diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/Exporters.java b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/Exporters.java
index 1b8f5dab9e356..b30ec11784702 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/Exporters.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/Exporters.java
@@ -68,8 +68,13 @@ public Exporters(Settings settings, Map<String, Exporter.Factory> factories,
 
     private void setExportersSetting(Settings exportersSetting) {
         if (this.lifecycle.started()) {
-            Map<String, Exporter> updated = initExporters(exportersSetting);
-            closeExporters(logger, this.exporters.getAndSet(updated));
+            try {
+                Map<String, Exporter> updated = initExporters(exportersSetting);
+                closeExporters(logger, this.exporters.getAndSet(updated));
+            }catch (Exception e){
+                //swallow exception here since this can be called from cluster state applier
+                logger.error("Unable set monitoring exporter settings", e);
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/http/HttpExporterIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/http/HttpExporterIT.java
index ecb0d637f14fb..50dc2c5fc1031 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/http/HttpExporterIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/monitoring/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/monitoring/exporter/http/HttpExporterIT.java
@@ -401,6 +401,12 @@ public void testDynamicIndexFormatChange() throws Exception {
         assertThat(newIndex.get("_index"), equalTo(expectedMonitoringIndex));
     }
 
+    public void testInvalidConfig() {
+        //bad config could result in cluster state not applying properly see: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/47125
+        client().admin().cluster().prepareUpdateSettings()
+            .setTransientSettings(Collections.singletonMap("xpack.monitoring.exporters.foo.use_ingest", true)).execute().actionGet(5000);
+    }
+
     private void assertMonitorVersion(final MockWebServer webServer) throws Exception {
         assertMonitorVersion(webServer, null, null);
     }