Index: src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/IndexSearcher.java
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/IndexSearcher.java	(revision 634206)
+++ src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/IndexSearcher.java	(working copy)
@@ -71,9 +71,19 @@
     return reader;
   }
 
+  /** 
+   * Set the {@link IndexReader} - only makes sense if the index has been changed.
+   * @param r {@link IndexReader} to set.
+   * @see org.apache.lucene.index.IndexReader#isCurrent()
+   */
+  public void setIndexReader(IndexReader r) {
+    this.reader = r;
+    this.closeReader = false;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Note that the underlying IndexReader is not closed, if
-   * IndexSearcher was constructed with IndexSearcher(IndexReader r).
+   * IndexSearcher was constructed with IndexSearcher(IndexReader r) or IndexReader was set via setIndexReader(IndexReader r).
    * If the IndexReader was supplied implicitly by specifying a directory, then
    * the IndexReader gets closed.
    */