diff --git a/src/core/public/http/fetch.ts b/src/core/public/http/fetch.ts
index cefaa353f7fa..d97512e75038 100644
--- a/src/core/public/http/fetch.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/http/fetch.ts
@@ -144,7 +144,6 @@ export class Fetch {
       headers: removedUndefined({
         'Content-Type': 'application/json',
         ...options.headers,
-        'osd-version': this.params.opensearchDashboardsVersion,
       }),
     };
 
@@ -158,6 +157,12 @@ export class Fetch {
       fetchOptions.headers['osd-system-request'] = 'true';
     }
 
+    // If base-path was explicitly asked to not be prepended, this must be an external call
+    // ToDo: Find out if the `osd-version` header serves any purpose
+    if (!shouldPrependBasePath) {
+      fetchOptions.headers['osd-version'] = this.params.opensearchDashboardsVersion;
+    }
+
     return new Request(url, fetchOptions as RequestInit);
   }