diff --git a/docs/features/search/how-to-guides.md b/docs/features/search/how-to-guides.md
index da94bd4ca4..161ff6844c 100644
--- a/docs/features/search/how-to-guides.md
+++ b/docs/features/search/how-to-guides.md
@@ -385,21 +385,15 @@ import { searchModuleCatalogCollator } from '@backstage/plugin-search-backend-mo
 import { searchModuleTechDocsCollator } from '@backstage/plugin-search-backend-module-techdocs/alpha';
 import { searchModuleExploreCollator } from '@backstage/plugin-search-backend-module-explore/alpha';
 
-const schedule = {
-  frequency: { minutes: 10 },
-  timeout: { minutes: 15 },
-  initialDelay: { seconds: 3 },
-};
-
 const backend = createBackend();
 // adding the search plugin to the backend
 backend.add(searchPlugin());
 // (optional) the default search engine is Lunr, if you want to extend the search backend with another search engine.
 backend.add(searchModuleElasticsearchEngine());
-// extending search with collator modules to start index documents
-backend.add(searchModuleCatalogCollator({ schedule }));
-backend.add(searchModuleTechDocsCollator({ schedule }));
-backend.add(searchModuleExploreCollator({ schedule }));
+// extending search with collator modules to start index documents, take in optional schedule parameters.
+backend.add(searchModuleCatalogCollator());
+backend.add(searchModuleTechDocsCollator());
+backend.add(searchModuleExploreCollator());
 
 backend.start();
 ```
diff --git a/packages/backend-next/src/index.ts b/packages/backend-next/src/index.ts
index 231343203a..e3cbbd53b8 100644
--- a/packages/backend-next/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-next/src/index.ts
@@ -40,14 +40,9 @@ backend.add(catalogPlugin());
 backend.add(catalogModuleTemplateKind());
 
 // Search
-const schedule = {
-  frequency: { minutes: 10 },
-  timeout: { minutes: 15 },
-  initialDelay: { seconds: 3 },
-};
 backend.add(searchPlugin());
-backend.add(searchModuleCatalogCollator({ schedule }));
-backend.add(searchModuleTechDocsCollator({ schedule }));
-backend.add(searchModuleExploreCollator({ schedule }));
+backend.add(searchModuleCatalogCollator());
+backend.add(searchModuleTechDocsCollator());
+backend.add(searchModuleExploreCollator());
 
 backend.start();
diff --git a/plugins/search-backend-module-catalog/src/alpha.ts b/plugins/search-backend-module-catalog/src/alpha.ts
index d4530b582b..89c7479035 100644
--- a/plugins/search-backend-module-catalog/src/alpha.ts
+++ b/plugins/search-backend-module-catalog/src/alpha.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export type SearchModuleCatalogCollatorOptions = Omit<
   DefaultCatalogCollatorFactoryOptions,
   'discovery' | 'tokenManager'
 > & {
-  schedule: TaskScheduleDefinition;
+  schedule?: TaskScheduleDefinition;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export type SearchModuleCatalogCollatorOptions = Omit<
  * Search backend module for the Catalog index.
  */
 export const searchModuleCatalogCollator = createBackendModule(
-  (options: SearchModuleCatalogCollatorOptions) => ({
+  (options?: SearchModuleCatalogCollatorOptions) => ({
     moduleId: 'catalogCollator',
     pluginId: 'search',
     register(env) {
@@ -73,12 +73,18 @@ export const searchModuleCatalogCollator = createBackendModule(
           scheduler,
           indexRegistry,
         }) {
-          const { schedule, ...rest } = options;
+          const defaultSchedule = {
+            frequency: { minutes: 10 },
+            timeout: { minutes: 15 },
+            initialDelay: { seconds: 3 },
+          };
 
           indexRegistry.addCollator({
-            schedule: scheduler.createScheduledTaskRunner(schedule),
+            schedule: scheduler.createScheduledTaskRunner(
+              options?.schedule ?? defaultSchedule,
+            ),
             factory: DefaultCatalogCollatorFactory.fromConfig(config, {
-              ...rest,
+              ...options,
               discovery,
               tokenManager,
             }),
diff --git a/plugins/search-backend-module-explore/src/alpha.ts b/plugins/search-backend-module-explore/src/alpha.ts
index 357bb4233e..01303db631 100644
--- a/plugins/search-backend-module-explore/src/alpha.ts
+++ b/plugins/search-backend-module-explore/src/alpha.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export type SearchModuleExploreCollatorOptions = Omit<
   ToolDocumentCollatorFactoryOptions,
   'logger' | 'discovery'
 > & {
-  schedule: TaskScheduleDefinition;
+  schedule?: TaskScheduleDefinition;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ export type SearchModuleExploreCollatorOptions = Omit<
  * Search backend module for the Explore index.
  */
 export const searchModuleExploreCollator = createBackendModule(
-  (options: SearchModuleExploreCollatorOptions) => ({
+  (options?: SearchModuleExploreCollatorOptions) => ({
     moduleId: 'exploreCollator',
     pluginId: 'search',
     register(env) {
@@ -68,12 +68,18 @@ export const searchModuleExploreCollator = createBackendModule(
           indexRegistry: searchIndexRegistryExtensionPoint,
         },
         async init({ config, logger, discovery, scheduler, indexRegistry }) {
-          const { schedule, ...rest } = options;
+          const defaultSchedule = {
+            frequency: { minutes: 10 },
+            timeout: { minutes: 15 },
+            initialDelay: { seconds: 3 },
+          };
 
           indexRegistry.addCollator({
-            schedule: scheduler.createScheduledTaskRunner(schedule),
+            schedule: scheduler.createScheduledTaskRunner(
+              options?.schedule ?? defaultSchedule,
+            ),
             factory: ToolDocumentCollatorFactory.fromConfig(config, {
-              ...rest,
+              ...options,
               discovery,
               logger: loggerToWinstonLogger(logger),
             }),
diff --git a/plugins/search-backend-module-techdocs/src/alpha.ts b/plugins/search-backend-module-techdocs/src/alpha.ts
index f58c439c80..c781ad40ca 100644
--- a/plugins/search-backend-module-techdocs/src/alpha.ts
+++ b/plugins/search-backend-module-techdocs/src/alpha.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export type SearchModuleTechDocsCollatorOptions = Omit<
   TechDocsCollatorFactoryOptions,
   'logger' | 'discovery' | 'tokenManager'
 > & {
-  schedule: TaskScheduleDefinition;
+  schedule?: TaskScheduleDefinition;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export type SearchModuleTechDocsCollatorOptions = Omit<
  * Search backend module for the TechDocs index.
  */
 export const searchModuleTechDocsCollator = createBackendModule(
-  (options: SearchModuleTechDocsCollatorOptions) => ({
+  (options?: SearchModuleTechDocsCollatorOptions) => ({
     moduleId: 'techDocsCollator',
     pluginId: 'search',
     register(env) {
@@ -71,12 +71,18 @@ export const searchModuleTechDocsCollator = createBackendModule(
           scheduler,
           indexRegistry,
         }) {
-          const { schedule, ...rest } = options;
+          const defaultSchedule = {
+            frequency: { minutes: 10 },
+            timeout: { minutes: 15 },
+            initialDelay: { seconds: 3 },
+          };
 
           indexRegistry.addCollator({
-            schedule: scheduler.createScheduledTaskRunner(schedule),
+            schedule: scheduler.createScheduledTaskRunner(
+              options?.schedule ?? defaultSchedule,
+            ),
             factory: DefaultTechDocsCollatorFactory.fromConfig(config, {
-              ...rest,
+              ...options,
               discovery,
               tokenManager,
               logger: loggerToWinstonLogger(logger),