diff --git a/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesRestReplicationHandler.cpp b/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesRestReplicationHandler.cpp
index 7745dc76c2..23cd2f3fd6 100644
--- a/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesRestReplicationHandler.cpp
+++ b/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesRestReplicationHandler.cpp
@@ -2893,7 +2893,7 @@ void MMFilesRestReplicationHandler::handleCommandMakeSlave() {
   std::string errorMsg = "";
   {
     InitialSyncer syncer(_vocbase, &config, config._restrictCollections,
-                         restrictType, false);
+                         restrictType, false, false);
 
     res = TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
 
@@ -3014,7 +3014,7 @@ void MMFilesRestReplicationHandler::handleCommandSync() {
   MMFilesLogfileManager::instance()->waitForSync(5.0);
 
   InitialSyncer syncer(_vocbase, &config, restrictCollections, restrictType,
-                       verbose);
+                       verbose, false);
 
   std::string errorMsg = "";
 
diff --git a/arangod/Replication/ContinuousSyncer.cpp b/arangod/Replication/ContinuousSyncer.cpp
index 2ba0c7d40d..e23a89dd6d 100644
--- a/arangod/Replication/ContinuousSyncer.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Replication/ContinuousSyncer.cpp
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ retry:
       try {
         InitialSyncer syncer(
             _vocbase, &_configuration, _configuration._restrictCollections,
-            _configuration._restrictType, _configuration._verbose);
+            _configuration._restrictType, _configuration._verbose, false);
 
         res = syncer.run(errorMsg, _configuration._incremental);
 
diff --git a/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.cpp b/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.cpp
index aea95b4249..20ccd220a2 100644
--- a/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.cpp
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ InitialSyncer::InitialSyncer(
     TRI_vocbase_t* vocbase,
     TRI_replication_applier_configuration_t const* configuration,
     std::unordered_map<std::string, bool> const& restrictCollections,
-    std::string const& restrictType, bool verbose)
+    std::string const& restrictType, bool verbose, bool skipCreateDrop)
     : Syncer(vocbase, configuration),
       _progress("not started"),
       _restrictCollections(restrictCollections),
@@ -77,7 +77,8 @@ InitialSyncer::InitialSyncer(
       _includeSystem(false),
       _chunkSize(configuration->_chunkSize),
       _verbose(verbose),
-      _hasFlushed(false) {
+      _hasFlushed(false),
+      _skipCreateDrop(skipCreateDrop) {
   if (_chunkSize == 0) {
     _chunkSize = (uint64_t)2 * 1024 * 1024;  // 2 mb
   } else if (_chunkSize < 128 * 1024) {
@@ -1132,6 +1133,10 @@ int InitialSyncer::handleCollection(VPackSlice const& parameters,
           }
         } else {
           // regular collection
+          if (_skipCreateDrop) {
+            setProgress("dropping " + collectionMsg + " skipped because of configuration");
+            return TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
+          }
           setProgress("dropping " + collectionMsg);
 
           int res = _vocbase->dropCollection(col, true, -1.0);
@@ -1160,7 +1165,13 @@ int InitialSyncer::handleCollection(VPackSlice const& parameters,
       }
     }
 
-    std::string const progress = "creating " + collectionMsg;
+    std::string progress = "creating " + collectionMsg;
+    if (_skipCreateDrop) {
+      progress += " skipped because of configuration";
+      setProgress(progress.c_str());
+      return TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
+    }
+    
     setProgress(progress.c_str());
 
     int res = createCollection(parameters, &col);
diff --git a/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.h b/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.h
index bbb023c9fb..4af016dff2 100644
--- a/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.h
+++ b/arangod/Replication/InitialSyncer.h
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ class InitialSyncer : public Syncer {
  public:
   InitialSyncer(TRI_vocbase_t*, TRI_replication_applier_configuration_t const*,
                 std::unordered_map<std::string, bool> const&,
-                std::string const&, bool verbose);
+                std::string const&, bool verbose, bool skipCreateDrop);
 
   ~InitialSyncer();
 
@@ -331,6 +331,11 @@ class InitialSyncer : public Syncer {
 
   static size_t const MaxChunkSize;
 
+  // in the cluster case it is a total NOGO to create or drop collections
+  // because this HAS to be handled in the schmutz. otherwise it forgets who
+  // the leader was etc.
+  bool _skipCreateDrop;
+
 };
 }
 
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBRestReplicationHandler.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBRestReplicationHandler.cpp
index 85716edab1..df6d526841 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBRestReplicationHandler.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBRestReplicationHandler.cpp
@@ -1489,7 +1489,7 @@ void RocksDBRestReplicationHandler::handleCommandMakeSlave() {
   std::string errorMsg = "";
   {
     InitialSyncer syncer(_vocbase, &config, config._restrictCollections,
-                         restrictType, false);
+                         restrictType, false, false);
 
     res = TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
 
@@ -1607,7 +1607,7 @@ void RocksDBRestReplicationHandler::handleCommandSync() {
   config._useCollectionId = useCollectionId;
 
   InitialSyncer syncer(_vocbase, &config, restrictCollections, restrictType,
-                       verbose);
+                       verbose, false);
 
   std::string errorMsg = "";
 
diff --git a/arangod/V8Server/v8-replication.cpp b/arangod/V8Server/v8-replication.cpp
index 8a3ca03690..a03c3d540d 100644
--- a/arangod/V8Server/v8-replication.cpp
+++ b/arangod/V8Server/v8-replication.cpp
@@ -254,6 +254,11 @@ static void JS_SynchronizeReplication(
     verbose = TRI_ObjectToBoolean(object->Get(TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("verbose")));
   }
 
+  bool skipCreateDrop = false;
+  if (object->Has(TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("skipCreateDrop"))) {
+    skipCreateDrop = TRI_ObjectToBoolean(object->Get(TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("skipCreateDrop")));
+  }
+
   if (endpoint.empty()) {
     TRI_V8_THROW_EXCEPTION_PARAMETER("<endpoint> must be a valid endpoint");
   }
@@ -319,7 +324,7 @@ static void JS_SynchronizeReplication(
 
   std::string errorMsg = "";
   InitialSyncer syncer(vocbase, &config, restrictCollections, restrictType,
-                       verbose);
+                       verbose, skipCreateDrop);
   if (!leaderId.empty()) {
     syncer.setLeaderId(leaderId);
   }
diff --git a/js/server/modules/@arangodb/cluster.js b/js/server/modules/@arangodb/cluster.js
index e2aa78046a..eb10e88d06 100644
--- a/js/server/modules/@arangodb/cluster.js
+++ b/js/server/modules/@arangodb/cluster.js
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ function synchronizeOneShard (database, shard, planId, leader) {
     let startTime = new Date();
     sy = rep.syncCollection(shard,
       { endpoint: ep, incremental: true, keepBarrier: true,
-        useCollectionId: false, leaderId: leader });
+        useCollectionId: false, leaderId: leader, skipCreateDrop: true });
     let endTime = new Date();
     let longSync = false;
     if (endTime - startTime > 5000) {