diff --git a/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/support/WatcherUtils.java b/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/support/WatcherUtils.java
index 4afff12de9d..ded3110ec21 100644
--- a/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/support/WatcherUtils.java
+++ b/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/support/WatcherUtils.java
@@ -82,10 +82,11 @@ public final class WatcherUtils {
             // Here we convert watcher template into a ES core templates. Due to the different format we use, we
             // convert to the template format used in ES core
             Template template = requestPrototype.template();
-            Map<String, Object> params = new HashMap<>();
-            params.putAll(watcherContextParams);
-            params.putAll(template.getParams());
-            template = new Template(template.getScript(), template.getType(), template.getLang(), template.getContentType(), params);
+            if (template.getParams() != null) {
+                watcherContextParams.putAll(template.getParams());
+            }
+            template = new Template(template.getScript(), template.getType(), template.getLang(), template.getContentType(),
+                    watcherContextParams);
             request.template(template);
             // }
         }
diff --git a/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/input/search/SearchInputTests.java b/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/input/search/SearchInputTests.java
index 2e0cc5e1777..1efe9676976 100644
--- a/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/input/search/SearchInputTests.java
+++ b/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/input/search/SearchInputTests.java
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.watcher.watch.Payload;
 import org.elasticsearch.watcher.watch.Watch;
 import org.elasticsearch.watcher.watch.WatchStatus;
 import org.joda.time.DateTime;
+import org.joda.time.chrono.ISOChronology;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -143,21 +144,20 @@ public class SearchInputTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
         WatchExecutionContext ctx = createContext();
 
         final String expectedTemplateString = "{\"query\":{\"filtered\":{\"query\":{\"match\":{\"event_type\":{\"query\":\"a\","
-                +
-                "\"type\":\"boolean\"}}},\"filter\":{\"range\":{\"_timestamp\":" +
-                "{\"from\":\"{{ctx.trigger.scheduled_time}}||-{{seconds_param}}\",\"to\":\"{{ctx.trigger.scheduled_time}}\"," +
- "\"include_lower\":true,\"include_upper\":true}}}}}}";
+                + "\"type\":\"boolean\"}}},\"filter\":{\"range\":{\"_timestamp\":"
+                + "{\"from\":\"{{ctx.trigger.scheduled_time}}||-{{seconds_param}}\",\"to\":\"{{ctx.trigger.scheduled_time}}\","
+                + "\"include_lower\":true,\"include_upper\":true}}}}}}";
 
         Map<String, Object> triggerParams = new HashMap<String, Object>();
-        triggerParams.put("triggered_time", "1970-01-01T00:01:00.000Z");
-        triggerParams.put("scheduled_time", "1970-01-01T00:01:00.000Z");
+        triggerParams.put("triggered_time", new DateTime(1970, 01, 01, 00, 01, 00, 000, ISOChronology.getInstanceUTC()));
+        triggerParams.put("scheduled_time", new DateTime(1970, 01, 01, 00, 01, 00, 000, ISOChronology.getInstanceUTC()));
         Map<String, Object> ctxParams = new HashMap<String, Object>();
         ctxParams.put("id", ctx.id().value());
         ctxParams.put("metadata", null);
         ctxParams.put("vars", new HashMap<String, Object>());
         ctxParams.put("watch_id", "test-watch");
         ctxParams.put("trigger", triggerParams);
-        ctxParams.put("execution_time", "1970-01-01T00:01:00.000Z");
+        ctxParams.put("execution_time", new DateTime(1970, 01, 01, 00, 01, 00, 000, ISOChronology.getInstanceUTC()));
         Map<String, Object> expectedParams = new HashMap<String, Object>();
         expectedParams.put("seconds_param", "30s");
         expectedParams.put("ctx", ctxParams);
diff --git a/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/transform/search/SearchTransformTests.java b/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/transform/search/SearchTransformTests.java
index 674a4ff2576..f4e8c61d674 100644
--- a/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/transform/search/SearchTransformTests.java
+++ b/watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/transform/search/SearchTransformTests.java
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.watcher.watch.Payload;
 import org.elasticsearch.watcher.watch.Watch;
 import org.elasticsearch.watcher.watch.WatchStatus;
 import org.joda.time.DateTime;
+import org.joda.time.chrono.ISOChronology;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -266,13 +267,7 @@ public class SearchTransformTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
             builder.field("template", template);
         }
 
-        XContentBuilder sourceBuilder = jsonBuilder().startObject()
-                    .startObject("query")
-                        .startObject("match_all")
-                        .endObject()
-                    .endObject()
-                .endObject();
-        BytesReference source = sourceBuilder.bytes();
+        SearchSourceBuilder source = new SearchSourceBuilder().query(QueryBuilders.matchAllQuery());
 
         builder.startObject("body")
                 .startObject("query")
@@ -327,8 +322,8 @@ public class SearchTransformTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
                 + "\"include_lower\":true,\"include_upper\":true}}}]}}}";
 
         Map<String, Object> triggerParams = new HashMap<String, Object>();
-        triggerParams.put("triggered_time", "1970-01-01T00:01:00.000Z");
-        triggerParams.put("scheduled_time", "1970-01-01T00:01:00.000Z");
+        triggerParams.put("triggered_time", new DateTime(1970, 01, 01, 00, 01, 00, 000, ISOChronology.getInstanceUTC()));
+        triggerParams.put("scheduled_time", new DateTime(1970, 01, 01, 00, 01, 00, 000, ISOChronology.getInstanceUTC()));
         Map<String, Object> ctxParams = new HashMap<String, Object>();
         ctxParams.put("id", ctx.id().value());
         ctxParams.put("metadata", null);
@@ -336,7 +331,7 @@ public class SearchTransformTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
         ctxParams.put("watch_id", "test-watch");
         ctxParams.put("payload", new HashMap<String, Object>());
         ctxParams.put("trigger", triggerParams);
-        ctxParams.put("execution_time", "1970-01-01T00:01:00.000Z");
+        ctxParams.put("execution_time", new DateTime(1970, 01, 01, 00, 01, 00, 000, ISOChronology.getInstanceUTC()));
         Map<String, Object> expectedParams = new HashMap<String, Object>();
         expectedParams.put("seconds_param", "30s");
         expectedParams.put("ctx", ctxParams);