service.
         if: ${{ matrix.name == 'search' || matrix.name == 'languages' }}