diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/Setting.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/Setting.java
index ed113b0d51b..edd5d511f86 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/Setting.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/Setting.java
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ public class Setting<T> extends ToXContentToBytes {
             return get(primary);
         }
         if (fallbackSetting == null) {
-            return get(secondary); 
+            return get(secondary);
         }
         if (exists(secondary)) {
             return get(secondary);
@@ -599,7 +599,6 @@ public class Setting<T> extends ToXContentToBytes {
 
         return new Setting<List<T>>(new ListKey(key),
             (s) -> arrayToParsableString(defaultStringValue.apply(s).toArray(Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY)), parser, properties) {
-            private final Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile(Pattern.quote(key)+"(\\.\\d+)?");
             @Override
             public String getRaw(Settings settings) {
                 String[] array = settings.getAsArray(getKey(), null);
@@ -610,6 +609,12 @@ public class Setting<T> extends ToXContentToBytes {
             boolean hasComplexMatcher() {
                 return true;
             }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean exists(Settings settings) {
+                boolean exists = super.exists(settings);
+                return exists || settings.get(getKey() + ".0") != null;
+            }
         };
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/SettingTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/SettingTests.java
index 6153f3b7d71..8b2dbdb4f07 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/SettingTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/SettingTests.java
@@ -294,11 +294,13 @@ public class SettingTests extends ESTestCase {
         Setting<List<String>> listSetting = Setting.listSetting("foo.bar", Arrays.asList("foo,bar"), (s) -> s.toString(),
             Property.Dynamic, Property.NodeScope);
         List<String> value = listSetting.get(Settings.EMPTY);
+        assertFalse(listSetting.exists(Settings.EMPTY));
         assertEquals(1, value.size());
         assertEquals("foo,bar", value.get(0));
 
         List<String> input = Arrays.asList("test", "test1, test2", "test", ",,,,");
         Settings.Builder builder = Settings.builder().putArray("foo.bar", input.toArray(new String[0]));
+        assertTrue(listSetting.exists(builder.build()));
         value = listSetting.get(builder.build());
         assertEquals(input.size(), value.size());
         assertArrayEquals(value.toArray(new String[0]), input.toArray(new String[0]));
@@ -311,6 +313,7 @@ public class SettingTests extends ESTestCase {
         value = listSetting.get(builder.build());
         assertEquals(input.size(), value.size());
         assertArrayEquals(value.toArray(new String[0]), input.toArray(new String[0]));
+        assertTrue(listSetting.exists(builder.build()));
 
         AtomicReference<List<String>> ref = new AtomicReference<>();
         AbstractScopedSettings.SettingUpdater<List<String>> settingUpdater = listSetting.newUpdater(ref::set, logger);