diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/single/instance/TransportInstanceSingleOperationAction.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/single/instance/TransportInstanceSingleOperationAction.java
index f06af1a20fed4..75b9402cd1342 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/single/instance/TransportInstanceSingleOperationAction.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/single/instance/TransportInstanceSingleOperationAction.java
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ protected void doStart(ClusterState clusterState) {
                         throw blockException;
                     }
                 }
-                request.concreteIndex(indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteSingleIndex(clusterState, request).getName());
+                request.concreteIndex(indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteWriteIndex(clusterState, request).getName());
                 resolveRequest(clusterState, request);
                 blockException = checkRequestBlock(clusterState, request);
                 if (blockException != null) {
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/update/UpdateIT.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/update/UpdateIT.java
index 1a0df1c4a1014..0bd5851e35b45 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/update/UpdateIT.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/update/UpdateIT.java
@@ -292,7 +292,8 @@ public void testIndexAutoCreation() throws Exception {
     }
 
     public void testUpdate() throws Exception {
-        createTestIndex();
+        assertAcked(prepareCreate("test").addAlias(new Alias("alias").writeIndex(true)));
+        assertAcked(prepareCreate("test2").addAlias(new Alias("alias")));
         ensureGreen();
 
         Script fieldIncScript = new Script(ScriptType.INLINE, UPDATE_SCRIPTS, FIELD_INC_SCRIPT, Collections.singletonMap("field", "field"));