diff --git a/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.get/10_basic.yaml b/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.get/10_basic.yaml
index bd609e3e3bfe8..24a7ac6adc616 100644
--- a/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.get/10_basic.yaml
+++ b/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.get/10_basic.yaml
@@ -9,13 +9,6 @@ setup:
           settings:
             location: "test_repo_get_1_loc"
 
----
-teardown:
-
-  - do:
-      snapshot.delete_repository:
-        repository: test_repo_get_1
-
 ---
 "Get snapshot info":
 
@@ -39,7 +32,7 @@ teardown:
         snapshot: test_snapshot
 
   - is_true: snapshots
-  
+
 ---
 "Get missing snapshot info throws an exception":
 
@@ -48,7 +41,7 @@ teardown:
       snapshot.get:
         repository: test_repo_get_1
         snapshot: test_nonexistent_snapshot
-   
+
 ---
 "Get missing snapshot info succeeds when ignoreUnavailable is true":
 
diff --git a/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.status/10_basic.yaml b/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.status/10_basic.yaml
index d4548553e251a..838c12649748e 100644
--- a/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.status/10_basic.yaml
+++ b/rest-api-spec/src/main/resources/rest-api-spec/test/snapshot.status/10_basic.yaml
@@ -9,13 +9,6 @@ setup:
           settings:
             location: "test_repo_status_1_loc"
 
----
-teardown:
-
-  - do:
-      snapshot.delete_repository:
-        repository: test_repo_status_1
-
 ---
 "Get snapshot status":
 
@@ -39,7 +32,7 @@ teardown:
         snapshot: test_snapshot
 
   - is_true: snapshots
-  
+
 ---
 "Get missing snapshot status throws an exception":
 
@@ -48,7 +41,7 @@ teardown:
       snapshot.status:
         repository: test_repo_status_1
         snapshot: test_nonexistent_snapshot
-   
+
 ---
 "Get missing snapshot status succeeds when ignoreUnavailable is true":
 
diff --git a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/ESRestTestCase.java b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/ESRestTestCase.java
index 573c301105ad9..fdce0248ed316 100644
--- a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/ESRestTestCase.java
+++ b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/rest/ESRestTestCase.java
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
 
 import javax.net.ssl.SSLContext;
 
+import static java.util.Collections.singletonMap;
 import static java.util.Collections.sort;
 import static java.util.Collections.unmodifiableList;
 
@@ -151,9 +152,34 @@ private void wipeCluster() throws IOException {
         // wipe index templates
         adminClient().performRequest("DELETE", "_template/*");
 
-        // wipe snapshots
-        // Technically this deletes all repositories and leave the snapshots in the repository. OK.
-        adminClient().performRequest("DELETE", "_snapshot/*");
+        wipeSnapshots();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Wipe fs snapshots we created one by one and all repositories so that the next test can create the repositories fresh and they'll
+     * start empty. There isn't an API to delete all snapshots. There is an API to delete all snapshot repositories but that leaves all of
+     * the snapshots intact in the repository.
+     */
+    private void wipeSnapshots() throws IOException {
+        for (Map.Entry<String, ?> repo : entityAsMap(adminClient.performRequest("GET", "_snapshot/_all")).entrySet()) {
+            String repoName = repo.getKey();
+            Map<?, ?> repoSpec = (Map<?, ?>) repo.getValue();
+            String repoType = (String) repoSpec.get("type");
+            if (repoType.equals("fs")) {
+                // All other repo types we really don't have a chance of being able to iterate properly, sadly.
+                String url = "_snapshot/" + repoName + "/_all";
+                Map<String, String> params = singletonMap("ignore_unavailable", "true");
+                List<?> snapshots = (List<?>) entityAsMap(adminClient.performRequest("GET", url, params)).get("snapshots");
+                for (Object snapshot : snapshots) {
+                    Map<?, ?> snapshotInfo = (Map<?, ?>) snapshot;
+                    String name = (String) snapshotInfo.get("snapshot");
+                    logger.debug("wiping snapshot [{}/{}]", repoName, name);
+                    adminClient().performRequest("DELETE", "_snapshot/" + repoName + "/" + name);
+                }
+            }
+            logger.debug("wiping snapshot repository [{}]", repoName);
+            adminClient().performRequest("DELETE", "_snapshot/" + repoName);
+        }
     }
 
     /**