diff --git a/client/fingerprint/consul.go b/client/fingerprint/consul.go
index adfbe4c4e16..f562672332b 100644
--- a/client/fingerprint/consul.go
+++ b/client/fingerprint/consul.go
@@ -189,5 +189,5 @@ func (f *ConsulFingerprint) grpc(info agentconsul.Self) (string, bool) {
 }
 
 func (f *ConsulFingerprint) namespaces(info agentconsul.Self) (string, bool) {
-	return agentconsul.Namespaces(info)
+	return strconv.FormatBool(agentconsul.Namespaces(info)), true
 }
diff --git a/client/fingerprint/consul_test.go b/client/fingerprint/consul_test.go
index ae373209eb5..fb7ff3ca8c0 100644
--- a/client/fingerprint/consul_test.go
+++ b/client/fingerprint/consul_test.go
@@ -326,33 +326,38 @@ func TestConsulFingerprint_namespaces(t *testing.T) {
 	fp := newConsulFingerPrint(t)
 
 	t.Run("supports namespaces", func(t *testing.T) {
-		s, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{
+		value, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{
 			"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{"features": "Automated Backups, Automated Upgrades, Enhanced Read Scalability, Network Segments, Redundancy Zone, Advanced Network Federation, Namespaces, SSO, Audit Logging"}},
 		})
 		require.True(t, ok)
-		require.Equal(t, "true", s)
+		require.Equal(t, "true", value)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("no namespaces", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{
+		value, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{
 			"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{"features": "Automated Backups, Automated Upgrades, Enhanced Read Scalability, Network Segments, Redundancy Zone, Advanced Network Federation, SSO, Audit Logging"}},
 		})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		require.True(t, ok)
+		require.Equal(t, "false", value)
+
 	})
 
 	t.Run("stats missing", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		value, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{})
+		require.True(t, ok)
+		require.Equal(t, "false", value)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("license missing", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{"Stats": {}})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		value, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{"Stats": {}})
+		require.True(t, ok)
+		require.Equal(t, "false", value)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("features missing", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{}}})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		value, ok := fp.namespaces(agentconsul.Self{"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{}}})
+		require.True(t, ok)
+		require.Equal(t, "false", value)
 	})
 }
 
@@ -372,15 +377,16 @@ func TestConsulFingerprint_Fingerprint_oss(t *testing.T) {
 	err := cf.Fingerprint(&FingerprintRequest{Config: cfg, Node: node}, &resp)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.Equal(t, map[string]string{
-		"consul.datacenter":  "dc1",
-		"consul.revision":    "3c1c22679",
-		"consul.segment":     "seg1",
-		"consul.server":      "true",
-		"consul.sku":         "oss",
-		"consul.version":     "1.9.5",
-		"consul.connect":     "true",
-		"consul.grpc":        "8502",
-		"unique.consul.name": "HAL9000",
+		"consul.datacenter":    "dc1",
+		"consul.revision":      "3c1c22679",
+		"consul.segment":       "seg1",
+		"consul.server":        "true",
+		"consul.sku":           "oss",
+		"consul.version":       "1.9.5",
+		"consul.connect":       "true",
+		"consul.grpc":          "8502",
+		"consul.ft.namespaces": "false",
+		"unique.consul.name":   "HAL9000",
 	}, resp.Attributes)
 	require.True(t, resp.Detected)
 
@@ -425,15 +431,16 @@ func TestConsulFingerprint_Fingerprint_oss(t *testing.T) {
 	err3 := cf.Fingerprint(&FingerprintRequest{Config: cfg, Node: node}, &resp3)
 	require.NoError(t, err3)
 	require.Equal(t, map[string]string{
-		"consul.datacenter":  "dc1",
-		"consul.revision":    "3c1c22679",
-		"consul.segment":     "seg1",
-		"consul.server":      "true",
-		"consul.sku":         "oss",
-		"consul.version":     "1.9.5",
-		"consul.connect":     "true",
-		"consul.grpc":        "8502",
-		"unique.consul.name": "HAL9000",
+		"consul.datacenter":    "dc1",
+		"consul.revision":      "3c1c22679",
+		"consul.segment":       "seg1",
+		"consul.server":        "true",
+		"consul.sku":           "oss",
+		"consul.version":       "1.9.5",
+		"consul.connect":       "true",
+		"consul.grpc":          "8502",
+		"consul.ft.namespaces": "false",
+		"unique.consul.name":   "HAL9000",
 	}, resp3.Attributes)
 
 	// consul now available again
diff --git a/command/agent/consul/namespaces_client.go b/command/agent/consul/namespaces_client.go
index 5d5f6a5a62e..974b2e705a3 100644
--- a/command/agent/consul/namespaces_client.go
+++ b/command/agent/consul/namespaces_client.go
@@ -60,12 +60,7 @@ func (ns *NamespacesClient) allowable(now time.Time) bool {
 		return ns.enabled
 	}
 
-	enabledStr, ok := Namespaces(self)
-	if !ok {
-		return ns.enabled
-	}
-
-	ns.enabled = enabledStr == "true"
+	ns.enabled = Namespaces(self)
 	ns.updated = now
 	return ns.enabled
 }
diff --git a/command/agent/consul/self.go b/command/agent/consul/self.go
index 1cdd48045af..d0edee2758c 100644
--- a/command/agent/consul/self.go
+++ b/command/agent/consul/self.go
@@ -27,30 +27,29 @@ func SKU(info Self) (string, bool) {
 	return "oss", true
 }
 
-func Namespaces(info Self) (string, bool) {
+// Namespaces returns true if the "Namespaces" feature is enabled in Consul, and
+// false otherwise. Consul OSS will always return false, and Consul ENT will return
+// false if the license file does not contain the necessary feature.
+func Namespaces(info Self) bool {
 	return feature("Namespaces", info)
 }
 
-// Feature returns whether the indicated feature is enabled by Consul and the
+// feature returns whether the indicated feature is enabled by Consul and the
 // associated License.
 // possible values as of v1.9.5+ent:
 //   Automated Backups, Automated Upgrades, Enhanced Read Scalability,
 //   Network Segments, Redundancy Zone, Advanced Network Federation,
 //   Namespaces, SSO, Audit Logging
-func feature(name string, info Self) (string, bool) {
+func feature(name string, info Self) bool {
 	lic, licOK := info["Stats"]["license"].(map[string]interface{})
 	if !licOK {
-		return "", false
+		return false
 	}
 
 	features, exists := lic["features"].(string)
 	if !exists {
-		return "", false
-	}
-
-	if !strings.Contains(features, name) {
-		return "", false
+		return false
 	}
 
-	return "true", true
+	return strings.Contains(features, name)
 }
diff --git a/command/agent/consul/self_test.go b/command/agent/consul/self_test.go
index a9620fd3077..3089c242204 100644
--- a/command/agent/consul/self_test.go
+++ b/command/agent/consul/self_test.go
@@ -67,32 +67,31 @@ func TestSelf_Namespaces(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	t.Run("supports namespaces", func(t *testing.T) {
-		s, ok := Namespaces(Self{
+		enabled := Namespaces(Self{
 			"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{"features": "Automated Backups, Automated Upgrades, Enhanced Read Scalability, Network Segments, Redundancy Zone, Advanced Network Federation, Namespaces, SSO, Audit Logging"}},
 		})
-		require.True(t, ok)
-		require.Equal(t, "true", s)
+		require.True(t, enabled)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("no namespaces", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := Namespaces(Self{
+		enabled := Namespaces(Self{
 			"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{"features": "Automated Backups, Automated Upgrades, Enhanced Read Scalability, Network Segments, Redundancy Zone, Advanced Network Federation, SSO, Audit Logging"}},
 		})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		require.False(t, enabled)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("stats missing", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := Namespaces(Self{})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		enabled := Namespaces(Self{})
+		require.False(t, enabled)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("license missing", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := Namespaces(Self{"Stats": {}})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		enabled := Namespaces(Self{"Stats": {}})
+		require.False(t, enabled)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("features missing", func(t *testing.T) {
-		_, ok := Namespaces(Self{"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{}}})
-		require.False(t, ok)
+		enabled := Namespaces(Self{"Stats": {"license": map[string]interface{}{}}})
+		require.False(t, enabled)
 	})
 }