diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/transform/transforms/pivot/TermsGroupSourceTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/transform/transforms/pivot/TermsGroupSourceTests.java
index c143fa9abf3f0..0ceda5815c9f0 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/transform/transforms/pivot/TermsGroupSourceTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/transform/transforms/pivot/TermsGroupSourceTests.java
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ public static TermsGroupSource randomTermsGroupSource(Version version) {
         return new TermsGroupSource(field, scriptConfig, missingBucket);
     }
 
+    public static TermsGroupSource randomTermsGroupSourceNoScript() {
+        String field = randomAlphaOfLengthBetween(1, 20);
+        return new TermsGroupSource(field, null, randomBoolean());
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected TermsGroupSource doParseInstance(XContentParser parser) throws IOException {
         return TermsGroupSource.fromXContent(parser, false);
@@ -43,4 +48,9 @@ protected Reader<TermsGroupSource> instanceReader() {
         return TermsGroupSource::new;
     }
 
+    public void testSupportsIncrementalBucketUpdate() {
+        TermsGroupSource terms = randomTermsGroupSource();
+        assertEquals(terms.getScriptConfig() == null, terms.supportsIncrementalBucketUpdate());
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java
index 1aea4f0d4576d..6abf7c94f747e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java
@@ -536,6 +536,11 @@ static Map<String, FieldCollector> createFieldCollectors(Map<String, SingleGroup
         Map<String, FieldCollector> fieldCollectors = new HashMap<>();
 
         for (Entry<String, SingleGroupSource> entry : groups.entrySet()) {
+            // skip any fields that use scripts
+            if (entry.getValue().getScriptConfig() != null) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             switch (entry.getValue().getType()) {
                 case TERMS:
                     fieldCollectors.put(
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java
index a09cc2a4a75d3..4942993dcaf8d 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.GroupConfig;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.GroupConfigTests;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.HistogramGroupSourceTests;
+import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.ScriptConfigTests;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.SingleGroupSource;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.TermsGroupSource;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.TermsGroupSourceTests;
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ public void testPageSize() throws IOException {
         assertEquals(10, getCompositeAggregationBuilder(collector.buildChangesQuery(new SearchSourceBuilder(), null, 10)).size());
 
         // a terms group_by is limited by terms query
-        SingleGroupSource termsGroupBy = TermsGroupSourceTests.randomTermsGroupSource();
+        SingleGroupSource termsGroupBy = TermsGroupSourceTests.randomTermsGroupSourceNoScript();
         groups.put("terms", termsGroupBy);
 
         collector = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.buildChangeCollector(getCompositeAggregation(groups), groups, null);
@@ -196,6 +197,24 @@ public void testDateHistogramFieldCollector() throws IOException {
         assertNull(queryBuilder);
     }
 
+    public void testNoTermsFieldCollectorForScripts() throws IOException {
+        Map<String, SingleGroupSource> groups = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+
+        // terms with value script
+        SingleGroupSource termsGroupBy = new TermsGroupSource("id", ScriptConfigTests.randomScriptConfig(), false);
+        groups.put("id", termsGroupBy);
+
+        Map<String, FieldCollector> fieldCollectors = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.createFieldCollectors(groups, null);
+        assertTrue(fieldCollectors.isEmpty());
+
+        // terms with only a script
+        termsGroupBy = new TermsGroupSource(null, ScriptConfigTests.randomScriptConfig(), false);
+        groups.put("id", termsGroupBy);
+
+        fieldCollectors = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.createFieldCollectors(groups, null);
+        assertTrue(fieldCollectors.isEmpty());
+    }
+
     private static CompositeAggregationBuilder getCompositeAggregation(Map<String, SingleGroupSource> groups) throws IOException {
         CompositeAggregationBuilder compositeAggregation;
         try (XContentBuilder builder = jsonBuilder()) {