diff --git a/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicator.java b/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicator.java
index 23015dae064..0bffeda4283 100644
--- a/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicator.java
+++ b/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicator.java
@@ -35,8 +35,7 @@ import java.time.Duration;
 import java.time.ZonedDateTime;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
-import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
-import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicator implements Closeable {
     private final AutoDetectResultProcessor autoDetectResultProcessor;
     private final Consumer<Exception> handler;
 
-    final AtomicReference<CountDownLatch> inUse = new AtomicReference<>();
+    final AtomicBoolean inUse = new AtomicBoolean(false);
 
     public AutodetectCommunicator(long taskId, Job job, AutodetectProcess process, DataCountsReporter dataCountsReporter,
                                   AutoDetectResultProcessor autoDetectResultProcessor, Consumer<Exception> handler) {
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicator implements Closeable {
             DataCounts results = autoDetectWriter.write(countingStream);
             autoDetectWriter.flush();
             return results;
-        }, false);
+        });
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -99,22 +98,21 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicator implements Closeable {
             autoDetectResultProcessor.awaitCompletion();
             handler.accept(errorReason != null ? new ElasticsearchException(errorReason) : null);
             return null;
-        }, true);
+        });
     }
 
-
     public void writeUpdateModelDebugMessage(ModelDebugConfig config) throws IOException {
         checkAndRun(() -> Messages.getMessage(Messages.JOB_DATA_CONCURRENT_USE_UPDATE, job.getId()), () -> {
             autodetectProcess.writeUpdateModelDebugMessage(config);
             return null;
-        }, false);
+        });
     }
 
     public void writeUpdateDetectorRulesMessage(int detectorIndex, List<DetectionRule> rules) throws IOException {
         checkAndRun(() -> Messages.getMessage(Messages.JOB_DATA_CONCURRENT_USE_UPDATE, job.getId()), () -> {
             autodetectProcess.writeUpdateDetectorRulesMessage(detectorIndex, rules);
             return null;
-        }, false);
+        });
     }
 
     public void flushJob(InterimResultsParams params) throws IOException {
@@ -122,7 +120,7 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicator implements Closeable {
             String flushId = autodetectProcess.flushJob(params);
             waitFlushToCompletion(flushId);
             return null;
-        }, false);
+        });
     }
 
     private void waitFlushToCompletion(String flushId) throws IOException {
@@ -173,32 +171,16 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicator implements Closeable {
         return taskId;
     }
 
-    private <T> T checkAndRun(Supplier<String> errorMessage, CheckedSupplier<T, IOException> callback, boolean wait) throws IOException {
-        CountDownLatch latch = new CountDownLatch(1);
-        if (inUse.compareAndSet(null, latch)) {
+    private <T> T checkAndRun(Supplier<String> errorMessage, CheckedSupplier<T, IOException> callback) throws IOException {
+        if (inUse.compareAndSet(false, true)) {
             try {
                 checkProcessIsAlive();
                 return callback.get();
             } finally {
-                latch.countDown();
-                inUse.set(null);
+                inUse.set(false);
             }
         } else {
-            if (wait) {
-                latch = inUse.get();
-                if (latch != null) {
-                    try {
-                        latch.await();
-                    } catch (InterruptedException e) {
-                        Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
-                        throw new ElasticsearchStatusException(errorMessage.get(), RestStatus.TOO_MANY_REQUESTS);
-                    }
-                }
-                checkProcessIsAlive();
-                return callback.get();
-            } else {
-                throw new ElasticsearchStatusException(errorMessage.get(), RestStatus.TOO_MANY_REQUESTS);
-            }
+            throw new ElasticsearchStatusException(errorMessage.get(), RestStatus.TOO_MANY_REQUESTS);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicatorTests.java b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicatorTests.java
index 3f389eba20d..cb7996f3ede 100644
--- a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicatorTests.java
+++ b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectCommunicatorTests.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
-import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.mock.orig.Mockito.doAnswer;
@@ -156,11 +155,11 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicatorTests extends ESTestCase {
         AutodetectProcess process = mockAutodetectProcessWithOutputStream();
         AutodetectCommunicator communicator = createAutodetectCommunicator(process, mock(AutoDetectResultProcessor.class));
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(new CountDownLatch(1));
+        communicator.inUse.set(true);
         expectThrows(ElasticsearchStatusException.class,
                 () -> communicator.writeToJob(in, mock(DataLoadParams.class)));
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(null);
+        communicator.inUse.set(false);
         communicator.writeToJob(in, new DataLoadParams(TimeRange.builder().build(), Optional.empty()));
     }
 
@@ -170,11 +169,11 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicatorTests extends ESTestCase {
         when(resultProcessor.waitForFlushAcknowledgement(any(), any())).thenReturn(true);
         AutodetectCommunicator communicator = createAutodetectCommunicator(process, resultProcessor);
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(new CountDownLatch(1));
+        communicator.inUse.set(true);
         InterimResultsParams params = mock(InterimResultsParams.class);
         expectThrows(ElasticsearchStatusException.class, () -> communicator.flushJob(params));
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(null);
+        communicator.inUse.set(false);
         communicator.flushJob(params);
     }
 
@@ -184,12 +183,10 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicatorTests extends ESTestCase {
         when(resultProcessor.waitForFlushAcknowledgement(any(), any())).thenReturn(true);
         AutodetectCommunicator communicator = createAutodetectCommunicator(process, resultProcessor);
 
-        CountDownLatch latch = mock(CountDownLatch.class);
-        communicator.inUse.set(latch);
-        communicator.close();
-        verify(latch, times(1)).await();
+        communicator.inUse.set(true);
+        expectThrows(ElasticsearchStatusException.class, () -> communicator.close());
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(null);
+        communicator.inUse.set(false);
         communicator.close();
     }
 
@@ -198,10 +195,10 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicatorTests extends ESTestCase {
         AutoDetectResultProcessor resultProcessor = mock(AutoDetectResultProcessor.class);
         AutodetectCommunicator communicator = createAutodetectCommunicator(process, resultProcessor);
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(new CountDownLatch(1));
+        communicator.inUse.set(true);
         expectThrows(ElasticsearchStatusException.class, () -> communicator.writeUpdateModelDebugMessage(mock(ModelDebugConfig.class)));
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(null);
+        communicator.inUse.set(false);
         communicator.writeUpdateModelDebugMessage(mock(ModelDebugConfig.class));
     }
 
@@ -211,10 +208,10 @@ public class AutodetectCommunicatorTests extends ESTestCase {
         AutodetectCommunicator communicator = createAutodetectCommunicator(process, resultProcessor);
 
         List<DetectionRule> rules = Collections.singletonList(mock(DetectionRule.class));
-        communicator.inUse.set(new CountDownLatch(1));
+        communicator.inUse.set(true);
         expectThrows(ElasticsearchStatusException.class, () -> communicator.writeUpdateDetectorRulesMessage(0, rules));
 
-        communicator.inUse.set(null);
+        communicator.inUse.set(false);
         communicator.writeUpdateDetectorRulesMessage(0, rules);
     }
 }