diff --git a/src/main/java/org/opensearch/flowframework/transport/CreateWorkflowTransportAction.java b/src/main/java/org/opensearch/flowframework/transport/CreateWorkflowTransportAction.java
index be100fbce..2e2de0f78 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/opensearch/flowframework/transport/CreateWorkflowTransportAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/opensearch/flowframework/transport/CreateWorkflowTransportAction.java
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
 import org.opensearch.ExceptionsHelper;
 import org.opensearch.action.search.SearchRequest;
-import org.opensearch.action.search.SearchResponse;
 import org.opensearch.action.support.ActionFilters;
 import org.opensearch.action.support.HandledTransportAction;
 import org.opensearch.client.Client;
@@ -111,21 +110,14 @@ protected void doExecute(Task task, WorkflowRequest request, ActionListener<Work
         }
 
         if (request.getWorkflowId() == null) {
-
             // Throttle incoming requests
-            QueryBuilder query = QueryBuilders.matchAllQuery();
-            TimeValue requestTimeOut = request.getRequestTimeout();
-            SearchSourceBuilder searchSourceBuilder = new SearchSourceBuilder().query(query).size(0).timeout(requestTimeOut);
-
-            SearchRequest searchRequest = new SearchRequest(CommonValue.GLOBAL_CONTEXT_INDEX).source(searchSourceBuilder);
-
-            client.search(
-                searchRequest,
-                ActionListener.wrap(
-                    response -> onSearchGlobalContext(response, listener, request.getMaxWorkflows()),
-                    exception -> listener.onFailure(exception)
-                )
-            );
+            if (onSearchGlobalContext(request, request.getMaxWorkflows())) {
+                String errorMessage = "Maximum workflows limit reached " + request.getMaxWorkflows();
+                logger.error(errorMessage);
+                FlowFrameworkException ffe = new FlowFrameworkException(errorMessage, RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST);
+                listener.onFailure(ffe);
+                return;
+            }
 
             // Create new global context and state index entries
             flowFrameworkIndicesHandler.putTemplateToGlobalContext(templateWithUser, ActionListener.wrap(globalContextResponse -> {
@@ -190,17 +182,24 @@ protected void doExecute(Task task, WorkflowRequest request, ActionListener<Work
 
     /**
      * Checks if the max workflows limit has been reachesd
-     *
-     * @param response response of the GC index SearchRequest
-     * @param listener ActionListener of the SearchRequest
+     *  @param request WorkflowRequest
      * @param maxWorkflow max workflows
+     * @return
      */
-    protected void onSearchGlobalContext(SearchResponse response, ActionListener listener, Integer maxWorkflow) {
-        if (response.getHits().getTotalHits().value >= maxWorkflow) {
-            String errorMessage = "Maximum workflows limit reached " + maxWorkflow;
-            logger.error(errorMessage);
-            listener.onFailure(new FlowFrameworkException(errorMessage, RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST));
-        }
+    protected boolean onSearchGlobalContext(WorkflowRequest request, Integer maxWorkflow) {
+        final boolean[] workflow = { false };
+        QueryBuilder query = QueryBuilders.matchAllQuery();
+        TimeValue requestTimeOut = request.getRequestTimeout();
+        SearchSourceBuilder searchSourceBuilder = new SearchSourceBuilder().query(query).size(0).timeout(requestTimeOut);
+
+        SearchRequest searchRequest = new SearchRequest(CommonValue.GLOBAL_CONTEXT_INDEX).source(searchSourceBuilder);
+
+        client.search(searchRequest, ActionListener.wrap(searchResponse -> {
+            if (searchResponse.getHits().getTotalHits().value >= maxWorkflow) {
+                workflow[0] = true;
+            }
+        }, exception -> { throw new FlowFrameworkException("Unable to fetch the workflows", RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST); }));
+        return workflow[0];
     }
 
     private void validateWorkflows(Template template) throws Exception {