diff --git a/server/etcdserver/v3_server.go b/server/etcdserver/v3_server.go
index 9fbefc104eea..187b62d71df8 100644
--- a/server/etcdserver/v3_server.go
+++ b/server/etcdserver/v3_server.go
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ const (
 	// We should stop accepting new proposals if the gap growing to a certain point.
 	maxGapBetweenApplyAndCommitIndex = 5000
 	traceThreshold                   = 100 * time.Millisecond
+	readIndexRetryTime               = 500 * time.Millisecond
 )
 
 type RaftKV interface {
@@ -768,19 +769,25 @@ func (s *EtcdServer) requestCurrentIndex(leaderChangedNotifier <-chan struct{},
 		return 0, err
 	}
 
-	confirmedIndex, err := s.readReadIndexResponse(leaderChangedNotifier, requestId)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, err
-	}
-	return confirmedIndex, nil
-}
-
-func (s *EtcdServer) readReadIndexResponse(leaderChangedNotifier <-chan struct{}, requestId uint64) (uint64, error) {
 	lg := s.Logger()
+	errorTimer := time.NewTimer(s.Cfg.ReqTimeout())
+	defer errorTimer.Stop()
+
 	for {
+		select {
+		case <-errorTimer.C:
+			lg.Warn(
+				"timed out waiting for read index response (local node might have slow network)",
+				zap.Duration("timeout", s.Cfg.ReqTimeout()),
+			)
+			slowReadIndex.Inc()
+			return 0, ErrTimeout
+		default:
+		}
+
 		select {
 		case rs := <-s.r.readStateC:
-			requestIdBytes := unit64ToBigEndianBytes(requestId)
+			requestIdBytes := uint64ToBigEndianBytes(requestId)
 			gotOwnResponse := bytes.Equal(rs.RequestCtx, requestIdBytes)
 			if !gotOwnResponse {
 				// a previous request might time out. now we should ignore the response of it and
@@ -802,27 +809,31 @@ func (s *EtcdServer) readReadIndexResponse(leaderChangedNotifier <-chan struct{}
 			readIndexFailed.Inc()
 			// return a retryable error.
 			return 0, ErrLeaderChanged
-		case <-time.After(s.Cfg.ReqTimeout()):
+		case <-time.After(readIndexRetryTime):
 			lg.Warn(
-				"timed out waiting for read index response (local node might have slow network)",
-				zap.Duration("timeout", s.Cfg.ReqTimeout()),
+				"waiting for ReadIndex response took too long, retrying",
+				zap.Uint64("sent-request-id", requestId),
+				zap.Duration("retry-timeout", readIndexRetryTime),
 			)
-			slowReadIndex.Inc()
-			return 0, ErrTimeout
+			err := s.sendReadIndex(requestId)
+			if err != nil {
+				return 0, err
+			}
+			continue
 		case <-s.stopping:
 			return 0, ErrStopped
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-func unit64ToBigEndianBytes(number uint64) []byte {
+func uint64ToBigEndianBytes(number uint64) []byte {
 	byteResult := make([]byte, 8)
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(byteResult, number)
 	return byteResult
 }
 
 func (s *EtcdServer) sendReadIndex(requestIndex uint64) error {
-	ctxToSend := unit64ToBigEndianBytes(requestIndex)
+	ctxToSend := uint64ToBigEndianBytes(requestIndex)
 
 	cctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), s.Cfg.ReqTimeout())
 	err := s.r.ReadIndex(cctx, ctxToSend)