diff --git a/akka-cluster-sharding/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/Shard.scala b/akka-cluster-sharding/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/Shard.scala
index 13d743c45f..8a5062118c 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-sharding/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/Shard.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-sharding/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/Shard.scala
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ private[akka] object Shard {
   /**
    * State machine for an entity:
    * {{{
-   *              Entity id remembered on shard start     +-------------------------+                 restart (via region)
+   *              Entity id remembered on shard start     +-------------------------+                 restart (via region) StartEntity
    *                   +--------------------------------->| RememberedButNotCreated |------------------------------+
    *                   |                                  +-------------------------+                              |
    *                   |                                           |                                               |
@@ -636,50 +636,12 @@ private[akka] class Shard(
       log.error("Remember entity store did not respond, crashing shard")
       throw new RuntimeException(
         s"Async write timed out after ${settings.tuningParameters.updatingStateTimeout.pretty}")
-    case ShardRegion.StartEntity(entityId) =>
-      if (!entities.entityIdExists(entityId)) {
-        if (VerboseDebug)
-          log.debug(
-            "StartEntity([{}]) from [{}] while a write already in progress. Marking as pending",
-            entityId,
-            sender())
-        entities.rememberingStart(entityId, ackTo = Some(sender()))
-      } else {
-        // it's already running, ack immediately
-        sender() ! ShardRegion.StartEntityAck(entityId, shardId)
-      }
-
-    case Terminated(ref)       => receiveTerminated(ref)
-    case _: CoordinatorMessage => stash()
-    case RestartTerminatedEntity(entityId) =>
-      entities.entityState(entityId) match {
-        case WaitingForRestart =>
-          if (VerboseDebug)
-            log.debug("Restarting terminated entity [{}]", entityId)
-          getOrCreateEntity(entityId)
-        case other =>
-          throw new IllegalStateException(
-            s"Got RestartTerminatedEntity for [$entityId] but it's not waiting to be restarted. Actual state [$other]")
-      }
-    case RestartRememberedEntities(entities) => restartEntities(entities)
-    case l: LeaseLost                        => receiveLeaseLost(l)
-    case ShardRegion.StartEntityAck(entityId, _) =>
-      if (update.started.contains(entityId)) {
-        // currently in progress of starting, so we'll need to stop it when that is done
-        entities.rememberingStop(entityId, StartedElsewhere)
-      } else {
-        entities.entityState(entityId) match {
-          case _: RememberingStart =>
-            // queued up for batched start, let's just not start it
-            entities.removeEntity(entityId)
-          case _: Active =>
-            // add to stop batch
-            entities.rememberingStop(entityId, StartedElsewhere)
-          case _ =>
-            // not sure for other states, so deal with it later
-            stash()
-        }
-      }
+    case ShardRegion.StartEntity(entityId) => startEntity(entityId, Some(sender()))
+    case Terminated(ref)                   => receiveTerminated(ref)
+    case _: CoordinatorMessage             => stash()
+    case cmd: RememberEntityCommand        => receiveRememberEntityCommand(cmd)
+    case l: LeaseLost                      => receiveLeaseLost(l)
+    case ack: ShardRegion.StartEntityAck   => receiveStartEntityAck(ack)
     case ShardRegion.Passivate(stopMessage) =>
       if (VerboseDebug)
         log.debug(
@@ -807,12 +769,37 @@ private[akka] class Shard(
     }
   }
 
+  // FIXME in what scenario do we get this to the shard?
   private def receiveStartEntityAck(ack: ShardRegion.StartEntityAck): Unit = {
-    if (ack.shardId != shardId && entities.entityIdExists(ack.entityId)) {
-      log.debug("Entity [{}] previously owned by shard [{}] started in shard [{}]", ack.entityId, shardId, ack.shardId)
-
-      entities.rememberingStop(ack.entityId, StartedElsewhere)
-      rememberUpdate(remove = Set(ack.entityId))
+    if (ack.shardId != shardId) {
+      entities.entityState(shardId) match {
+        case RememberingStart(_) | RememberingStop(_) =>
+          log.debug(
+            "Entity [{}] previously owned by shard [{}] started in shard [{}] while waiting to be written, stashing for later handling",
+            ack.entityId,
+            shardId,
+            ack.shardId)
+          stash()
+        case Active(ref) =>
+          log.debug(
+            "Entity [{}] previously owned by shard [{}] started in shard [{}]",
+            ack.entityId,
+            shardId,
+            ack.shardId)
+          entities.entityPassivating(ack.entityId)
+          ref ! handOffStopMessage
+        case RememberedButNotCreated =>
+          // FIXME could be pending with the starting strategy though, what happens when that arrives?
+          log.debug(
+            "Entity [{}] (remembered but not yet created) previously owned by shard [{}] started in shard [{}]",
+            ack.entityId,
+            shardId,
+            ack.shardId)
+          entities.removeEntity(ack.entityId)
+        case other =>
+          throw new IllegalStateException(
+            s"Unexpected state [$other] when start entity ack of entity [${ack.entityId}] was seen from shard [${ack.shardId}]")
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/akka-cluster-sharding/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/ClusterShardingSpec.scala b/akka-cluster-sharding/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/ClusterShardingSpec.scala
index 451ccb0ca5..2b3205368a 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-sharding/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/ClusterShardingSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-sharding/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/sharding/ClusterShardingSpec.scala
@@ -109,8 +109,11 @@ object ClusterShardingSpec {
 
 }
 
-abstract class ClusterShardingSpecConfig(mode: String, val entityRecoveryStrategy: String = "all")
-    extends MultiNodeClusterShardingConfig(mode) {
+abstract class ClusterShardingSpecConfig(
+    mode: String,
+    rememberEntitiesStore: String,
+    val entityRecoveryStrategy: String = "all")
+    extends MultiNodeClusterShardingConfig(mode = mode, rememberEntitiesStore = rememberEntitiesStore) {
 
   val controller = role("controller")
   val first = role("first")
@@ -205,12 +208,24 @@ object ClusterShardingDocCode {
 }
 
 object PersistentClusterShardingSpecConfig
-    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModePersistence)
-object DDataClusterShardingSpecConfig extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModeDData)
+    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(
+      ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModePersistence,
+      ClusterShardingSettings.RememberEntitiesStoreEventsourced)
+object DDataClusterShardingSpecConfig
+    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(
+      ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModeDData,
+      ClusterShardingSettings.RememberEntitiesStoreDData)
+
 object PersistentClusterShardingWithEntityRecoverySpecConfig
-    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModePersistence, "constant")
+    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(
+      ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModePersistence,
+      ClusterShardingSettings.RememberEntitiesStoreEventsourced,
+      "constant")
 object DDataClusterShardingWithEntityRecoverySpecConfig
-    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModeDData, "constant")
+    extends ClusterShardingSpecConfig(
+      ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModeDData,
+      ClusterShardingSettings.RememberEntitiesStoreDData,
+      "constant")
 
 class PersistentClusterShardingSpec extends ClusterShardingSpec(PersistentClusterShardingSpecConfig)
 class DDataClusterShardingSpec extends ClusterShardingSpec(DDataClusterShardingSpecConfig)
@@ -270,7 +285,7 @@ abstract class ClusterShardingSpec(multiNodeConfig: ClusterShardingSpecConfig)
     new DDataRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName, settings, majorityMinCap, replicator)
   }
 
-  def persistenceRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName: String, settings: ClusterShardingSettings) = {
+  def eventSourcedRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName: String, settings: ClusterShardingSettings) = {
     new EventSourcedRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName, settings)
   }
 
@@ -344,10 +359,10 @@ abstract class ClusterShardingSpec(multiNodeConfig: ClusterShardingSpecConfig)
     val rememberEntitiesProvider =
       if (!rememberEntities) None
       else
-        settings.stateStoreMode match {
-          case ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModeDData => Some(ddataRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName))
-          case ClusterShardingSettings.StateStoreModePersistence =>
-            Some(persistenceRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName, settings))
+        settings.rememberEntitiesStore match {
+          case ClusterShardingSettings.RememberEntitiesStoreDData => Some(ddataRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName))
+          case ClusterShardingSettings.RememberEntitiesStoreEventsourced =>
+            Some(eventSourcedRememberEntitiesProvider(typeName, settings))
         }
 
     system.actorOf(