diff --git a/.ci/packer_cache.sh b/.ci/packer_cache.sh
index b697f22c009d1..3dc2b1da658cb 100755
--- a/.ci/packer_cache.sh
+++ b/.ci/packer_cache.sh
@@ -25,16 +25,6 @@ mkdir -p .chromedriver
 curl "https://chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com/$chromedriverDistVersion/chromedriver_linux64.zip" > .chromedriver/chromedriver.zip
 echo "$chromedriverPkgVersion" > .chromedriver/pkgVersion
 
-# cache the geckodriver archive
-geckodriverPkgVersion="$(node -e "console.log(require('./package.json').devDependencies.geckodriver)")"
-if [ -z "$geckodriverPkgVersion" ]; then
-  echo "UNABLE TO DETERMINE geckodriver VERSIONS"
-  exit 1
-fi
-mkdir -p ".geckodriver"
-cp "node_modules/geckodriver/geckodriver.tar.gz" .geckodriver/geckodriver.tar.gz
-echo "$geckodriverPkgVersion" > .geckodriver/pkgVersion
-
 # archive cacheable directories
 mkdir -p "$HOME/.kibana/bootstrap_cache"
 tar -cf "$HOME/.kibana/bootstrap_cache/$branch.tar" \
@@ -45,8 +35,7 @@ tar -cf "$HOME/.kibana/bootstrap_cache/$branch.tar" \
   x-pack/legacy/plugins/reporting/.chromium \
   test/plugin_functional/plugins/*/node_modules \
   .es \
-  .chromedriver \
-  .geckodriver;
+  .chromedriver;
 
 echo "created $HOME/.kibana/bootstrap_cache/$branch.tar"
 
diff --git a/src/dev/ci_setup/setup.sh b/src/dev/ci_setup/setup.sh
index 1af2f2748f1f3..b1b14095a8bc2 100755
--- a/src/dev/ci_setup/setup.sh
+++ b/src/dev/ci_setup/setup.sh
@@ -132,25 +132,8 @@ else
   echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
 fi
 
-###
-### use the geckodriver cache if it exists
-###
-if [ -d "$dir/.geckodriver" ]; then
-  branchPkgVersion="$(node -e "console.log(require('./package.json').devDependencies.geckodriver)")"
-  cachedPkgVersion="$(cat "$dir/.geckodriver/pkgVersion")"
-  if [ "$cachedPkgVersion" == "$branchPkgVersion" ]; then
-    export GECKODRIVER_FILEPATH="$dir/.geckodriver/geckodriver.tar.gz"
-    echo " -- Using geckodriver cache at '$GECKODRIVER_FILEPATH'"
-  else
-    echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
-    echo "  SKIPPING GECKODRIVER CACHE: cached($cachedPkgVersion) branch($branchPkgVersion)"
-    echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
-  fi
-else
-  echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
-  echo "  GECKODRIVER CACHE NOT FOUND"
-  echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
-fi
+# use a proxy to fetch geckodriver asset
+export GECKODRIVER_CDNURL="https://us-central1-elastic-kibana-184716.cloudfunctions.net/geckodriver_cache"
 
 ###
 ### install dependencies