diff --git a/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.test.ts b/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.test.ts
index f12a9a25caf0c..ae8fc7216ba27 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.test.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.test.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,12 @@
 import Stream, { PassThrough, Readable, Writable, Transform } from 'stream';
 import { createGzip } from 'zlib';
 
-import { createConcatStream, createListStream, createPromiseFromStreams } from '@kbn/utils';
+import {
+  createConcatStream,
+  createListStream,
+  createPromiseFromStreams,
+  kibanaPackageJson,
+} from '@kbn/utils';
 
 import { createParseArchiveStreams } from './parse';
 
@@ -54,6 +59,17 @@ describe('esArchiver createParseArchiveStreams', () => {
         expect(output).toEqual([{ a: 1 }, 1]);
       });
 
+      it('replaces $KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION with the current kibana version', async () => {
+        const output = await createPromiseFromStreams([
+          createListStream([
+            Buffer.from('{"$KIBANA'),
+            Buffer.from('_PACKAGE_VERSION": "enabled"}'),
+          ]),
+          ...createParseArchiveStreams({ gzip: false }),
+        ]);
+        return expect(output).toEqual({ [kibanaPackageJson.version]: 'enabled' });
+      });
+
       it('provides each JSON object as soon as it is parsed', async () => {
         let onReceived: (resolved: any) => void;
         const receivedPromise = new Promise((resolve) => (onReceived = resolve));
@@ -74,11 +90,13 @@ describe('esArchiver createParseArchiveStreams', () => {
           createConcatStream([]),
         ] as [Readable, ...Writable[]]);
 
-        input.write(Buffer.from('{"a": 1}\n\n{"a":'));
+        // before emitting a result, the buffer waits until it at least receives toReplace.length bytes
+        // so we need a long second object to ensure that the first gets emitted.
+        input.write(Buffer.from('{"a": 1}\n\n{"propertyNameLongerThanToReplace":'));
         expect(await receivedPromise).toEqual({ a: 1 });
         input.write(Buffer.from('2}'));
         input.end();
-        expect(await finalPromise).toEqual([{ a: 1 }, { a: 2 }]);
+        expect(await finalPromise).toEqual([{ a: 1 }, { propertyNameLongerThanToReplace: 2 }]);
       });
     });
 
@@ -136,6 +154,18 @@ describe('esArchiver createParseArchiveStreams', () => {
 
         expect(output).toEqual([{ a: 1 }, { a: 2 }]);
       });
+
+      it('replaces $KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION with the current kibana version', async () => {
+        const output = await createPromiseFromStreams([
+          createListStream([
+            Buffer.from('{"$KIBANA_PACKAGE'),
+            Buffer.from('_VERSION": "enabled"}'),
+          ]),
+          createGzip(),
+          ...createParseArchiveStreams({ gzip: true }),
+        ]);
+        return expect(output).toEqual({ [kibanaPackageJson.version]: 'enabled' });
+      });
     });
 
     it('parses blank files', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.ts b/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.ts
index e13f5667c6aee..a2657fbd661ad 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-es-archiver/src/lib/archives/parse.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   createSplitStream,
   createReplaceStream,
   createMapStream,
+  kibanaPackageJson,
 } from '@kbn/utils';
 
 import { RECORD_SEPARATOR } from './constants';
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ export function createParseArchiveStreams({ gzip = false } = {}) {
   return [
     gzip ? createGunzip() : new PassThrough(),
     createReplaceStream('\r\n', '\n'),
+    createReplaceStream('$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION', kibanaPackageJson.version),
     createSplitStream(RECORD_SEPARATOR),
     createFilterStream<string>((l) => !!l.match(/[^\s]/)),
     createMapStream<string>((json) => JSON.parse(json.trim())),
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/es_archives/saved_objects_management/spaces_integration/mappings.json b/x-pack/test/functional/es_archives/saved_objects_management/spaces_integration/mappings.json
index 617c1f3b50566..036dd7fad63f8 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/es_archives/saved_objects_management/spaces_integration/mappings.json
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/es_archives/saved_objects_management/spaces_integration/mappings.json
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
   "type": "index",
   "value": {
     "aliases": {
-      ".kibana_8.0.0": {},
+      ".kibana_$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION": {},
       ".kibana": {}
     },
-    "index": ".kibana_8.0.0_001",
+    "index": ".kibana_$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION_001",
     "mappings": {
       "dynamic": "false",
       "properties": {
diff --git a/x-pack/test/saved_object_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json b/x-pack/test/saved_object_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json
index 9e50f96296a94..12606562ab33b 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/saved_object_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json
+++ b/x-pack/test/saved_object_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
   "type": "index",
   "value": {
     "aliases": {
-      ".kibana_8.0.0": {},
+      ".kibana_$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION": {},
       ".kibana": {}
     },
-    "index": ".kibana_8.0.0_001",
+    "index": ".kibana_$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION_001",
     "mappings": {
       "dynamic": "false",
       "properties": {
diff --git a/x-pack/test/spaces_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json b/x-pack/test/spaces_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json
index 4d83411bc4840..3ef2af5f9cf7d 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/spaces_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json
+++ b/x-pack/test/spaces_api_integration/common/fixtures/es_archiver/saved_objects/spaces/mappings.json
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
   "type": "index",
   "value": {
     "aliases": {
-      ".kibana_8.0.0": {},
+      ".kibana_$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION": {},
       ".kibana": {}
     },
-    "index": ".kibana_8.0.0_001",
+    "index": ".kibana_$KIBANA_PACKAGE_VERSION_001",
     "mappings": {
       "dynamic": "false"
     },