diff --git a/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/test/integration/BootStrapTests.java b/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/test/integration/BootStrapTests.java
index e5170a90db9..3eac5a4a99a 100644
--- a/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/test/integration/BootStrapTests.java
+++ b/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/test/integration/BootStrapTests.java
@@ -134,8 +134,10 @@ public class BootStrapTests extends AbstractWatcherIntegrationTestCase {
     }
 
     public void testDeletedWhileQueued() throws Exception {
-        assertAcked(client().admin().indices().prepareCreate(".watches"));
-
+        if (client().admin().indices().prepareExists(Watch.INDEX).get().isExists() == false) {
+            // we rarely create an .watches alias in the base class
+            assertAcked(client().admin().indices().prepareCreate(Watch.INDEX));
+        }
         DateTime now = DateTime.now(UTC);
         Wid wid = new Wid("_id", 1, now);
         ScheduleTriggerEvent event = new ScheduleTriggerEvent("_id", now, now);
@@ -314,8 +316,10 @@ public class BootStrapTests extends AbstractWatcherIntegrationTestCase {
         // Watcher could prevent to start if a watch record tried to executed twice or more and the watch didn't exist
         // for that watch record or the execution threadpool rejected the watch record.
         // A watch record without a watch is the easiest to simulate, so that is what this test does.
-        assertAcked(client().admin().indices().prepareCreate(Watch.INDEX));
-
+        if (client().admin().indices().prepareExists(Watch.INDEX).get().isExists() == false) {
+            // we rarely create an .watches alias in the base class
+            assertAcked(client().admin().indices().prepareCreate(Watch.INDEX));
+        }
         DateTime triggeredTime = new DateTime(2015, 11, 5, 0, 0, 0, 0, DateTimeZone.UTC);
         final String watchRecordIndex = HistoryStore.getHistoryIndexNameForTime(triggeredTime);