diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..b7c29abc96fb8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,209 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
+ */
+
+import { IUiSettingsClient } from 'kibana/public';
+import { IIndexPattern } from '../../../../../../../../src/plugins/data/common/index_patterns';
+import { SavedSearchSavedObject } from '../../../../../common/types/kibana';
+import { createSearchItems } from './new_job_utils';
+
+describe('createSearchItems', () => {
+  const kibanaConfig = {} as IUiSettingsClient;
+  const indexPattern = ({
+    fields: [],
+  } as unknown) as IIndexPattern;
+
+  let savedSearch = ({} as unknown) as SavedSearchSavedObject;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    savedSearch = ({
+      client: {
+        http: {
+          basePath: {
+            basePath: '/abc',
+            serverBasePath: '/abc',
+          },
+          anonymousPaths: {},
+        },
+        batchQueue: [],
+      },
+      attributes: {
+        title: 'not test',
+        description: '',
+        hits: 0,
+        columns: ['_source'],
+        sort: [],
+        version: 1,
+        kibanaSavedObjectMeta: {
+          searchSourceJSON: '',
+        },
+      },
+      _version: 'WzI0OSw0XQ==',
+      id: '4b9b1010-c678-11ea-b6e6-e942978da29c',
+      type: 'search',
+      migrationVersion: {
+        search: '7.4.0',
+      },
+      references: [
+        {
+          name: 'kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON.index',
+          type: 'index-pattern',
+          id: '7e252840-bd27-11ea-8a6c-75d1a0bd08ab',
+        },
+      ],
+    } as unknown) as SavedSearchSavedObject;
+  });
+
+  test('should match index pattern', () => {
+    const resp = createSearchItems(kibanaConfig, indexPattern, null);
+    expect(resp).toStrictEqual({
+      combinedQuery: { bool: { must: [{ match_all: {} }] } },
+      query: { query: '', language: 'lucene' },
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('should match saved search with kuery and condition', () => {
+    const searchSource = {
+      highlightAll: true,
+      version: true,
+      query: { query: 'airline : "AAL" ', language: 'kuery' },
+      filter: [],
+      indexRefName: 'kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON.index',
+    };
+    savedSearch.attributes.kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON = JSON.stringify(searchSource);
+
+    const resp = createSearchItems(kibanaConfig, indexPattern, savedSearch);
+    expect(resp).toStrictEqual({
+      combinedQuery: {
+        bool: {
+          should: [{ match_phrase: { airline: 'AAL' } }],
+          minimum_should_match: 1,
+          filter: [],
+          must_not: [],
+        },
+      },
+      query: {
+        language: 'kuery',
+        query: 'airline : "AAL" ',
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('should match saved search with kuery and not condition', () => {
+    const searchSource = {
+      highlightAll: true,
+      version: true,
+      query: { query: 'NOT airline : "AAL" ', language: 'kuery' },
+      filter: [],
+      indexRefName: 'kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON.index',
+    };
+    savedSearch.attributes.kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON = JSON.stringify(searchSource);
+
+    const resp = createSearchItems(kibanaConfig, indexPattern, savedSearch);
+    expect(resp).toStrictEqual({
+      combinedQuery: {
+        bool: {
+          filter: [],
+          must_not: [
+            {
+              bool: {
+                minimum_should_match: 1,
+                should: [
+                  {
+                    match_phrase: {
+                      airline: 'AAL',
+                    },
+                  },
+                ],
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      },
+      query: {
+        language: 'kuery',
+        query: 'NOT airline : "AAL" ',
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('should match saved search with kuery and condition and not condition', () => {
+    const searchSource = {
+      highlightAll: true,
+      version: true,
+      query: { query: 'airline : "AAL" and NOT airline : "AWE" ', language: 'kuery' },
+      filter: [],
+      indexRefName: 'kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON.index',
+    };
+    savedSearch.attributes.kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON = JSON.stringify(searchSource);
+
+    const resp = createSearchItems(kibanaConfig, indexPattern, savedSearch);
+    expect(resp).toStrictEqual({
+      combinedQuery: {
+        bool: {
+          filter: [
+            { bool: { should: [{ match_phrase: { airline: 'AAL' } }], minimum_should_match: 1 } },
+            {
+              bool: {
+                must_not: {
+                  bool: { should: [{ match_phrase: { airline: 'AWE' } }], minimum_should_match: 1 },
+                },
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+          must_not: [],
+        },
+      },
+      query: { query: 'airline : "AAL" and NOT airline : "AWE" ', language: 'kuery' },
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('should match saved search with kuery and filter', () => {
+    const searchSource = {
+      highlightAll: true,
+      version: true,
+      query: {
+        language: 'kuery',
+        query: '',
+      },
+      filter: [
+        {
+          meta: {
+            alias: null,
+            negate: false,
+            disabled: false,
+            type: 'phrase',
+            key: 'airline',
+            params: {
+              query: 'AAL',
+            },
+            indexRefName: 'kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON.filter[0].meta.index',
+          },
+          query: {
+            match_phrase: {
+              airline: 'AAL',
+            },
+          },
+          $state: {
+            store: 'appState',
+          },
+        },
+      ],
+      indexRefName: 'kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON.index',
+    };
+    savedSearch.attributes.kibanaSavedObjectMeta.searchSourceJSON = JSON.stringify(searchSource);
+
+    const resp = createSearchItems(kibanaConfig, indexPattern, savedSearch);
+    expect(resp).toStrictEqual({
+      combinedQuery: {
+        bool: {
+          must: [{ match_all: {} }],
+          filter: [{ match_phrase: { airline: 'AAL' } }],
+          must_not: [],
+        },
+      },
+      query: { language: 'kuery', query: '' },
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.ts
index 9ba10dc21000e8..5fa6c817ec4c16 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/jobs/new_job/utils/new_job_utils.ts
@@ -52,12 +52,16 @@ export function createSearchItems(
       }
       const filterQuery = esQuery.buildQueryFromFilters(filters, indexPattern);
 
-      if (combinedQuery.bool.filter === undefined) {
-        combinedQuery.bool.filter = [];
+      if (Array.isArray(combinedQuery.bool.filter) === false) {
+        combinedQuery.bool.filter =
+          combinedQuery.bool.filter === undefined ? [] : [combinedQuery.bool.filter];
       }
-      if (combinedQuery.bool.must_not === undefined) {
-        combinedQuery.bool.must_not = [];
+
+      if (Array.isArray(combinedQuery.bool.must_not) === false) {
+        combinedQuery.bool.must_not =
+          combinedQuery.bool.must_not === undefined ? [] : [combinedQuery.bool.must_not];
       }
+
       combinedQuery.bool.filter = [...combinedQuery.bool.filter, ...filterQuery.filter];
       combinedQuery.bool.must_not = [...combinedQuery.bool.must_not, ...filterQuery.must_not];
     } else {