diff --git a/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/DeleteFilterAction.java b/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/DeleteFilterAction.java
index 0bab0bccab5..5e9b9c939bb 100644
--- a/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/DeleteFilterAction.java
+++ b/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/DeleteFilterAction.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.action.bulk.TransportBulkAction;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.delete.DeleteRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.ActionFilters;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.HandledTransportAction;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.support.WriteRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.master.AcknowledgedRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.master.AcknowledgedResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.master.MasterNodeOperationRequestBuilder;
@@ -182,6 +183,7 @@ public class DeleteFilterAction extends Action<DeleteFilterAction.Request, Delet
             DeleteRequest deleteRequest = new DeleteRequest(MlMetaIndex.INDEX_NAME, MlMetaIndex.TYPE, MlFilter.documentId(filterId));
             BulkRequest bulkRequest = new BulkRequest();
             bulkRequest.add(deleteRequest);
+            bulkRequest.setRefreshPolicy(WriteRequest.RefreshPolicy.IMMEDIATE);
             transportAction.execute(bulkRequest, new ActionListener<BulkResponse>() {
                 @Override
                 public void onResponse(BulkResponse bulkResponse) {
diff --git a/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/PutFilterAction.java b/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/PutFilterAction.java
index c4e70563d5b..d7fdf1d34a3 100644
--- a/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/PutFilterAction.java
+++ b/plugin/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/PutFilterAction.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.action.bulk.TransportBulkAction;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.index.IndexRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.ActionFilters;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.HandledTransportAction;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.support.WriteRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.master.AcknowledgedResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.master.MasterNodeOperationRequestBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.master.MasterNodeReadRequest;
@@ -182,6 +183,7 @@ public class PutFilterAction extends Action<PutFilterAction.Request, PutFilterAc
                 throw new IllegalStateException("Failed to serialise filter with id [" + filter.getId() + "]", e);
             }
             BulkRequest bulkRequest = new BulkRequest().add(indexRequest);
+            bulkRequest.setRefreshPolicy(WriteRequest.RefreshPolicy.IMMEDIATE);
 
             transportBulkAction.execute(bulkRequest, new ActionListener<BulkResponse>() {
                 @Override