diff --git a/client/rest-high-level/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConverters.java b/client/rest-high-level/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConverters.java
index e2b61dc41deb0..93bf6a1a19881 100644
--- a/client/rest-high-level/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConverters.java
+++ b/client/rest-high-level/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConverters.java
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ static Request clusterHealth(ClusterHealthRequest healthRequest) {
             .withWaitForStatus(healthRequest.waitForStatus())
             .withWaitForNoRelocatingShards(healthRequest.waitForNoRelocatingShards())
             .withWaitForNoInitializingShards(healthRequest.waitForNoInitializingShards())
-            .withWaitForActiveShards(healthRequest.waitForActiveShards())
+            .withWaitForActiveShards(healthRequest.waitForActiveShards(), ActiveShardCount.NONE)
             .withWaitForNodes(healthRequest.waitForNodes())
             .withWaitForEvents(healthRequest.waitForEvents())
             .withTimeout(healthRequest.timeout())
@@ -1047,7 +1047,11 @@ Params withVersionType(VersionType versionType) {
         }
 
         Params withWaitForActiveShards(ActiveShardCount activeShardCount) {
-            if (activeShardCount != null && activeShardCount != ActiveShardCount.DEFAULT) {
+            return withWaitForActiveShards(activeShardCount, ActiveShardCount.DEFAULT);
+        }
+
+        Params withWaitForActiveShards(ActiveShardCount activeShardCount, ActiveShardCount defaultActiveShardCount) {
+            if (activeShardCount != null && activeShardCount != defaultActiveShardCount) {
                 return putParam("wait_for_active_shards", activeShardCount.toString().toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT));
             }
             return this;
diff --git a/client/rest-high-level/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConvertersTests.java b/client/rest-high-level/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConvertersTests.java
index 1e03e55f61f13..5bc9bac96dcd7 100644
--- a/client/rest-high-level/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConvertersTests.java
+++ b/client/rest-high-level/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestConvertersTests.java
@@ -1562,7 +1562,7 @@ public void testClusterHealth() {
             default:
                 throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
         }
-        setRandomWaitForActiveShards(healthRequest::waitForActiveShards, expectedParams, "0");
+        setRandomWaitForActiveShards(healthRequest::waitForActiveShards, ActiveShardCount.NONE, expectedParams);
         if (randomBoolean()) {
             ClusterHealthRequest.Level level = randomFrom(ClusterHealthRequest.Level.values());
             healthRequest.level(level);
@@ -2187,23 +2187,24 @@ private static void setRandomMasterTimeout(MasterNodeRequest<?> request, Map<Str
     }
 
     private static void setRandomWaitForActiveShards(Consumer<ActiveShardCount> setter, Map<String, String> expectedParams) {
-        setRandomWaitForActiveShards(setter, expectedParams, null);
+        setRandomWaitForActiveShards(setter, ActiveShardCount.DEFAULT, expectedParams);
     }
 
-    private static void setRandomWaitForActiveShards(Consumer<ActiveShardCount> setter,Map<String, String> expectedParams,
-            String defaultValue) {
+    private static void setRandomWaitForActiveShards(Consumer<ActiveShardCount> setter, ActiveShardCount defaultActiveShardCount,
+                                                     Map<String, String> expectedParams) {
         if (randomBoolean()) {
+            int waitForActiveShardsInt = randomIntBetween(-1, 5);
             String waitForActiveShardsString;
-            int waitForActiveShards = randomIntBetween(-1, 5);
-            if (waitForActiveShards == -1) {
+            if (waitForActiveShardsInt == -1) {
                 waitForActiveShardsString = "all";
             } else {
-                waitForActiveShardsString = String.valueOf(waitForActiveShards);
+                waitForActiveShardsString = String.valueOf(waitForActiveShardsInt);
+            }
+            ActiveShardCount activeShardCount = ActiveShardCount.parseString(waitForActiveShardsString);
+            setter.accept(activeShardCount);
+            if (defaultActiveShardCount.equals(activeShardCount) == false) {
+                expectedParams.put("wait_for_active_shards", waitForActiveShardsString);
             }
-            setter.accept(ActiveShardCount.parseString(waitForActiveShardsString));
-            expectedParams.put("wait_for_active_shards", waitForActiveShardsString);
-        } else if (defaultValue != null) {
-            expectedParams.put("wait_for_active_shards", defaultValue);
         }
     }