diff --git a/muted-tests.yml b/muted-tests.yml
index 0df627bfa8e62..ae7b628da68af 100644
--- a/muted-tests.yml
+++ b/muted-tests.yml
@@ -227,18 +227,6 @@ tests:
 - class: org.elasticsearch.xpack.test.rest.XPackRestIT
   method: test {p0=ml/*}
   issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/120816
-- class: org.elasticsearch.upgrades.VectorSearchIT
-  method: testBBQVectorSearch {upgradedNodes=0}
-  issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/121253
-- class: org.elasticsearch.upgrades.VectorSearchIT
-  method: testBBQVectorSearch {upgradedNodes=1}
-  issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/121271
-- class: org.elasticsearch.upgrades.VectorSearchIT
-  method: testBBQVectorSearch {upgradedNodes=2}
-  issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/121272
-- class: org.elasticsearch.upgrades.VectorSearchIT
-  method: testBBQVectorSearch {upgradedNodes=3}
-  issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/121273
 - class: org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.authc.ldap.ActiveDirectorySessionFactoryTests
   issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/121285
 - class: org.elasticsearch.smoketest.DocsClientYamlTestSuiteIT
diff --git a/qa/rolling-upgrade/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/upgrades/VectorSearchIT.java b/qa/rolling-upgrade/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/upgrades/VectorSearchIT.java
index 5308fe85c1cab..07034618be4a6 100644
--- a/qa/rolling-upgrade/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/upgrades/VectorSearchIT.java
+++ b/qa/rolling-upgrade/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/upgrades/VectorSearchIT.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 import org.elasticsearch.client.Request;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.Response;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetadata;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.support.XContentMapValues;
 
@@ -456,7 +457,11 @@ public void testBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
                 }
                 """;
             // create index and index 10 random floating point vectors
-            createIndex(BBQ_INDEX_NAME, Settings.EMPTY, mapping);
+            createIndex(
+                BBQ_INDEX_NAME,
+                Settings.builder().put(IndexMetadata.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_SHARDS, 1).put(IndexMetadata.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS, 0).build(),
+                mapping
+            );
             index64DimVectors(BBQ_INDEX_NAME);
             // force merge the index
             client().performRequest(new Request("POST", "/" + BBQ_INDEX_NAME + "/_forcemerge?max_num_segments=1"));
@@ -485,8 +490,8 @@ public void testBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
         Map<String, Object> response = search(searchRequest);
         assertThat(extractValue(response, "hits.total.value"), equalTo(7));
         List<Map<String, Object>> hits = extractValue(response, "hits.hits");
-        assertThat(hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
-        assertThat((double) hits.get(0).get("_score"), closeTo(1.9869276, 0.0001));
+        assertThat("hits: " + response, hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
+        assertThat("hits: " + response, (double) hits.get(0).get("_score"), closeTo(1.9869276, 0.0001));
 
         // search with knn
         searchRequest = new Request("POST", "/" + BBQ_INDEX_NAME + "/_search");
@@ -504,8 +509,12 @@ public void testBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
         response = search(searchRequest);
         assertThat(extractValue(response, "hits.total.value"), equalTo(2));
         hits = extractValue(response, "hits.hits");
-        assertThat(hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
-        assertThat((double) hits.get(0).get("_score"), closeTo(0.9934857, 0.005));
+        assertThat("expected: 0 received" + hits.get(0).get("_id") + " hits: " + response, hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
+        assertThat(
+            "expected_near: 0.99 received" + hits.get(0).get("_score") + "hits: " + response,
+            (double) hits.get(0).get("_score"),
+            closeTo(0.9934857, 0.005)
+        );
     }
 
     public void testFlatBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
@@ -530,7 +539,11 @@ public void testFlatBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
                 }
                 """;
             // create index and index 10 random floating point vectors
-            createIndex(FLAT_BBQ_INDEX_NAME, Settings.EMPTY, mapping);
+            createIndex(
+                FLAT_BBQ_INDEX_NAME,
+                Settings.builder().put(IndexMetadata.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_SHARDS, 1).put(IndexMetadata.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS, 0).build(),
+                mapping
+            );
             index64DimVectors(FLAT_BBQ_INDEX_NAME);
             // force merge the index
             client().performRequest(new Request("POST", "/" + FLAT_BBQ_INDEX_NAME + "/_forcemerge?max_num_segments=1"));
@@ -559,8 +572,8 @@ public void testFlatBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
         Map<String, Object> response = search(searchRequest);
         assertThat(extractValue(response, "hits.total.value"), equalTo(7));
         List<Map<String, Object>> hits = extractValue(response, "hits.hits");
-        assertThat(hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
-        assertThat((double) hits.get(0).get("_score"), closeTo(1.9869276, 0.0001));
+        assertThat("hits: " + response, hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
+        assertThat("hits: " + response, (double) hits.get(0).get("_score"), closeTo(1.9869276, 0.0001));
 
         // search with knn
         searchRequest = new Request("POST", "/" + FLAT_BBQ_INDEX_NAME + "/_search");
@@ -578,8 +591,12 @@ public void testFlatBBQVectorSearch() throws Exception {
         response = search(searchRequest);
         assertThat(extractValue(response, "hits.total.value"), equalTo(2));
         hits = extractValue(response, "hits.hits");
-        assertThat(hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
-        assertThat((double) hits.get(0).get("_score"), closeTo(0.9934857, 0.005));
+        assertThat("expected: 0 received" + hits.get(0).get("_id") + " hits: " + response, hits.get(0).get("_id"), equalTo("0"));
+        assertThat(
+            "expected_near: 0.99 received" + hits.get(0).get("_score") + "hits: " + response,
+            (double) hits.get(0).get("_score"),
+            closeTo(0.9934857, 0.005)
+        );
     }
 
     private void index64DimVectors(String indexName) throws Exception {
@@ -605,6 +622,7 @@ private void index64DimVectors(String indexName) throws Exception {
             assertOK(client().performRequest(indexRequest));
         }
         // always refresh to ensure the data is visible
+        flush(indexName, true);
         refresh(indexName);
     }