diff --git a/yente/provider/opensearch.py b/yente/provider/opensearch.py
index bda47ba3..6e3d94a8 100644
--- a/yente/provider/opensearch.py
+++ b/yente/provider/opensearch.py
@@ -228,6 +228,8 @@ async def bulk_index(self, entities: AsyncIterator[Dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
                 chunk_size=1000,
                 yield_ok=False,
                 stats_only=True,
+                max_retries=3,
+                initial_backoff=2,
             )
         except BulkIndexError as exc:
             raise YenteIndexError(f"Could not index entities: {exc}") from exc