diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/common/types/rest_spec/fleet_setup.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/common/types/rest_spec/fleet_setup.ts
index ae4cb4e3fce49..50f275bd59137 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/common/types/rest_spec/fleet_setup.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/common/types/rest_spec/fleet_setup.ts
@@ -10,5 +10,10 @@ export interface CreateFleetSetupResponse {
 
 export interface GetFleetStatusResponse {
   isReady: boolean;
-  missing_requirements: Array<'tls_required' | 'api_keys' | 'fleet_admin_user'>;
+  missing_requirements: Array<
+    | 'tls_required'
+    | 'api_keys'
+    | 'fleet_admin_user'
+    | 'encrypted_saved_object_encryption_key_required'
+  >;
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/public/applications/ingest_manager/sections/fleet/setup_page/index.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/public/applications/ingest_manager/sections/fleet/setup_page/index.tsx
index ffab5866f3b6f..e9c9ce0c513d2 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/public/applications/ingest_manager/sections/fleet/setup_page/index.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/public/applications/ingest_manager/sections/fleet/setup_page/index.tsx
@@ -39,7 +39,9 @@ export const SetupPage: React.FunctionComponent<{
   };
 
   const content =
-    missingRequirements.includes('tls_required') || missingRequirements.includes('api_keys') ? (
+    missingRequirements.includes('tls_required') ||
+    missingRequirements.includes('api_keys') ||
+    missingRequirements.includes('encrypted_saved_object_encryption_key_required') ? (
       <>
         <EuiSpacer size="m" />
         <EuiIcon type="lock" color="subdued" size="xl" />
@@ -53,12 +55,13 @@ export const SetupPage: React.FunctionComponent<{
           </h2>
         </EuiTitle>
         <EuiSpacer size="xl" />
-        <EuiText color="subdued">
+        <EuiText color="subdued" textAlign={'left'}>
           <FormattedMessage
             id="xpack.ingestManager.setupPage.missingRequirementsDescription"
             defaultMessage="To use Fleet, you must enable the following features:
           {space}- Enable Elasticsearch API keys.
           {space}- Enable TLS to secure the communication between Agents and Kibana.
+          {space}- Set the encryption key for encrypted saved objects.
           "
             values={{
               space: <EuiSpacer size="m" />,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/plugin.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/plugin.ts
index cd44b61974b03..0d53092a0a8ff 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/plugin.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/plugin.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ export interface IngestManagerSetupDeps {
 export type IngestManagerStartDeps = object;
 
 export interface IngestManagerAppContext {
-  encryptedSavedObjects: EncryptedSavedObjectsPluginStart;
+  encryptedSavedObjectsStart: EncryptedSavedObjectsPluginStart;
+  encryptedSavedObjectsSetup?: EncryptedSavedObjectsPluginSetup;
   security?: SecurityPluginSetup;
   config$?: Observable<IngestManagerConfigType>;
   savedObjects: SavedObjectsServiceStart;
@@ -115,6 +116,7 @@ export class IngestManagerPlugin
   private isProductionMode: boolean;
   private kibanaVersion: string;
   private httpSetup: HttpServiceSetup | undefined;
+  private encryptedSavedObjectsSetup: EncryptedSavedObjectsPluginSetup | undefined;
 
   constructor(private readonly initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
     this.config$ = this.initializerContext.config.create<IngestManagerConfigType>();
@@ -129,6 +131,7 @@ export class IngestManagerPlugin
     if (deps.security) {
       this.security = deps.security;
     }
+    this.encryptedSavedObjectsSetup = deps.encryptedSavedObjects;
     this.cloud = deps.cloud;
 
     registerSavedObjects(core.savedObjects);
@@ -187,12 +190,22 @@ export class IngestManagerPlugin
       }
 
       if (config.fleet.enabled) {
-        registerAgentRoutes(router);
-        registerEnrollmentApiKeyRoutes(router);
-        registerInstallScriptRoutes({
-          router,
-          basePath: core.http.basePath,
-        });
+        const isESOUsingEphemeralEncryptionKey =
+          deps.encryptedSavedObjects.usingEphemeralEncryptionKey;
+        if (isESOUsingEphemeralEncryptionKey) {
+          if (this.logger) {
+            this.logger.warn(
+              'Fleet APIs are disabled due to the Encrypted Saved Objects plugin using an ephemeral encryption key. Please set xpack.encryptedSavedObjects.encryptionKey in kibana.yml.'
+            );
+          }
+        } else {
+          registerAgentRoutes(router);
+          registerEnrollmentApiKeyRoutes(router);
+          registerInstallScriptRoutes({
+            router,
+            basePath: core.http.basePath,
+          });
+        }
       }
     }
   }
@@ -204,7 +217,8 @@ export class IngestManagerPlugin
     }
   ) {
     appContextService.start({
-      encryptedSavedObjects: plugins.encryptedSavedObjects,
+      encryptedSavedObjectsStart: plugins.encryptedSavedObjects,
+      encryptedSavedObjectsSetup: this.encryptedSavedObjectsSetup,
       security: this.security,
       config$: this.config$,
       savedObjects: core.savedObjects,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.ts
index 30eb6c0ae8caa..9808343417390 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ export const getFleetStatusHandler: RequestHandler = async (context, request, re
     const isProductionMode = appContextService.getIsProductionMode();
     const isCloud = appContextService.getCloud()?.isCloudEnabled ?? false;
     const isTLSCheckDisabled = appContextService.getConfig()?.fleet?.tlsCheckDisabled ?? false;
+    const isUsingEphemeralEncryptionKey = appContextService.getEncryptedSavedObjectsSetup()
+      .usingEphemeralEncryptionKey;
 
     const missingRequirements: GetFleetStatusResponse['missing_requirements'] = [];
     if (!isAdminUserSetup) {
@@ -32,6 +34,10 @@ export const getFleetStatusHandler: RequestHandler = async (context, request, re
       missingRequirements.push('tls_required');
     }
 
+    if (isUsingEphemeralEncryptionKey) {
+      missingRequirements.push('encrypted_saved_object_encryption_key_required');
+    }
+
     const body: GetFleetStatusResponse = {
       isReady: missingRequirements.length === 0,
       missing_requirements: missingRequirements,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/agents/acks.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/agents/acks.test.ts
index 0d22529fdb031..efdcbdb5c36bb 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/agents/acks.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/agents/acks.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ describe('test agent acks services', () => {
     const mockSavedObjectsClient = savedObjectsClientMock.create();
     const mockStartEncryptedSOPlugin = encryptedSavedObjectsMock.createStart();
     appContextService.start(({
-      encryptedSavedObjects: mockStartEncryptedSOPlugin,
+      encryptedSavedObjectsStart: mockStartEncryptedSOPlugin,
     } as unknown) as IngestManagerAppContext);
 
     const [
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/app_context.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/app_context.ts
index 9e6220b6958f1..81a16caa8ce9e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/app_context.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/app_context.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 import { BehaviorSubject, Observable } from 'rxjs';
 import { first } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { SavedObjectsServiceStart, HttpServiceSetup, Logger } from 'src/core/server';
-import { EncryptedSavedObjectsClient } from '../../../encrypted_saved_objects/server';
+import {
+  EncryptedSavedObjectsClient,
+  EncryptedSavedObjectsPluginSetup,
+} from '../../../encrypted_saved_objects/server';
 import { SecurityPluginSetup } from '../../../security/server';
 import { IngestManagerConfigType } from '../../common';
 import { IngestManagerAppContext } from '../plugin';
@@ -14,6 +17,7 @@ import { CloudSetup } from '../../../cloud/server';
 
 class AppContextService {
   private encryptedSavedObjects: EncryptedSavedObjectsClient | undefined;
+  private encryptedSavedObjectsSetup: EncryptedSavedObjectsPluginSetup | undefined;
   private security: SecurityPluginSetup | undefined;
   private config$?: Observable<IngestManagerConfigType>;
   private configSubject$?: BehaviorSubject<IngestManagerConfigType>;
@@ -25,7 +29,8 @@ class AppContextService {
   private httpSetup?: HttpServiceSetup;
 
   public async start(appContext: IngestManagerAppContext) {
-    this.encryptedSavedObjects = appContext.encryptedSavedObjects?.getClient();
+    this.encryptedSavedObjects = appContext.encryptedSavedObjectsStart?.getClient();
+    this.encryptedSavedObjectsSetup = appContext.encryptedSavedObjectsSetup;
     this.security = appContext.security;
     this.savedObjects = appContext.savedObjects;
     this.isProductionMode = appContext.isProductionMode;
@@ -95,6 +100,14 @@ class AppContextService {
     return this.httpSetup;
   }
 
+  public getEncryptedSavedObjectsSetup() {
+    if (!this.encryptedSavedObjectsSetup) {
+      throw new Error('encryptedSavedObjectsSetup is not set');
+    }
+
+    return this.encryptedSavedObjectsSetup;
+  }
+
   public getKibanaVersion() {
     if (!this.kibanaVersion) {
       throw new Error('Kibana version is not set.');