diff --git a/src/core/server/integration_tests/http/lifecycle_handlers.test.ts b/src/core/server/integration_tests/http/lifecycle_handlers.test.ts
index 2ba0aa0e6f8e4..912618b91739d 100644
--- a/src/core/server/integration_tests/http/lifecycle_handlers.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/integration_tests/http/lifecycle_handlers.test.ts
@@ -7,14 +7,10 @@
  */
 
 import supertest from 'supertest';
-import moment from 'moment';
 import { kibanaPackageJson } from '@kbn/repo-info';
-import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs';
-import { ByteSizeValue } from '@kbn/config-schema';
-import { configServiceMock } from '@kbn/config-mocks';
 import type { IRouter, RouteRegistrar } from '@kbn/core-http-server';
 import { contextServiceMock } from '@kbn/core-http-context-server-mocks';
-import { createHttpServer } from '@kbn/core-http-server-mocks';
+import { createConfigService, createHttpServer } from '@kbn/core-http-server-mocks';
 import { HttpService, HttpServerSetup } from '@kbn/core-http-server-internal';
 import { executionContextServiceMock } from '@kbn/core-execution-context-server-mocks';
 
@@ -31,97 +27,29 @@ const setupDeps = {
   executionContext: executionContextServiceMock.createInternalSetupContract(),
 };
 
-interface HttpConfigTestOptions {
-  enabled?: boolean;
-}
-const setUpDefaultServerConfig = ({ enabled }: HttpConfigTestOptions = {}) =>
-  ({
-    hosts: ['localhost'],
-    maxPayload: new ByteSizeValue(1024),
-    shutdownTimeout: moment.duration(30, 'seconds'),
-    autoListen: true,
-    ssl: {
-      enabled: false,
-    },
-    cors: {
-      enabled: false,
-    },
-    compression: { enabled: true, brotli: { enabled: false } },
-    name: kibanaName,
-    securityResponseHeaders: {
-      // reflects default config
-      strictTransportSecurity: null,
-      xContentTypeOptions: 'nosniff',
-      referrerPolicy: 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin',
-      permissionsPolicy: null,
-      crossOriginOpenerPolicy: 'same-origin',
-    },
-    customResponseHeaders: {
-      'some-header': 'some-value',
-      'referrer-policy': 'strict-origin', // overrides a header that is defined by securityResponseHeaders
-    },
-    xsrf: { disableProtection: false, allowlist: [allowlistedTestPath] },
-    requestId: {
-      allowFromAnyIp: true,
-      ipAllowlist: [],
-    },
-    restrictInternalApis: enabled ?? false, // reflects default for public routes
-  } as any);
-
 describe('core lifecycle handlers', () => {
   let server: HttpService;
   let innerServer: HttpServerSetup['server'];
   let router: IRouter;
 
   beforeEach(async () => {
-    const configService = configServiceMock.create();
-    configService.atPath.mockImplementation((path) => {
-      if (path === 'server') {
-        return new BehaviorSubject({
-          hosts: ['localhost'],
-          maxPayload: new ByteSizeValue(1024),
-          shutdownTimeout: moment.duration(30, 'seconds'),
-          autoListen: true,
-          ssl: {
-            enabled: false,
-          },
-          cors: {
-            enabled: false,
-          },
-          compression: { enabled: true, brotli: { enabled: false } },
-          name: kibanaName,
-          securityResponseHeaders: {
-            // reflects default config
-            strictTransportSecurity: null,
-            xContentTypeOptions: 'nosniff',
-            referrerPolicy: 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin',
-            permissionsPolicy: null,
-            crossOriginOpenerPolicy: 'same-origin',
-          },
-          customResponseHeaders: {
-            'some-header': 'some-value',
-            'referrer-policy': 'strict-origin', // overrides a header that is defined by securityResponseHeaders
-          },
-          xsrf: { disableProtection: false, allowlist: [allowlistedTestPath] },
-          requestId: {
-            allowFromAnyIp: true,
-            ipAllowlist: [],
-          },
-        } as any);
-      }
-      if (path === 'externalUrl') {
-        return new BehaviorSubject({
-          policy: [],
-        } as any);
-      }
-      if (path === 'csp') {
-        return new BehaviorSubject({
-          strict: false,
-          disableEmbedding: false,
-          warnLegacyBrowsers: true,
-        });
-      }
-      throw new Error(`Unexpected config path: ${path}`);
+    const configService = createConfigService({
+      server: {
+        name: kibanaName,
+        securityResponseHeaders: {
+          // reflects default config
+          strictTransportSecurity: null,
+          xContentTypeOptions: 'nosniff',
+          referrerPolicy: 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin',
+          permissionsPolicy: null,
+          crossOriginOpenerPolicy: 'same-origin',
+        } as any,
+        customResponseHeaders: {
+          'some-header': 'some-value',
+          'referrer-policy': 'strict-origin', // overrides a header that is defined by securityResponseHeaders
+        },
+        xsrf: { disableProtection: false, allowlist: [allowlistedTestPath] },
+      },
     });
     server = createHttpServer({ configService });
 
@@ -321,32 +249,13 @@ describe('core lifecycle handlers', () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe('core lifecyle handers with restrict internal routes enforced', () => {
+describe('core lifecycle handlers with restrict internal routes enforced', () => {
   let server: HttpService;
   let innerServer: HttpServerSetup['server'];
   let router: IRouter;
 
   beforeEach(async () => {
-    const configService = configServiceMock.create();
-    configService.atPath.mockImplementation((path) => {
-      if (path === 'server') {
-        return new BehaviorSubject(setUpDefaultServerConfig({ enabled: true }));
-      }
-      if (path === 'externalUrl') {
-        return new BehaviorSubject({
-          policy: [],
-        } as any);
-      }
-      if (path === 'csp') {
-        return new BehaviorSubject({
-          strict: false,
-          disableEmbedding: false,
-          warnLegacyBrowsers: true,
-        });
-      }
-
-      throw new Error(`Unexpected config path: ${path}`);
-    });
+    const configService = createConfigService({ server: { restrictInternalApis: true } });
     server = createHttpServer({ configService });
 
     await server.preboot({ context: contextServiceMock.createPrebootContract() });
@@ -391,3 +300,45 @@ describe('core lifecyle handers with restrict internal routes enforced', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('core lifecycle handlers with no strict client version check', () => {
+  const testRoute = '/version_check/test/route';
+  let server: HttpService;
+  let innerServer: HttpServerSetup['server'];
+  let router: IRouter;
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    const configService = createConfigService({
+      server: {
+        versioned: {
+          strictClientVersionCheck: false,
+          handlerResolution: 'newest',
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    server = createHttpServer({ configService });
+    await server.preboot({ context: contextServiceMock.createPrebootContract() });
+    const serverSetup = await server.setup(setupDeps);
+    router = serverSetup.createRouter('/');
+    router.get({ path: testRoute, validate: false }, (context, req, res) => {
+      return res.ok({ body: 'ok' });
+    });
+    innerServer = serverSetup.server;
+    await server.start();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await server.stop();
+  });
+
+  it('accepts requests that do not include a version header', async () => {
+    await supertest(innerServer.listener).get(testRoute).expect(200, 'ok');
+  });
+
+  it('accepts requests with any version passed in the version header', async () => {
+    await supertest(innerServer.listener)
+      .get(testRoute)
+      .set(versionHeader, 'what-have-you')
+      .expect(200, 'ok');
+  });
+});