diff --git a/surfsense_backend/alembic/versions/26_add_elasticsearch_connector_enums.py b/surfsense_backend/alembic/versions/26_add_elasticsearch_connector_enums.py
index 74b1bd360..2581ddd6b 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/alembic/versions/26_add_elasticsearch_connector_enums.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/alembic/versions/26_add_elasticsearch_connector_enums.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def upgrade() -> None:
 
 def downgrade() -> None:
     """Remove 'ELASTICSEARCH_CONNECTOR' from enum types.
-    
+
     Note: PostgreSQL does not support removing enum values that may be in use.
     Manual intervention would be required if rollback is necessary:
     1. Delete all rows using ELASTICSEARCH_CONNECTOR
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/tasks/connector_indexers/elasticsearch_indexer.py b/surfsense_backend/app/tasks/connector_indexers/elasticsearch_indexer.py
index ed459c031..53e9d61ad 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/tasks/connector_indexers/elasticsearch_indexer.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/tasks/connector_indexers/elasticsearch_indexer.py
@@ -111,12 +111,13 @@ async def index_elasticsearch_documents(
             logger.error(error_msg)
             return 0, error_msg
 
-        if "ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX" not in config:
-            error_msg = (
-                "Missing required field in connector config: ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX"
+        # Allow missing/empty index: default to searching all indices ("*" or "_all")
+        index_name = config.get("ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX")
+        if not index_name:
+            index_name = "*"
+            logger.info(
+                "ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX missing or empty in connector config; defaulting to '*' (search all indices)"
             )
-            logger.error(error_msg)
-            return 0, error_msg
 
         # Check authentication - must have either API key or username+password
         has_api_key = (
@@ -151,9 +152,6 @@ async def index_elasticsearch_documents(
         # Build query based on configuration
         query = _build_elasticsearch_query(config)
 
-        # Get the index name(s) - can be a string or list
-        index_name = config["ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX"]
-
         # Get max documents to index
         max_documents = config.get("ELASTICSEARCH_MAX_DOCUMENTS", 1000)
 
@@ -341,7 +339,7 @@ def _build_document_content(source: dict[str, Any], config: dict[str, Any]) -> s
                 field_value = source[field]
                 if isinstance(field_value, str | int | float):
                     content_parts.append(f"{field}: {field_value}")
-                if isinstance(field_value, str | int | float):
+                elif isinstance(field_value, list | dict):
                     content_parts.append(f"{field}: {json.dumps(field_value)}")
     else:
         # Use all fields if no specific content fields specified
diff --git a/surfsense_web/app/dashboard/[search_space_id]/connectors/add/elasticsearch-connector/page.tsx b/surfsense_web/app/dashboard/[search_space_id]/connectors/add/elasticsearch-connector/page.tsx
index 5053fcfdf..2e00f4584 100644
--- a/surfsense_web/app/dashboard/[search_space_id]/connectors/add/elasticsearch-connector/page.tsx
+++ b/surfsense_web/app/dashboard/[search_space_id]/connectors/add/elasticsearch-connector/page.tsx
@@ -150,10 +150,10 @@ export default function ElasticsearchConnectorPage() {
 					config.ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY = values.ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY;
 			}
 
-			if (values.indices?.trim()) {
-				const indicesArr = stringToArray(values.indices);
-				config.ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX = indicesArr.length === 1 ? indicesArr[0] : indicesArr;
-			}
+			const indicesInput = values.indices?.trim() ?? "";
+			const indicesArr = stringToArray(indicesInput);
+			config.ELASTICSEARCH_INDEX =
+				indicesArr.length === 0 ? "*" : indicesArr.length === 1 ? indicesArr[0] : indicesArr;
 
 			if (values.query && values.query !== "*") {
 				config.ELASTICSEARCH_QUERY = values.query;