diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/lib/auth/privileges.ts b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/lib/auth/privileges.ts
index 674e870c898bc..2a8fd057eb270 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/lib/auth/privileges.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/lib/auth/privileges.ts
@@ -10,15 +10,18 @@ import { ENTITY_INTERNAL_INDICES_PATTERN } from '../../../common/constants_entit
 import { SO_ENTITY_DEFINITION_TYPE, SO_ENTITY_DISCOVERY_API_KEY_TYPE } from '../../saved_objects';
 import { BUILT_IN_ALLOWED_INDICES } from '../entities/built_in/constants';
 
-export const canManageEntityDefinition = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) => {
+export const canManageEntityDefinition = async (
+  client: ElasticsearchClient,
+  sourceIndices: string[]
+) => {
   const { has_all_requested: hasAllRequested } = await client.security.hasPrivileges({
-    body: entityDefinitionRuntimePrivileges,
+    body: entityDefinitionRuntimePrivileges(sourceIndices),
   });
 
   return hasAllRequested;
 };
 
-const canDeleteEntityDefinition = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) => {
+export const canDeleteEntityDefinition = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) => {
   const { has_all_requested: hasAllRequested } = await client.security.hasPrivileges({
     body: entityDefinitionDeletionPrivileges,
   });
@@ -43,9 +46,10 @@ const canDeleteAPIKey = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) => {
 };
 
 export const canEnableEntityDiscovery = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) => {
-  return Promise.all([canManageAPIKey(client), canManageEntityDefinition(client)]).then((results) =>
-    results.every(Boolean)
-  );
+  return Promise.all([
+    canManageAPIKey(client),
+    canManageEntityDefinition(client, BUILT_IN_ALLOWED_INDICES),
+  ]).then((results) => results.every(Boolean));
 };
 
 export const canDisableEntityDiscovery = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) => {
@@ -54,7 +58,7 @@ export const canDisableEntityDiscovery = async (client: ElasticsearchClient) =>
   );
 };
 
-export const entityDefinitionRuntimePrivileges = {
+export const entityDefinitionRuntimePrivileges = (sourceIndices: string[]) => ({
   cluster: ['manage_transform', 'manage_ingest_pipelines', 'manage_index_templates'],
   index: [
     {
@@ -73,7 +77,7 @@ export const entityDefinitionRuntimePrivileges = {
       resources: ['*'],
     },
   ],
-};
+});
 
 export const entityDefinitionDeletionPrivileges = {
   cluster: ['manage_transform', 'manage_ingest_pipelines', 'manage_index_templates'],
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/create.ts b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/create.ts
index 04bc75568d240..a22916f3e69f7 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/create.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/create.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { EntityIdConflict } from '../../lib/entities/errors/entity_id_conflict_e
 import { EntitySecurityException } from '../../lib/entities/errors/entity_security_exception';
 import { InvalidTransformError } from '../../lib/entities/errors/invalid_transform_error';
 import { createEntityManagerServerRoute } from '../create_entity_manager_server_route';
+import { canManageEntityDefinition } from '../../lib/auth';
 
 /**
  * @openapi
@@ -62,8 +63,22 @@ export const createEntityDefinitionRoute = createEntityManagerServerRoute({
     query: createEntityDefinitionQuerySchema,
     body: entityDefinitionSchema,
   }),
-  handler: async ({ request, response, params, logger, getScopedClient }) => {
+  handler: async ({ context, request, response, params, logger, getScopedClient }) => {
     try {
+      const currentUserClient = (await context.core).elasticsearch.client.asCurrentUser;
+      const isAuthorized = await canManageEntityDefinition(
+        currentUserClient,
+        params.body.indexPatterns
+      );
+      if (!isAuthorized) {
+        return response.forbidden({
+          body: {
+            message:
+              'Current Kibana user does not have the required permissions to create the entity definition',
+          },
+        });
+      }
+
       const client = await getScopedClient({ request });
       const definition = await client.createEntityDefinition({
         definition: params.body,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/delete.ts b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/delete.ts
index abc9ed4782428..ff5b9624dbb3c 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/delete.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/delete.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { EntityDefinitionNotFound } from '../../lib/entities/errors/entity_not_f
 import { EntitySecurityException } from '../../lib/entities/errors/entity_security_exception';
 import { InvalidTransformError } from '../../lib/entities/errors/invalid_transform_error';
 import { createEntityManagerServerRoute } from '../create_entity_manager_server_route';
+import { canDeleteEntityDefinition } from '../../lib/auth/privileges';
 
 /**
  * @openapi
@@ -64,8 +65,19 @@ export const deleteEntityDefinitionRoute = createEntityManagerServerRoute({
     path: deleteEntityDefinitionParamsSchema,
     query: deleteEntityDefinitionQuerySchema,
   }),
-  handler: async ({ request, response, params, logger, getScopedClient }) => {
+  handler: async ({ context, request, response, params, logger, getScopedClient }) => {
     try {
+      const currentUserClient = (await context.core).elasticsearch.client.asCurrentUser;
+      const isAuthorized = await canDeleteEntityDefinition(currentUserClient);
+      if (!isAuthorized) {
+        return response.forbidden({
+          body: {
+            message:
+              'Current Kibana user does not have the required permissions to delete the entity definition',
+          },
+        });
+      }
+
       const client = await getScopedClient({ request });
       await client.deleteEntityDefinition({
         id: params.path.id,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/update.ts b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/update.ts
index e9cf4341bae99..f1118028cda93 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/update.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/entity_manager/server/routes/entities/update.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import { InvalidTransformError } from '../../lib/entities/errors/invalid_transfo
 import { createEntityManagerServerRoute } from '../create_entity_manager_server_route';
 import { EntityDefinitionNotFound } from '../../lib/entities/errors/entity_not_found';
 import { EntityDefinitionUpdateConflict } from '../../lib/entities/errors/entity_definition_update_conflict';
+import { findEntityDefinitionById } from '../../lib/entities/find_entity_definition';
+import { canManageEntityDefinition } from '../../lib/auth';
 
 /**
  * @openapi
@@ -65,10 +67,32 @@ export const updateEntityDefinitionRoute = createEntityManagerServerRoute({
     path: z.object({ id: z.string() }),
     body: entityDefinitionUpdateSchema,
   }),
-  handler: async ({ request, response, params, logger, getScopedClient }) => {
-    const entityClient = await getScopedClient({ request });
-
+  handler: async ({ context, request, response, params, logger, getScopedClient }) => {
     try {
+      const core = await context.core;
+      const definition = await findEntityDefinitionById({
+        id: params.path.id,
+        esClient: core.elasticsearch.client.asCurrentUser,
+        soClient: core.savedObjects.client,
+      });
+      if (!definition) {
+        throw new EntityDefinitionNotFound(`Unable to find entity definition [${params.path.id}]`);
+      }
+
+      const isAuthorized = await canManageEntityDefinition(
+        core.elasticsearch.client.asCurrentUser,
+        params.body.indexPatterns ?? definition.indexPatterns
+      );
+      if (!isAuthorized) {
+        return response.forbidden({
+          body: {
+            message:
+              'Current Kibana user does not have the required permissions to update the entity definition',
+          },
+        });
+      }
+
+      const entityClient = await getScopedClient({ request });
       const updatedDefinition = await entityClient.updateEntityDefinition({
         id: params.path.id,
         definitionUpdate: params.body,