diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolver.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolver.java
index df53395fe27..6ecf7483d80 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolver.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolver.java
@@ -607,23 +607,21 @@ public class IndexNameExpressionResolver extends AbstractComponent {
                     add = false;
                     expression = expression.substring(1);
                 }
+                if (result == null) {
+                    // add all the previous ones...
+                    result = new HashSet<>(expressions.subList(0, i));
+                }
                 if (!Regex.isSimpleMatchPattern(expression)) {
                     if (!unavailableIgnoredOrExists(options, metaData, expression)) {
                         throw infe(expression);
                     }
-                    if (result != null) {
-                        if (add) {
-                            result.add(expression);
-                        } else {
-                            result.remove(expression);
-                        }
+                    if (add) {
+                        result.add(expression);
+                    } else {
+                        result.remove(expression);
                     }
                     continue;
                 }
-                if (result == null) {
-                    // add all the previous ones...
-                    result = new HashSet<>(expressions.subList(0, i));
-                }
 
                 final IndexMetaData.State excludeState = excludeState(options);
                 final Map<String, AliasOrIndex> matches = matches(metaData, expression);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/WildcardExpressionResolverTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/WildcardExpressionResolverTests.java
index 744477d6722..01110e796e8 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/WildcardExpressionResolverTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/WildcardExpressionResolverTests.java
@@ -49,6 +49,10 @@ public class WildcardExpressionResolverTests extends ESTestCase {
         assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("testX*", "kuku"))), equalTo(newHashSet("testXXX", "testXYY", "kuku")));
         assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("*"))), equalTo(newHashSet("testXXX", "testXYY", "testYYY", "kuku")));
         assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("*", "-kuku"))), equalTo(newHashSet("testXXX", "testXYY", "testYYY")));
+        assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("testXXX", "+testYYY"))), equalTo(newHashSet("testXXX", "testYYY")));
+        assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("testXXX", "-testXXX"))).size(), equalTo(0));
+        assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("testXXX", "+testY*"))), equalTo(newHashSet("testXXX", "testYYY")));
+        assertThat(newHashSet(resolver.resolve(context, Arrays.asList("testXXX", "-testX*"))).size(), equalTo(0));
     }
 
     public void testConvertWildcardsTests() {