diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/AlertManager.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/AlertManager.java
index 51f39304754..c284d52718a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/AlertManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/AlertManager.java
@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ public class AlertManager extends AbstractComponent {
                 throw new ElasticsearchException("Alert is not available");
             }
             TriggerResult triggerResult = triggerManager.isTriggered(alert, entry.getScheduledTime(), entry.getFireTime());
-            entry.setSearchRequest(triggerResult.getRequest());
             entry.setSearchResponse(triggerResult.getResponse());
             if (triggerResult.isTriggered()) {
                 entry.setTriggered(true);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionEntry.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionEntry.java
index baa2bbadf06..dc22eb36ad3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionEntry.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionEntry.java
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ public class AlertActionEntry implements ToXContent {
     private AlertTrigger trigger;
     private List<AlertAction> actions;
     private AlertActionState entryState;
+    private SearchRequest searchRequest;
 
     /*Optional*/
-    private SearchRequest searchRequest;
     private Map<String, Object> searchResponse;
     private boolean triggered;
     private String errorMsg;
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ public class AlertActionEntry implements ToXContent {
         this.trigger = alert.trigger();
         this.actions = alert.actions();
         this.entryState = state;
+        this.searchRequest = alert.getSearchRequest();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -188,7 +189,10 @@ public class AlertActionEntry implements ToXContent {
         historyEntry.field("triggered", triggered);
         historyEntry.field("fire_time", fireTime.toDateTimeISO());
         historyEntry.field(AlertActionManager.SCHEDULED_FIRE_TIME_FIELD, scheduledTime.toDateTimeISO());
-        historyEntry.field("trigger", trigger, params);
+        historyEntry.field("trigger");
+        historyEntry.startObject();
+        historyEntry.field(trigger.getTriggerName(), trigger, params);
+        historyEntry.endObject();
         historyEntry.field("request");
         AlertUtils.writeSearchRequest(searchRequest, historyEntry, params);
         historyEntry.field("response", searchResponse);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionManager.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionManager.java
index 9d21d89b12b..98ec5c77802 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/alerts/actions/AlertActionManager.java
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ public class AlertActionManager extends AbstractComponent {
             String currentFieldName = null;
             XContentParser.Token token = parser.nextToken();
             assert token == XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT;
+            logger.error("source [{}]",source.toUtf8());
             while ((token = parser.nextToken()) != XContentParser.Token.END_OBJECT) {
                 if (token == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME) {
                     currentFieldName = parser.currentName();
@@ -240,7 +241,11 @@ public class AlertActionManager extends AbstractComponent {
                             throw new ElasticsearchIllegalArgumentException("Unexpected field [" + currentFieldName + "]");
                     }
                 } else {
-                    throw new ElasticsearchIllegalArgumentException("Unexpected token [" + token + "]");
+                    if (token == XContentParser.Token.VALUE_NULL) {
+                        logger.warn("Got null value for [{}]", currentFieldName);
+                    } else {
+                        throw new ElasticsearchIllegalArgumentException("Unexpected token [" + token + "] for [" + currentFieldName + "]");
+                    }
                 }
             }
         } catch (IOException e) {