diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportBulkAction.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportBulkAction.java
index 7563cb505f34e..b7269f718a02e 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportBulkAction.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportBulkAction.java
@@ -369,13 +369,21 @@ protected void doInternalExecute(Task task, BulkRequest bulkRequest, String exec
         }
 
         // Step 3: create all the indices that are missing, if there are any missing. start the bulk after all the creates come back.
-        indexData(task, bulkRequest, executorName, listener, autoCreateIndices, indicesThatCannotBeCreated, startTime);
+        createMissingIndicesAndindexData(
+            task,
+            bulkRequest,
+            executorName,
+            listener,
+            autoCreateIndices,
+            indicesThatCannotBeCreated,
+            startTime
+        );
     }
 
     /*
      * This method is responsible for creating any missing indices and indexing the data in the BulkRequest
      */
-    protected void indexData(
+    protected void createMissingIndicesAndindexData(
         Task task,
         BulkRequest bulkRequest,
         String executorName,
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkAction.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkAction.java
index 1cded75cceaa5..aa9ae619e49bf 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkAction.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkAction.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public TransportSimulateBulkAction(
      * request gets a corresponding CREATE response, using information from the request.
      */
     @Override
-    protected void indexData(
+    protected void createMissingIndicesAndindexData(
         Task task,
         BulkRequest bulkRequest,
         String executorName,
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkActionTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkActionTests.java
index ed53e1b548d85..c88d1bee1fa00 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkActionTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/TransportSimulateBulkActionTests.java
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ public void onFailure(Exception e) {
         Set<String> autoCreateIndices = Set.of(); // unused
         Map<String, IndexNotFoundException> indicesThatCannotBeCreated = Map.of(); // unused
         long startTime = 0;
-        bulkAction.indexData(
+        bulkAction.createMissingIndicesAndindexData(
             task,
             bulkRequest,
             randomAlphaOfLength(10),