diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
index a394166439d32..a7f1d841bc353 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ private List<IndexTemplateMetaData> findTemplates(Request request, ClusterState
                     try {
                         byte[] templatesData = Streams.copyToByteArray(templatesFile);
                         parser = XContentHelper.createParser(templatesData, 0, templatesData.length);
-                        IndexTemplateMetaData template = IndexTemplateMetaData.Builder.fromXContent(parser);
+                        IndexTemplateMetaData template = IndexTemplateMetaData.Builder.fromXContentStandalone(parser);
                         if (Regex.simpleMatch(template.template(), request.index)) {
                             templates.add(template);
                         }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/IndexTemplateFileLoadingTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/IndexTemplateFileLoadingTests.java
index de451120370cf..d0f37ed83c444 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/IndexTemplateFileLoadingTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/IndexTemplateFileLoadingTests.java
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ protected Settings nodeSettings(int nodeOrdinal) {
 
             File dst = new File(templatesDir, "template.json");
             // random template, one uses the 'setting.index.number_of_shards', the other 'settings.number_of_shards'
-            String template = Streams.copyToStringFromClasspath("/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template" + randomInt(1) + ".json");
+            String template = Streams.copyToStringFromClasspath("/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template" + randomInt(2) + ".json");
             Files.write(template, dst, Charsets.UTF_8);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             throw new RuntimeException(e);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template0.json b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template0.json
index 3b2ace1389b77..ce677f64b4f42 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template0.json
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template0.json
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 {
-    "template" : "foo*",
-    "settings" : {
-        "index.number_of_shards": 10,
-        "index.number_of_replicas": 0
-   }
+    "template_1" : {
+        "template" : "foo*",
+        "settings" : {
+            "index.number_of_shards": 10,
+            "index.number_of_replicas": 0
+        }
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template1.json b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template1.json
index f91866865e7f5..5ca82aa4a8d89 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template1.json
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template1.json
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 {
-    "template" : "foo*",
-    "settings" : {
-        "number_of_shards": 10,
-        "number_of_replicas": 0
+    "template_1" : {
+        "template" : "foo*",
+        "settings" : {
+            "number_of_shards": 10,
+            "number_of_replicas": 0
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template2.json b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template2.json
index c48169f15a519..bea03cc7e993a 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template2.json
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/template/template2.json
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 {
-    "template" : "foo*",
-    "settings" : {
-        "index" : {
-            "number_of_shards": 10,
-            "number_of_replicas": 0
+    "template_1" : {
+        "template" : "foo*",
+        "settings" : {
+            "index" : {
+                "number_of_shards": 10,
+                "number_of_replicas": 0
+            }
         }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file