diff --git a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/SqlActionIT.java b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/SqlActionIT.java
index efa67f66461..190f685232e 100644
--- a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/SqlActionIT.java
+++ b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/SqlActionIT.java
@@ -66,14 +66,14 @@ public class SqlActionIT extends AbstractSqlIntegTestCase {
         SqlListTablesResponse response = client().prepareExecute(SqlListTablesAction.INSTANCE)
                 .pattern("").get();
         List<String> tables = removeInternal(response.getTables());
-        assertThat(tables, hasSize(3));
-        assertThat(tables, containsInAnyOrder("foo", "bar", "baz"));
+        assertThat(tables, hasSize(4));
+        assertThat(tables, containsInAnyOrder("foo", "bar", "baz", "broken"));
 
 
         response = client().prepareExecute(SqlListTablesAction.INSTANCE).pattern("b*").get();
         tables = removeInternal(response.getTables());
-        assertThat(tables, hasSize(2));
-        assertThat(tables, containsInAnyOrder("bar", "baz"));
+        assertThat(tables, hasSize(3));
+        assertThat(tables, containsInAnyOrder("bar", "baz", "broken"));
 
         response = client().prepareExecute(SqlListTablesAction.INSTANCE).pattern("not_found").get();
         tables = removeInternal(response.getTables());
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ public class SqlActionIT extends AbstractSqlIntegTestCase {
 
         response = client().prepareExecute(SqlListTablesAction.INSTANCE).pattern("broken").get();
         tables = removeInternal(response.getTables());
-        assertThat(tables, emptyCollectionOf(String.class));
+        assertThat(tables, hasSize(1));
     }
 
 
diff --git a/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/RestSqlJdbcAction.java b/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/RestSqlJdbcAction.java
index 80d3a77d8a3..07d47dbcc9c 100644
--- a/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/RestSqlJdbcAction.java
+++ b/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/RestSqlJdbcAction.java
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ public class RestSqlJdbcAction extends AbstractSqlProtocolRestAction {
 
     private Consumer<RestChannel> metaTable(MetaTableRequest request) {
         String indexPattern = hasText(request.pattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToIndexWildcard(request.pattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
-        String regexPattern = hasText(request.pattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.pattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
+        String regexPattern = hasText(request.pattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.pattern(), (char) 0) : null;
 
         return channel -> indexResolver.resolveNames(indexPattern, regexPattern, toActionListener(channel, list ->
                 new MetaTableResponse(list.stream()
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ public class RestSqlJdbcAction extends AbstractSqlProtocolRestAction {
 
     private Consumer<RestChannel> metaColumn(MetaColumnRequest request) {
         String indexPattern = hasText(request.tablePattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToIndexWildcard(request.tablePattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
-        String regexPattern = hasText(request.tablePattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.tablePattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
+        String regexPattern = hasText(request.tablePattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.tablePattern(), (char) 0) : null;
 
         Pattern columnMatcher = hasText(request.columnPattern()) ? Pattern.compile(
                 StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.columnPattern(), (char) 0)) : null;
diff --git a/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListColumnsAction.java b/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListColumnsAction.java
index a3781dfd470..62bc45e4c63 100644
--- a/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListColumnsAction.java
+++ b/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListColumnsAction.java
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public class TransportSqlListColumnsAction extends HandledTransportAction<SqlLis
         String indexPattern = hasText(request.getTablePattern()) ?
                 StringUtils.likeToIndexWildcard(request.getTablePattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
         String regexPattern = hasText(request.getTablePattern()) ?
-                StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.getTablePattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
+                StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.getTablePattern(), (char) 0) : null;
         Pattern columnMatcher = hasText(request.getColumnPattern()) ?
                 Pattern.compile(StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.getColumnPattern(), (char) 0)) : null;
 
diff --git a/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListTablesAction.java b/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListTablesAction.java
index 97ca3637ab8..6dea09d84d5 100644
--- a/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListTablesAction.java
+++ b/sql/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/plugin/TransportSqlListTablesAction.java
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import org.elasticsearch.threadpool.ThreadPool;
 import org.elasticsearch.transport.TransportService;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.sql.analysis.index.IndexResolver;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.sql.analysis.index.IndexResolver.IndexInfo;
-import org.elasticsearch.xpack.sql.util.StringUtils;
 
 import static java.util.stream.Collectors.toList;
 import static org.elasticsearch.common.Strings.hasText;
@@ -41,8 +40,8 @@ public class TransportSqlListTablesAction extends HandledTransportAction<SqlList
         // TODO: This is wrong
         // See https://github.com/elastic/x-pack-elasticsearch/pull/3438/commits/61b7c26fe08db2721f0431579f215fe493744af3
         // and https://github.com/elastic/x-pack-elasticsearch/issues/3460
-        String indexPattern = hasText(request.getPattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToIndexWildcard(request.getPattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
-        String regexPattern = hasText(request.getPattern()) ? StringUtils.likeToJavaPattern(request.getPattern(), (char) 0) : "*";
+        String indexPattern = hasText(request.getPattern()) ? request.getPattern() : "*";
+        String regexPattern = null;
 
         indexResolver.resolveNames(indexPattern, regexPattern, ActionListener.wrap(set -> listener.onResponse(
                 new SqlListTablesResponse(set.stream()