diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
index 032b82f95db..ad147a8ae23 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
@@ -134,6 +134,8 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
         clusterService.submitStateUpdateTask("create-index [" + request.index + "], cause [" + request.cause + "]", new ProcessedClusterStateUpdateTask() {
             @Override
             public ClusterState execute(ClusterState currentState) {
+                boolean indexCreated = false;
+                String failureReason = null;
                 try {
                     try {
                         validate(request, currentState);
@@ -258,6 +260,7 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
 
                     // create the index here (on the master) to validate it can be created, as well as adding the mapping
                     indicesService.createIndex(request.index, actualIndexSettings, clusterService.state().nodes().localNode().id());
+                    indexCreated = true;
                     // now add the mappings
                     IndexService indexService = indicesService.indexServiceSafe(request.index);
                     MapperService mapperService = indexService.mapperService();
@@ -266,7 +269,7 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                         try {
                             mapperService.merge(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().map(mappings.get(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING)).string(), false);
                         } catch (Exception e) {
-                            indicesService.deleteIndex(request.index, "failed on parsing default mapping on index creation");
+                            failureReason = "failed on parsing default mapping on index creation";
                             throw new MapperParsingException("mapping [" + MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING + "]", e);
                         }
                     }
@@ -278,7 +281,7 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                             // apply the default here, its the first time we parse it
                             mapperService.merge(entry.getKey(), XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().map(entry.getValue()).string(), true);
                         } catch (Exception e) {
-                            indicesService.deleteIndex(request.index, "failed on parsing mappings on index creation");
+                            failureReason = "failed on parsing mappings on index creation";
                             throw new MapperParsingException("mapping [" + entry.getKey() + "]", e);
                         }
                     }
@@ -297,7 +300,13 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                         indexMetaDataBuilder.putCustom(customEntry.getKey(), customEntry.getValue());
                     }
                     indexMetaDataBuilder.state(request.state);
-                    final IndexMetaData indexMetaData = indexMetaDataBuilder.build();
+                    final IndexMetaData indexMetaData;
+                    try {
+                        indexMetaData = indexMetaDataBuilder.build();
+                    } catch (Exception e) {
+                        failureReason = "failed to build index metadata";
+                        throw e;
+                    }
 
                     MetaData newMetaData = newMetaDataBuilder()
                             .metaData(currentState.metaData())
@@ -353,6 +362,10 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                     return updatedState;
                 } catch (Throwable e) {
                     logger.warn("[{}] failed to create", e, request.index);
+                    if (indexCreated) {
+                        // Index was already partially created - need to clean up
+                        indicesService.deleteIndex(request.index, failureReason != null ? failureReason : "failed to create index");
+                    }
                     listener.onFailure(e);
                     return currentState;
                 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/indices/state/SimpleIndexStateTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/indices/state/SimpleIndexStateTests.java
index 6b67dbaebb7..d2144d87295 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/indices/state/SimpleIndexStateTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/indices/state/SimpleIndexStateTests.java
@@ -21,16 +21,20 @@ package org.elasticsearch.test.integration.indices.state;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.health.ClusterHealthResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.state.ClusterStateResponse;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.create.CreateIndexResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.status.IndicesStatusResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.block.ClusterBlockException;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardRoutingState;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.ESLogger;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.Loggers;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.SettingsException;
+import org.elasticsearch.indices.IndexMissingException;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.integration.AbstractNodesTests;
 import org.testng.annotations.AfterMethod;
 import org.testng.annotations.Test;
 
+import static org.elasticsearch.common.settings.ImmutableSettings.settingsBuilder;
 import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.nullValue;
@@ -101,4 +105,30 @@ public class SimpleIndexStateTests extends AbstractNodesTests {
         logger.info("--> indexing a simple document");
         client("node1").prepareIndex("test", "type1", "1").setSource("field1", "value1").execute().actionGet();
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testConsistencyAfterIndexCreationFailure() {
+        logger.info("--> starting one node....");
+        startNode("node1");
+
+        logger.info("--> deleting test index....");
+        try {
+            client("node1").admin().indices().prepareDelete("test").execute().actionGet();
+        } catch (IndexMissingException ex) {
+            // Ignore
+        }
+
+        logger.info("--> creating test index with invalid settings ");
+        try {
+            client("node1").admin().indices().prepareCreate("test").setSettings(settingsBuilder().put("number_of_shards", "bad")).execute().actionGet();
+            assert false;
+        } catch (SettingsException ex) {
+            // Expected
+        }
+
+        logger.info("--> creating test index with valid settings ");
+        CreateIndexResponse response = client("node1").admin().indices().prepareCreate("test").setSettings(settingsBuilder().put("number_of_shards", 1)).execute().actionGet();
+        assertThat(response.acknowledged(), equalTo(true));
+    }
+
 }