diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.doclinks.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.doclinks.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b239319c427f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.doclinks.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
+
+[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [CoreSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.md) &gt; [docLinks](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.doclinks.md)
+
+## CoreSetup.docLinks property
+
+[DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md)
+
+<b>Signature:</b>
+
+```typescript
+docLinks: DocLinksSetup;
+```
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.md
index 870fa33dce90..4f981b5a4013 100644
--- a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.md
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.md
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export interface CoreSetup<TPluginsStart extends object = object, TStart = unkno
 |  --- | --- | --- |
 |  [application](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.application.md) | <code>ApplicationSetup</code> | [ApplicationSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.applicationsetup.md) |
 |  [context](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.context.md) | <code>ContextSetup</code> | [ContextSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.contextsetup.md) |
+|  [docLinks](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.doclinks.md) | <code>DocLinksSetup</code> | [DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md) |
 |  [fatalErrors](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.fatalerrors.md) | <code>FatalErrorsSetup</code> | [FatalErrorsSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.fatalerrorssetup.md) |
 |  [getStartServices](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.getstartservices.md) | <code>StartServicesAccessor&lt;TPluginsStart, TStart&gt;</code> | [StartServicesAccessor](./kibana-plugin-core-public.startservicesaccessor.md) |
 |  [http](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.http.md) | <code>HttpSetup</code> | [HttpSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.httpsetup.md) |
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.doc_link_version.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.doc_link_version.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c8d13bab92b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.doc_link_version.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
+
+[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md) &gt; [DOC\_LINK\_VERSION](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.doc_link_version.md)
+
+## DocLinksSetup.DOC\_LINK\_VERSION property
+
+<b>Signature:</b>
+
+```typescript
+readonly DOC_LINK_VERSION: string;
+```
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.elastic_website_url.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.elastic_website_url.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d8493148bae1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.elastic_website_url.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
+
+[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md) &gt; [ELASTIC\_WEBSITE\_URL](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.elastic_website_url.md)
+
+## DocLinksSetup.ELASTIC\_WEBSITE\_URL property
+
+<b>Signature:</b>
+
+```typescript
+readonly ELASTIC_WEBSITE_URL: string;
+```
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.links.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.links.md
similarity index 94%
rename from docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.links.md
rename to docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.links.md
index b43c484f8de7..fd05ae139ba2 100644
--- a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.links.md
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.links.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
 
-[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md) &gt; [links](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.links.md)
+[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md) &gt; [links](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.links.md)
 
-## DocLinksStart.links property
+## DocLinksSetup.links property
 
 <b>Signature:</b>
 
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1114e05589c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
+
+[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md)
+
+## DocLinksSetup interface
+
+
+<b>Signature:</b>
+
+```typescript
+export interface DocLinksSetup 
+```
+
+## Properties
+
+|  Property | Type | Description |
+|  --- | --- | --- |
+|  [DOC\_LINK\_VERSION](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.doc_link_version.md) | <code>string</code> |  |
+|  [ELASTIC\_WEBSITE\_URL](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.elastic_website_url.md) | <code>string</code> |  |
+|  [links](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.links.md) | <code>{</code><br/><code>        readonly filebeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly installation: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly configuration: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly elasticsearchOutput: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly startup: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly exportedFields: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly auditbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly metricbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly heartbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly logstash: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly functionbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly winlogbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly aggs: {</code><br/><code>            readonly date_histogram: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly date_range: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly filter: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly filters: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly geohash_grid: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly histogram: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly ip_range: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly range: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly significant_terms: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly terms: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly avg: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly avg_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly max_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly min_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly sum_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly cardinality: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly count: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly cumulative_sum: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly derivative: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly geo_bounds: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly geo_centroid: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly max: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly median: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly min: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly moving_avg: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly percentile_ranks: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly serial_diff: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly std_dev: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly sum: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly top_hits: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly scriptedFields: {</code><br/><code>            readonly scriptFields: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly scriptAggs: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly painless: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly painlessApi: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly painlessSyntax: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly luceneExpressions: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly indexPatterns: {</code><br/><code>            readonly loadingData: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly introduction: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly kibana: string;</code><br/><code>        readonly siem: {</code><br/><code>            readonly guide: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly gettingStarted: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly query: {</code><br/><code>            readonly luceneQuerySyntax: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly queryDsl: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly kueryQuerySyntax: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly date: {</code><br/><code>            readonly dateMath: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly management: Record&lt;string, string&gt;;</code><br/><code>    }</code> |  |
+
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.doc_link_version.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.doc_link_version.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 8140b3fcf380..000000000000
--- a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.doc_link_version.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
-
-[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md) &gt; [DOC\_LINK\_VERSION](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.doc_link_version.md)
-
-## DocLinksStart.DOC\_LINK\_VERSION property
-
-<b>Signature:</b>
-
-```typescript
-readonly DOC_LINK_VERSION: string;
-```
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.elastic_website_url.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.elastic_website_url.md
deleted file mode 100644
index af770ed3055a..000000000000
--- a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.elastic_website_url.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
-
-[Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md) &gt; [ELASTIC\_WEBSITE\_URL](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.elastic_website_url.md)
-
-## DocLinksStart.ELASTIC\_WEBSITE\_URL property
-
-<b>Signature:</b>
-
-```typescript
-readonly ELASTIC_WEBSITE_URL: string;
-```
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md
index 69bc4e473590..af2a41b69172 100644
--- a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md
@@ -2,20 +2,11 @@
 
 [Home](./index.md) &gt; [kibana-plugin-core-public](./kibana-plugin-core-public.md) &gt; [DocLinksStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md)
 
-## DocLinksStart interface
+## DocLinksStart type
 
 
 <b>Signature:</b>
 
 ```typescript
-export interface DocLinksStart 
+export declare type DocLinksStart = DocLinksSetup;
 ```
-
-## Properties
-
-|  Property | Type | Description |
-|  --- | --- | --- |
-|  [DOC\_LINK\_VERSION](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.doc_link_version.md) | <code>string</code> |  |
-|  [ELASTIC\_WEBSITE\_URL](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.elastic_website_url.md) | <code>string</code> |  |
-|  [links](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.links.md) | <code>{</code><br/><code>        readonly filebeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly installation: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly configuration: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly elasticsearchOutput: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly startup: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly exportedFields: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly auditbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly metricbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly heartbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly logstash: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly functionbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly winlogbeat: {</code><br/><code>            readonly base: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly aggs: {</code><br/><code>            readonly date_histogram: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly date_range: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly filter: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly filters: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly geohash_grid: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly histogram: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly ip_range: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly range: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly significant_terms: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly terms: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly avg: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly avg_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly max_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly min_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly sum_bucket: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly cardinality: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly count: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly cumulative_sum: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly derivative: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly geo_bounds: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly geo_centroid: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly max: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly median: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly min: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly moving_avg: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly percentile_ranks: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly serial_diff: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly std_dev: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly sum: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly top_hits: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly scriptedFields: {</code><br/><code>            readonly scriptFields: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly scriptAggs: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly painless: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly painlessApi: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly painlessSyntax: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly luceneExpressions: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly indexPatterns: {</code><br/><code>            readonly loadingData: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly introduction: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly kibana: string;</code><br/><code>        readonly siem: {</code><br/><code>            readonly guide: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly gettingStarted: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly query: {</code><br/><code>            readonly luceneQuerySyntax: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly queryDsl: string;</code><br/><code>            readonly kueryQuerySyntax: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly date: {</code><br/><code>            readonly dateMath: string;</code><br/><code>        };</code><br/><code>        readonly management: Record&lt;string, string&gt;;</code><br/><code>    }</code> |  |
-
diff --git a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.md b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.md
index eafc81447ee0..b2524ec48c75 100644
--- a/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.md
+++ b/docs/development/core/public/kibana-plugin-core-public.md
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ The plugin integrates with the core system via lifecycle events: `setup`<!-- -->
 |  [ContextSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.contextsetup.md) | An object that handles registration of context providers and configuring handlers with context. |
 |  [CoreSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.coresetup.md) | Core services exposed to the <code>Plugin</code> setup lifecycle |
 |  [CoreStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.corestart.md) | Core services exposed to the <code>Plugin</code> start lifecycle |
-|  [DocLinksStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md) |  |
+|  [DocLinksSetup](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinkssetup.md) |  |
 |  [EnvironmentMode](./kibana-plugin-core-public.environmentmode.md) |  |
 |  [ErrorToastOptions](./kibana-plugin-core-public.errortoastoptions.md) | Options available for [IToasts](./kibana-plugin-core-public.itoasts.md) error APIs. |
 |  [FatalErrorInfo](./kibana-plugin-core-public.fatalerrorinfo.md) | Represents the <code>message</code> and <code>stack</code> of a fatal Error |
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ The plugin integrates with the core system via lifecycle events: `setup`<!-- -->
 |  [ChromeHelpExtensionMenuGitHubLink](./kibana-plugin-core-public.chromehelpextensionmenugithublink.md) |  |
 |  [ChromeHelpExtensionMenuLink](./kibana-plugin-core-public.chromehelpextensionmenulink.md) |  |
 |  [ChromeNavLinkUpdateableFields](./kibana-plugin-core-public.chromenavlinkupdateablefields.md) |  |
+|  [DocLinksStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.doclinksstart.md) |  |
 |  [FatalErrorsStart](./kibana-plugin-core-public.fatalerrorsstart.md) | FatalErrors stop the Kibana Public Core and displays a fatal error screen with details about the Kibana build and the error. |
 |  [Freezable](./kibana-plugin-core-public.freezable.md) |  |
 |  [HandlerContextType](./kibana-plugin-core-public.handlercontexttype.md) | Extracts the type of the first argument of a [HandlerFunction](./kibana-plugin-core-public.handlerfunction.md) to represent the type of the context. |
diff --git a/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts b/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts
index a42719417a2b..2979dd7661e5 100644
--- a/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts
@@ -197,6 +197,11 @@ describe('#setup()', () => {
     expect(MockInjectedMetadataService.setup).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it('calls docLinks#setup()', async () => {
+    await setupCore();
+    expect(MockDocLinksService.setup).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
   it('calls http#setup()', async () => {
     await setupCore();
     expect(MockHttpService.setup).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
diff --git a/src/core/public/core_system.ts b/src/core/public/core_system.ts
index e58114b69dcc..46e1ecb83e9e 100644
--- a/src/core/public/core_system.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/core_system.ts
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ export class CoreSystem {
         i18n: this.i18n.getContext(),
       });
       await this.integrations.setup();
+      const docLinks = this.docLinks.setup({ injectedMetadata });
       const http = this.http.setup({ injectedMetadata, fatalErrors: this.fatalErrorsSetup });
       const uiSettings = this.uiSettings.setup({ http, injectedMetadata });
       const notifications = this.notifications.setup({ uiSettings });
@@ -180,6 +181,7 @@ export class CoreSystem {
       const core: InternalCoreSetup = {
         application,
         context,
+        docLinks,
         fatalErrors: this.fatalErrorsSetup,
         http,
         injectedMetadata,
@@ -211,7 +213,7 @@ export class CoreSystem {
     try {
       const injectedMetadata = await this.injectedMetadata.start();
       const uiSettings = await this.uiSettings.start();
-      const docLinks = await this.docLinks.start({ injectedMetadata });
+      const docLinks = this.docLinks.start();
       const http = await this.http.start();
       const savedObjects = await this.savedObjects.start({ http });
       const i18n = await this.i18n.start();
diff --git a/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.mock.ts b/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.mock.ts
index 239249f40fe6..9edcf2e3c799 100644
--- a/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.mock.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.mock.ts
@@ -18,21 +18,25 @@
  */
 
 import { injectedMetadataServiceMock } from '../injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.mock';
-import { DocLinksService, DocLinksStart } from './doc_links_service';
+import { DocLinksService, DocLinksSetup, DocLinksStart } from './doc_links_service';
 
-const createStartContractMock = (): DocLinksStart => {
+const createSetupContractMock = (): DocLinksSetup => {
   // This service is so simple that we actually use the real implementation
   const injectedMetadata = injectedMetadataServiceMock.createStartContract();
   injectedMetadata.getKibanaBranch.mockReturnValue('mocked-test-branch');
-  return new DocLinksService().start({ injectedMetadata });
+  return new DocLinksService().setup({ injectedMetadata });
 };
 
+const createStartContractMock: () => DocLinksStart = createSetupContractMock;
+
 type DocLinksServiceContract = PublicMethodsOf<DocLinksService>;
 const createMock = (): jest.Mocked<DocLinksServiceContract> => ({
+  setup: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(createSetupContractMock()),
   start: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(createStartContractMock()),
 });
 
 export const docLinksServiceMock = {
   create: createMock,
+  createSetupContract: createSetupContractMock,
   createStartContract: createStartContractMock,
 };
diff --git a/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.test.ts
index 283bfa9e2771..4c5d6bcde8b7 100644
--- a/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.test.ts
@@ -20,15 +20,33 @@
 import { DocLinksService } from './doc_links_service';
 import { injectedMetadataServiceMock } from '../injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.mock';
 
-describe('DocLinksService#start()', () => {
+describe('DocLinksService#setup()', () => {
   it('templates the doc links with the branch information from injectedMetadata', () => {
     const injectedMetadata = injectedMetadataServiceMock.createStartContract();
     injectedMetadata.getKibanaBranch.mockReturnValue('test-branch');
     const service = new DocLinksService();
-    const start = service.start({ injectedMetadata });
-    expect(start.DOC_LINK_VERSION).toEqual('test-branch');
-    expect(start.links.kibana).toEqual(
+    const setup = service.setup({ injectedMetadata });
+    expect(setup.DOC_LINK_VERSION).toEqual('test-branch');
+    expect(setup.links.kibana).toEqual(
       'https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/test-branch/index.html'
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe('DocLinksService#start()', () => {
+  it('returns the same data as setup', () => {
+    const injectedMetadata = injectedMetadataServiceMock.createStartContract();
+    injectedMetadata.getKibanaBranch.mockReturnValue('test-branch');
+    const service = new DocLinksService();
+    const setup = service.setup({ injectedMetadata });
+    const start = service.start();
+    expect(setup).toEqual(start);
+  });
+
+  it('must be called after setup', () => {
+    const service = new DocLinksService();
+    expect(() => {
+      service.start();
+    }).toThrowErrorMatchingInlineSnapshot(`"DocLinksService#setup() must be called first!"`);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.ts b/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.ts
index 9b672d40961d..aeeb8c3342e4 100644
--- a/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/doc_links/doc_links_service.ts
@@ -17,21 +17,23 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
-import { InjectedMetadataStart } from '../injected_metadata';
+import { InjectedMetadataSetup } from '../injected_metadata';
 import { deepFreeze } from '../../utils';
 
-interface StartDeps {
-  injectedMetadata: InjectedMetadataStart;
+interface SetupDeps {
+  injectedMetadata: InjectedMetadataSetup;
 }
 
 /** @internal */
 export class DocLinksService {
-  public start({ injectedMetadata }: StartDeps): DocLinksStart {
+  private service?: DocLinksSetup;
+
+  public setup({ injectedMetadata }: SetupDeps): DocLinksSetup {
     const DOC_LINK_VERSION = injectedMetadata.getKibanaBranch();
     const ELASTIC_WEBSITE_URL = 'https://www.elastic.co/';
     const ELASTICSEARCH_DOCS = `${ELASTIC_WEBSITE_URL}guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/${DOC_LINK_VERSION}/`;
 
-    return deepFreeze({
+    this.service = deepFreeze({
       DOC_LINK_VERSION,
       ELASTIC_WEBSITE_URL,
       links: {
@@ -124,11 +126,21 @@ export class DocLinksService {
         },
       },
     });
+
+    return this.service;
+  }
+
+  public start(): DocLinksStart {
+    if (!this.service) {
+      throw new Error(`DocLinksService#setup() must be called first!`);
+    }
+
+    return this.service;
   }
 }
 
 /** @public */
-export interface DocLinksStart {
+export interface DocLinksSetup {
   readonly DOC_LINK_VERSION: string;
   readonly ELASTIC_WEBSITE_URL: string;
   readonly links: {
@@ -218,3 +230,6 @@ export interface DocLinksStart {
     readonly management: Record<string, string>;
   };
 }
+
+/** @public */
+export type DocLinksStart = DocLinksSetup;
diff --git a/src/core/public/doc_links/index.ts b/src/core/public/doc_links/index.ts
index fe49d4a7c6a5..fbfa9db5635d 100644
--- a/src/core/public/doc_links/index.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/doc_links/index.ts
@@ -17,4 +17,4 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
-export { DocLinksService, DocLinksStart } from './doc_links_service';
+export { DocLinksService, DocLinksSetup, DocLinksStart } from './doc_links_service';
diff --git a/src/core/public/index.ts b/src/core/public/index.ts
index 3b2d9ed3c0b0..3698fdcfe951 100644
--- a/src/core/public/index.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/index.ts
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ import { OverlayStart } from './overlays';
 import { Plugin, PluginInitializer, PluginInitializerContext, PluginOpaqueId } from './plugins';
 import { UiSettingsState, IUiSettingsClient } from './ui_settings';
 import { ApplicationSetup, Capabilities, ApplicationStart } from './application';
-import { DocLinksStart } from './doc_links';
+import { DocLinksSetup, DocLinksStart } from './doc_links';
 import { SavedObjectsStart } from './saved_objects';
 export { PackageInfo, EnvironmentMode } from '../server/types';
 import {
@@ -208,6 +208,8 @@ export interface CoreSetup<TPluginsStart extends object = object, TStart = unkno
    * @deprecated
    */
   context: ContextSetup;
+  /** {@link DocLinksSetup} */
+  docLinks: DocLinksSetup;
   /** {@link FatalErrorsSetup} */
   fatalErrors: FatalErrorsSetup;
   /** {@link HttpSetup} */
@@ -338,6 +340,7 @@ export {
   HandlerParameters,
   IContextProvider,
   ContextSetup,
+  DocLinksSetup,
   DocLinksStart,
   FatalErrorInfo,
   FatalErrorsSetup,
diff --git a/src/core/public/legacy/legacy_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/legacy/legacy_service.test.ts
index fa29320aab4e..cb29abc9b0cc 100644
--- a/src/core/public/legacy/legacy_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/legacy/legacy_service.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import { contextServiceMock } from '../context/context_service.mock';
 
 const applicationSetup = applicationServiceMock.createInternalSetupContract();
 const contextSetup = contextServiceMock.createSetupContract();
+const docLinksSetup = docLinksServiceMock.createSetupContract();
 const fatalErrorsSetup = fatalErrorsServiceMock.createSetupContract();
 const httpSetup = httpServiceMock.createSetupContract();
 const injectedMetadataSetup = injectedMetadataServiceMock.createSetupContract();
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ const defaultSetupDeps = {
   core: {
     application: applicationSetup,
     context: contextSetup,
+    docLinks: docLinksSetup,
     fatalErrors: fatalErrorsSetup,
     injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataSetup,
     notifications: notificationsSetup,
diff --git a/src/core/public/mocks.ts b/src/core/public/mocks.ts
index 959ffaa7e7e0..2f7f6fae9443 100644
--- a/src/core/public/mocks.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/mocks.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ function createCoreSetupMock({
   const mock = {
     application: applicationServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
     context: contextServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
+    docLinks: docLinksServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
     fatalErrors: fatalErrorsServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
     getStartServices: jest.fn<Promise<[ReturnType<typeof createCoreStartMock>, any, any]>, []>(() =>
       Promise.resolve([createCoreStartMock({ basePath }), pluginStartDeps, pluginStartContract])
diff --git a/src/core/public/plugins/plugin_context.ts b/src/core/public/plugins/plugin_context.ts
index 19cfadf70be1..c4b3c929415e 100644
--- a/src/core/public/plugins/plugin_context.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/plugins/plugin_context.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ export function createPluginSetupContext<
         deps.application.registerMountContext(plugin.opaqueId, contextName, provider),
     },
     context: deps.context,
+    docLinks: deps.docLinks,
     fatalErrors: deps.fatalErrors,
     http: deps.http,
     notifications: deps.notifications,
diff --git a/src/core/public/plugins/plugins_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/plugins/plugins_service.test.ts
index 6d71844bc19c..6c5ab5fcedcf 100644
--- a/src/core/public/plugins/plugins_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/plugins/plugins_service.test.ts
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ describe('PluginsService', () => {
     mockSetupDeps = {
       application: applicationServiceMock.createInternalSetupContract(),
       context: contextServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
+      docLinks: docLinksServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
       fatalErrors: fatalErrorsServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
       http: httpServiceMock.createSetupContract(),
       injectedMetadata: pick(injectedMetadataServiceMock.createStartContract(), 'getInjectedVar'),
diff --git a/src/core/public/public.api.md b/src/core/public/public.api.md
index 225ef611c029..fbd8f474151f 100644
--- a/src/core/public/public.api.md
+++ b/src/core/public/public.api.md
@@ -383,6 +383,8 @@ export interface CoreSetup<TPluginsStart extends object = object, TStart = unkno
     // @deprecated (undocumented)
     context: ContextSetup;
     // (undocumented)
+    docLinks: DocLinksSetup;
+    // (undocumented)
     fatalErrors: FatalErrorsSetup;
     // (undocumented)
     getStartServices: StartServicesAccessor<TPluginsStart, TStart>;
@@ -471,7 +473,7 @@ export const DEFAULT_APP_CATEGORIES: Readonly<{
 }>;
 
 // @public (undocumented)
-export interface DocLinksStart {
+export interface DocLinksSetup {
     // (undocumented)
     readonly DOC_LINK_VERSION: string;
     // (undocumented)
@@ -565,6 +567,9 @@ export interface DocLinksStart {
     };
 }
 
+// @public (undocumented)
+export type DocLinksStart = DocLinksSetup;
+
 // @public (undocumented)
 export interface EnvironmentMode {
     // (undocumented)