diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/search/QueryParserHelper.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/search/QueryParserHelper.java
index 603e81f6bf113..992408273424a 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/search/QueryParserHelper.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/index/search/QueryParserHelper.java
@@ -52,6 +52,16 @@
  * @opensearch.internal
  */
 public final class QueryParserHelper {
+
+    private static SearchService searchService;
+
+    public static void setSearchService(SearchService service) {
+        if (searchService != null) {
+            return; // already initialized
+        }
+        searchService = service;
+    }
+
     private QueryParserHelper() {}
 
     /**
@@ -180,7 +190,7 @@ static Map<String, Float> resolveMappingField(
     }
 
     static void checkForTooManyFields(int numberOfFields, QueryShardContext context, @Nullable String inputPattern) {
-        int limit = SearchService.INDICES_MAX_CLAUSE_COUNT_SETTING.get(context.getIndexSettings().getSettings());
+        int limit = searchService.getFieldExpansionLimit();
         if (numberOfFields > limit) {
             StringBuilder errorMsg = new StringBuilder("field expansion ");
             if (inputPattern != null) {
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/search/SearchService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/search/SearchService.java
index bc83688983a70..02a132aef1cb1 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/search/SearchService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/search/SearchService.java
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@
 import org.opensearch.threadpool.ThreadPool.Names;
 import org.opensearch.transport.TransportRequest;
 import org.opensearch.wlm.WorkloadGroupService;
+import org.opensearch.index.search.QueryParserHelper;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -515,6 +516,12 @@ public class SearchService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent implements IndexEv
     private final Executor indexSearcherExecutor;
     private final TaskResourceTrackingService taskResourceTrackingService;
 
+    private volatile int fieldExpansionLimit;
+
+    public int getFieldExpansionLimit() {
+        return fieldExpansionLimit;
+    }
+
     private final List<SearchPlugin.ProfileMetricsProvider> pluginProfilers;
 
     public SearchService(
@@ -583,7 +590,12 @@ public SearchService(
         clusterService.getClusterSettings().addSettingsUpdateConsumer(LOW_LEVEL_CANCELLATION_SETTING, this::setLowLevelCancellation);
 
         IndexSearcher.setMaxClauseCount(INDICES_MAX_CLAUSE_COUNT_SETTING.get(settings));
-        clusterService.getClusterSettings().addSettingsUpdateConsumer(INDICES_MAX_CLAUSE_COUNT_SETTING, IndexSearcher::setMaxClauseCount);
+        this.fieldExpansionLimit = INDICES_MAX_CLAUSE_COUNT_SETTING.get(clusterService.getSettings());
+        clusterService.getClusterSettings()
+            .addSettingsUpdateConsumer(INDICES_MAX_CLAUSE_COUNT_SETTING, value -> {
+            IndexSearcher.setMaxClauseCount(value);
+            this.fieldExpansionLimit = value;
+            });
 
         QueryStringQueryParser.setMaxQueryStringLength(SEARCH_MAX_QUERY_STRING_LENGTH.get(settings));
         clusterService.getClusterSettings()
@@ -600,6 +612,8 @@ public SearchService(
 
         this.concurrentSearchDeciderFactories = concurrentSearchDeciderFactories;
 
+        QueryParserHelper.setSearchService(this);
+
         this.pluginProfilers = pluginProfilers;
 
         // Initialize QueryRewriterRegistry with cluster settings so TermsMergingRewriter