diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriter.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriter.java
index dbfc95763..0592b3565 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriter.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriter.java
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
  */
 public class MongoItemWriter<T> implements ItemWriter<T>, InitializingBean {
 
+	public enum Mode {
+		INSERT, UPSERT, REMOVE;
+	}
+
 	private static final String ID_KEY = "_id";
 
 	private MongoOperations template;
@@ -66,7 +70,7 @@ public class MongoItemWriter<T> implements ItemWriter<T>, InitializingBean {
 
 	private String collection;
 
-	private boolean delete = false;
+	private Mode mode = Mode.UPSERT;
 
 	public MongoItemWriter() {
 		super();
@@ -78,9 +82,19 @@ public class MongoItemWriter<T> implements ItemWriter<T>, InitializingBean {
 	 * the data store. If set to false (default), the items will be saved. If set to true,
 	 * the items will be removed.
 	 * @param delete removal indicator
+	 * @deprecated use {@link MongoItemWriter#setMode(Mode)}
 	 */
+	@Deprecated
 	public void setDelete(boolean delete) {
-		this.delete = delete;
+		this.mode = (delete) ? Mode.REMOVE : Mode.UPSERT;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Set the operating {@link Mode} to be applied by this writer.
+	 * @param mode the mode to be used.
+	 */
+	public void setMode(final Mode mode) {
+		this.mode = mode;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -133,15 +147,31 @@ public class MongoItemWriter<T> implements ItemWriter<T>, InitializingBean {
 	 */
 	protected void doWrite(Chunk<? extends T> chunk) {
 		if (!CollectionUtils.isEmpty(chunk.getItems())) {
-			if (this.delete) {
-				delete(chunk);
-			}
-			else {
-				saveOrUpdate(chunk);
+			switch (this.mode) {
+				case INSERT:
+					save(chunk);
+					break;
+				case REMOVE:
+					delete(chunk);
+					break;
+				default:
+					saveOrUpdate(chunk);
+					break;
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
+	private void save(final Chunk<? extends T> chunk) {
+		final BulkOperations bulkOperations = initBulkOperations(BulkMode.ORDERED, chunk.getItems().get(0));
+		final MongoConverter mongoConverter = this.template.getConverter();
+		for (final Object item : chunk) {
+			final Document document = new Document();
+			mongoConverter.write(item, document);
+			bulkOperations.insert(document);
+		}
+		bulkOperations.execute();
+	}
+
 	private void delete(Chunk<? extends T> chunk) {
 		BulkOperations bulkOperations = initBulkOperations(BulkMode.ORDERED, chunk.getItems().get(0));
 		MongoConverter mongoConverter = this.template.getConverter();
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/MongoItemWriterBuilder.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/MongoItemWriterBuilder.java
index efffa4691..3e080fecd 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/MongoItemWriterBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/MongoItemWriterBuilder.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.springframework.batch.item.data.builder;
 
 import org.springframework.batch.item.data.MongoItemWriter;
+import org.springframework.batch.item.data.MongoItemWriter.Mode;
 import org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.MongoOperations;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ public class MongoItemWriterBuilder<T> {
 
 	private String collection;
 
-	private boolean delete = false;
+	private Mode mode = Mode.UPSERT;
 
 	/**
 	 * Indicates if the items being passed to the writer are to be saved or removed from
@@ -42,9 +43,23 @@ public class MongoItemWriterBuilder<T> {
 	 * @param delete removal indicator
 	 * @return The current instance of the builder
 	 * @see MongoItemWriter#setDelete(boolean)
+	 * @deprecated use {@link MongoItemWriterBuilder#mode(Mode)}
 	 */
+	@Deprecated
 	public MongoItemWriterBuilder<T> delete(boolean delete) {
-		this.delete = delete;
+		this.mode = (delete) ? Mode.REMOVE : Mode.UPSERT;
+
+		return this;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Set the operating {@link Mode} to be applied by this writer.
+	 * @param mode the mode to be used.
+	 * @return The current instance of the builder
+	 * @see MongoItemWriter#setMode(Mode)
+	 */
+	public MongoItemWriterBuilder<T> mode(final Mode mode) {
+		this.mode = mode;
 
 		return this;
 	}
@@ -83,7 +98,7 @@ public class MongoItemWriterBuilder<T> {
 
 		MongoItemWriter<T> writer = new MongoItemWriter<>();
 		writer.setTemplate(this.template);
-		writer.setDelete(this.delete);
+		writer.setMode(this.mode);
 		writer.setCollection(this.collection);
 
 		return writer;
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriterTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriterTests.java
index eaedf4316..55919f242 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriterTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/MongoItemWriterTests.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import org.mockito.junit.jupiter.MockitoSettings;
 import org.mockito.quality.Strictness;
 
 import org.springframework.batch.item.Chunk;
+import org.springframework.batch.item.data.MongoItemWriter.Mode;
 import org.springframework.batch.support.transaction.ResourcelessTransactionManager;
 import org.springframework.data.mapping.context.MappingContext;
 import org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.BulkOperations;
@@ -297,6 +298,155 @@ class MongoItemWriterTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// BATCH-4149
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeNoTransactionNoCollection() throws Exception {
+		Chunk<Item> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), any(Class.class));
+		verify(bulkOperations, times(2)).insert(any(Object.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeNoTransactionWithCollection() throws Exception {
+		Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+		writer.setCollection("collection");
+
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), eq("collection"));
+		verify(bulkOperations, times(2)).insert(any(Object.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeNoTransactionNoItems() throws Exception {
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+		writer.write(new Chunk<>());
+
+		verifyNoInteractions(template);
+		verifyNoInteractions(bulkOperations);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeTransactionNoCollection() {
+		final Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+
+		new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager).execute((TransactionCallback<Void>) status -> {
+			assertDoesNotThrow(() -> writer.write(items));
+			return null;
+		});
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), any(Class.class));
+		verify(bulkOperations, times(2)).insert(any(Object.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeTransactionWithCollection() {
+		final Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+		writer.setCollection("collection");
+
+		new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager).execute((TransactionCallback<Void>) status -> {
+			assertDoesNotThrow(() -> writer.write(items));
+			return null;
+		});
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), eq("collection"));
+		verify(bulkOperations, times(2)).insert(any(Object.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeTransactionFails() {
+		final Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+		writer.setCollection("collection");
+
+		Exception exception = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+				() -> new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager).execute((TransactionCallback<Void>) status -> {
+					assertDoesNotThrow(() -> writer.write(items));
+					throw new RuntimeException("force rollback");
+				}));
+		assertEquals(exception.getMessage(), "force rollback");
+
+		verifyNoInteractions(template);
+		verifyNoInteractions(bulkOperations);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testInsertModeTransactionReadOnly() {
+		final Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setMode(Mode.INSERT);
+		writer.setCollection("collection");
+
+		TransactionTemplate transactionTemplate = new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager);
+		transactionTemplate.setReadOnly(true);
+		transactionTemplate.execute((TransactionCallback<Void>) status -> {
+			assertDoesNotThrow(() -> writer.write(items));
+			return null;
+		});
+
+		verifyNoInteractions(template);
+		verifyNoInteractions(bulkOperations);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testRemoveModeNoObjectIdNoCollection() throws Exception {
+		writer.setMode(Mode.REMOVE);
+		Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), any(Class.class));
+		verify(bulkOperations, never()).remove(any(Query.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testRemoveModeNoObjectIdWithCollection() throws Exception {
+		writer.setMode(Mode.REMOVE);
+		Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item("Foo"), new Item("Bar"));
+
+		writer.setCollection("collection");
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), eq("collection"));
+		verify(bulkOperations, never()).remove(any(Query.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testRemoveModeNoTransactionNoCollection() throws Exception {
+		writer.setMode(Mode.REMOVE);
+		Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item(1), new Item(2));
+
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), any(Class.class));
+		verify(bulkOperations, times(2)).remove(any(Query.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testRemoveModeNoTransactionWithCollection() throws Exception {
+		writer.setMode(Mode.REMOVE);
+		Chunk<Object> items = Chunk.of(new Item(1), new Item(2));
+
+		writer.setCollection("collection");
+
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(template).bulkOps(any(), eq("collection"));
+		verify(bulkOperations, times(2)).remove(any(Query.class));
+	}
+
 	static class Item {
 
 		Integer id;