diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/UpdateHelper.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/UpdateHelper.java
index 212b99ca140d..30c6d09df393 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/UpdateHelper.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/update/UpdateHelper.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.script.UpdateScript;
 import org.elasticsearch.script.UpsertCtxMap;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.lookup.Source;
+import org.elasticsearch.search.lookup.SourceFilter;
 import org.elasticsearch.xcontent.XContentType;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -347,8 +348,9 @@ public static GetResult extractGetResult(
             return null;
         }
         BytesReference sourceFilteredAsBytes = sourceAsBytes;
-        if (request.fetchSource().hasFilter()) {
-            sourceFilteredAsBytes = Source.fromMap(source, sourceContentType).filter(request.fetchSource().filter()).internalSourceRef();
+        SourceFilter sourceFilter = request.fetchSource().filter();
+        if (sourceFilter != null) {
+            sourceFilteredAsBytes = Source.fromMap(source, sourceContentType).filter(sourceFilter).internalSourceRef();
         }
 
         // TODO when using delete/none, we can still return the source as bytes by generating it (using the sourceContentType)
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/get/ShardGetService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/get/ShardGetService.java
index be0a3b8d851a..388c8cebfa83 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/get/ShardGetService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/get/ShardGetService.java
@@ -308,13 +308,10 @@ private GetResult innerGetFetch(
         DocIdAndVersion docIdAndVersion = get.docIdAndVersion();
         SourceLoader loader = forceSyntheticSource
             ? new SourceLoader.Synthetic(
-                () -> mappingLookup.getMapping().syntheticFieldLoader(fetchSourceContext.hasFilter() ? fetchSourceContext.filter() : null),
+                () -> mappingLookup.getMapping().syntheticFieldLoader(fetchSourceContext.filter()),
                 mapperMetrics.sourceFieldMetrics()
             )
-            : mappingLookup.newSourceLoader(
-                fetchSourceContext.hasFilter() ? fetchSourceContext.filter() : null,
-                mapperMetrics.sourceFieldMetrics()
-            );
+            : mappingLookup.newSourceLoader(fetchSourceContext.filter(), mapperMetrics.sourceFieldMetrics());
         StoredFieldLoader storedFieldLoader = buildStoredFieldLoader(storedFields, fetchSourceContext, loader);
         LeafStoredFieldLoader leafStoredFieldLoader = storedFieldLoader.getLoader(docIdAndVersion.reader.getContext(), null);
         try {
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourceContext.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourceContext.java
index 126c7aa28f4d..0594fa490978 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourceContext.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourceContext.java
@@ -85,12 +85,15 @@ public String[] excludes() {
         return this.excludes;
     }
 
-    public boolean hasFilter() {
+    private boolean hasFilter() {
         return this.includes.length > 0 || this.excludes.length > 0;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns a {@link SourceFilter} if filtering is enabled, {@code null} otherwise.
+     */
     public SourceFilter filter() {
-        return new SourceFilter(includes, excludes);
+        return hasFilter() ? new SourceFilter(includes, excludes) : null;
     }
 
     public static FetchSourceContext parseFromRestRequest(RestRequest request) {
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourcePhase.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourcePhase.java
index e151f0fc2e09..3db539b91aff 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourcePhase.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/subphase/FetchSourcePhase.java
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ public FetchSubPhaseProcessor getProcessor(FetchContext fetchContext) {
         }
         assert fetchSourceContext.fetchSource();
         SourceFilter sourceFilter = fetchSourceContext.filter();
-        final boolean filterExcludesAll = sourceFilter.excludesAll();
+        final boolean filterExcludesAll = sourceFilter != null && sourceFilter.excludesAll();
         return new FetchSubPhaseProcessor() {
             private int fastPath;
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public StoredFieldsSpec storedFieldsSpec() {
             public void process(HitContext hitContext) {
                 String index = fetchContext.getIndexName();
                 if (fetchContext.getSearchExecutionContext().isSourceEnabled() == false) {
-                    if (fetchSourceContext.hasFilter()) {
+                    if (sourceFilter != null) {
                         throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                             "unable to fetch fields from _source field: _source is disabled in the mappings for index [" + index + "]"
                         );
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ private void hitExecute(FetchSourceContext fetchSourceContext, HitContext hitCon
                 Source source = hitContext.source();
 
                 // If this is a parent document and there are no source filters, then add the source as-is.
-                if (nestedHit == false && fetchSourceContext.hasFilter() == false) {
+                if (nestedHit == false && sourceFilter == null) {
                     hitContext.hit().sourceRef(source.internalSourceRef());
                     fastPath++;
                     return;