diff --git a/NOTICE.txt b/NOTICE.txt
index 2d20996227d..5b1b3e68037 100644
--- a/NOTICE.txt
+++ b/NOTICE.txt
@@ -12712,11 +12712,11 @@ SOFTWARE
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dependency : github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs
-Version: v0.3.13
+Version: v0.3.15-0.20230913212237-dbdaf18c898b
 Licence type (autodetected): Apache-2.0
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs@v0.3.13/LICENSE:
+Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs@v0.3.15-0.20230913212237-dbdaf18c898b/LICENSE:
 
                                  Apache License
                            Version 2.0, January 2004
@@ -24620,11 +24620,11 @@ Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver@v1.5.1
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dependency : go.uber.org/atomic
-Version: v1.10.0
+Version: v1.11.0
 Licence type (autodetected): MIT
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/atomic@v1.10.0/LICENSE.txt:
+Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/atomic@v1.11.0/LICENSE.txt:
 
 Copyright (c) 2016 Uber Technologies, Inc.
 
@@ -24649,11 +24649,11 @@ THE SOFTWARE.
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dependency : go.uber.org/multierr
-Version: v1.10.0
+Version: v1.11.0
 Licence type (autodetected): MIT
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/multierr@v1.10.0/LICENSE.txt:
+Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/multierr@v1.11.0/LICENSE.txt:
 
 Copyright (c) 2017-2021 Uber Technologies, Inc.
 
@@ -24678,11 +24678,11 @@ THE SOFTWARE.
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dependency : go.uber.org/zap
-Version: v1.24.0
+Version: v1.25.0
 Licence type (autodetected): MIT
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/zap@v1.24.0/LICENSE.txt:
+Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/zap@v1.25.0/LICENSE.txt:
 
 Copyright (c) 2016-2017 Uber Technologies, Inc.
 
@@ -34072,11 +34072,11 @@ Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/servi
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dependency : github.com/benbjohnson/clock
-Version: v1.1.0
+Version: v1.3.0
 Licence type (autodetected): MIT
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/github.com/benbjohnson/clock@v1.1.0/LICENSE:
+Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/github.com/benbjohnson/clock@v1.3.0/LICENSE:
 
 The MIT License (MIT)
 
@@ -49952,11 +49952,11 @@ Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.opencensus.io@v0.24.0/LICENSE:
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dependency : go.uber.org/goleak
-Version: v1.1.12
+Version: v1.2.0
 Licence type (autodetected): MIT
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/goleak@v1.1.12/LICENSE:
+Contents of probable licence file $GOMODCACHE/go.uber.org/goleak@v1.2.0/LICENSE:
 
 The MIT License (MIT)
 
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index cfbc0ddeb93..2a7b04de6cf 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -149,9 +149,9 @@ require (
 	go.elastic.co/ecszap v1.0.1
 	go.elastic.co/go-licence-detector v0.6.0
 	go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.3.6
-	go.uber.org/atomic v1.10.0
-	go.uber.org/multierr v1.10.0
-	go.uber.org/zap v1.24.0
+	go.uber.org/atomic v1.11.0
+	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0
+	go.uber.org/zap v1.25.0
 	golang.org/x/crypto v0.12.0
 	golang.org/x/lint v0.0.0-20210508222113-6edffad5e616
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.9.0
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/awslabs/kinesis-aggregation/go/v2 v2.0.0-20220623125934-28468a6701b5
 	github.com/elastic/bayeux v1.0.5
 	github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-autodiscover v0.6.2
-	github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs v0.3.13
+	github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs v0.3.15-0.20230913212237-dbdaf18c898b
 	github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-shipper-client v0.5.1-0.20230228231646-f04347b666f3
 	github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-system-metrics v0.6.1
 	github.com/elastic/go-elasticsearch/v8 v8.9.0
@@ -402,6 +402,7 @@ replace (
 	github.com/snowflakedb/gosnowflake => github.com/snowflakedb/gosnowflake v1.6.19
 	github.com/tonistiigi/fifo => github.com/containerd/fifo v0.0.0-20190816180239-bda0ff6ed73c
 	k8s.io/kubernetes v1.13.0 => k8s.io/kubernetes v1.24.15
+
 )
 
 // Exclude this version because the version has an invalid checksum.
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 93222d899ee..c99748b9bc8 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -365,8 +365,8 @@ github.com/awslabs/goformation/v4 v4.1.0 h1:JRxIW0IjhYpYDrIZOTJGMu2azXKI+OK5dP56
 github.com/awslabs/goformation/v4 v4.1.0/go.mod h1:MBDN7u1lMNDoehbFuO4uPvgwPeolTMA2TzX1yO6KlxI=
 github.com/awslabs/kinesis-aggregation/go/v2 v2.0.0-20220623125934-28468a6701b5 h1:lxW5Q6K2IisyF5tlr6Ts0W4POGWQZco05MJjFmoeIHs=
 github.com/awslabs/kinesis-aggregation/go/v2 v2.0.0-20220623125934-28468a6701b5/go.mod h1:0Qr1uMHFmHsIYMcG4T7BJ9yrJtWadhOmpABCX69dwuc=
-github.com/benbjohnson/clock v1.1.0 h1:Q92kusRqC1XV2MjkWETPvjJVqKetz1OzxZB7mHJLju8=
 github.com/benbjohnson/clock v1.1.0/go.mod h1:J11/hYXuz8f4ySSvYwY0FKfm+ezbsZBKZxNJlLklBHA=
+github.com/benbjohnson/clock v1.3.0 h1:ip6w0uFQkncKQ979AypyG0ER7mqUSBdKLOgAle/AT8A=
 github.com/benbjohnson/immutable v0.2.1/go.mod h1:uc6OHo6PN2++n98KHLxW8ef4W42ylHiQSENghE1ezxI=
 github.com/benbjohnson/tmpl v1.0.0/go.mod h1:igT620JFIi44B6awvU9IsDhR77IXWtFigTLil/RPdps=
 github.com/beorn7/perks v0.0.0-20160804104726-4c0e84591b9a/go.mod h1:Dwedo/Wpr24TaqPxmxbtue+5NUziq4I4S80YR8gNf3Q=
@@ -653,8 +653,8 @@ github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-autodiscover v0.6.2 h1:7P3cbMBWXjbzA80rxitQjc+P
 github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-autodiscover v0.6.2/go.mod h1:yXYKFAG+Py+TcE4CCR8EAbJiYb+6Dz9sCDoWgOveqtU=
 github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-client/v7 v7.3.0 h1:LugKtBXK7bp4SFL/uQqGU/f4Ppx12Jk5a36voGabLa0=
 github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-client/v7 v7.3.0/go.mod h1:9/amG2K2y2oqx39zURcc+hnqcX+nyJ1cZrLgzsgo5c0=
-github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs v0.3.13 h1:qFiBWeBfjsBId+i31rggyW2ZjzA9qBRz7wIiy+rkcvc=
-github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs v0.3.13/go.mod h1:mpSfrigixx8x+uMxWKl4LtdlrKIhZbA4yT2eIeIazUQ=
+github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs v0.3.15-0.20230913212237-dbdaf18c898b h1:a2iuOokwld+D7VhyFymVtsPoqxZ8fkkOCOOjeYU9CDM=
+github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs v0.3.15-0.20230913212237-dbdaf18c898b/go.mod h1:mpSfrigixx8x+uMxWKl4LtdlrKIhZbA4yT2eIeIazUQ=
 github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-shipper-client v0.5.1-0.20230228231646-f04347b666f3 h1:sb+25XJn/JcC9/VL8HX4r4QXSUq4uTNzGS2kxOE7u1U=
 github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-shipper-client v0.5.1-0.20230228231646-f04347b666f3/go.mod h1:rWarFM7qYxJKsi9WcV6ONcFjH/NA3niDNpTxO+8/GVI=
 github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-system-metrics v0.6.1 h1:LCN1lvQTkdUuU/rKlpKyVMDU/G/I8/iZWCaW6K+mo4o=
@@ -1947,20 +1947,20 @@ go.uber.org/atomic v1.6.0/go.mod h1:sABNBOSYdrvTF6hTgEIbc7YasKWGhgEQZyfxyTvoXHQ=
 go.uber.org/atomic v1.7.0/go.mod h1:fEN4uk6kAWBTFdckzkM89CLk9XfWZrxpCo0nPH17wJc=
 go.uber.org/atomic v1.8.0/go.mod h1:fEN4uk6kAWBTFdckzkM89CLk9XfWZrxpCo0nPH17wJc=
 go.uber.org/atomic v1.9.0/go.mod h1:fEN4uk6kAWBTFdckzkM89CLk9XfWZrxpCo0nPH17wJc=
-go.uber.org/atomic v1.10.0 h1:9qC72Qh0+3MqyJbAn8YU5xVq1frD8bn3JtD2oXtafVQ=
-go.uber.org/atomic v1.10.0/go.mod h1:LUxbIzbOniOlMKjJjyPfpl4v+PKK2cNJn91OQbhoJI0=
+go.uber.org/atomic v1.11.0 h1:ZvwS0R+56ePWxUNi+Atn9dWONBPp/AUETXlHW0DxSjE=
+go.uber.org/atomic v1.11.0/go.mod h1:LUxbIzbOniOlMKjJjyPfpl4v+PKK2cNJn91OQbhoJI0=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.0.0/go.mod h1:8a7PlsEVH3e/a/GLqe5IIrQx6GzcnRmZEufDUTk4A7A=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.10/go.mod h1:8a7PlsEVH3e/a/GLqe5IIrQx6GzcnRmZEufDUTk4A7A=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.11/go.mod h1:cwTWslyiVhfpKIDGSZEM2HlOvcqm+tG4zioyIeLoqMQ=
-go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.12 h1:gZAh5/EyT/HQwlpkCy6wTpqfH9H8Lz8zbm3dZh+OyzA=
+go.uber.org/goleak v1.2.0 h1:xqgm/S+aQvhWFTtR0XK3Jvg7z8kGV8P4X14IzwN3Eqk=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.1.0/go.mod h1:wR5kodmAFQ0UK8QlbwjlSNy0Z68gJhDJUG5sjR94q/0=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.3.0/go.mod h1:VgVr7evmIr6uPjLBxg28wmKNXyqE9akIJ5XnfpiKl+4=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.4.0/go.mod h1:VgVr7evmIr6uPjLBxg28wmKNXyqE9akIJ5XnfpiKl+4=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.5.0/go.mod h1:FeouvMocqHpRaaGuG9EjoKcStLC43Zu/fmqdUMPcKYU=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.6.0/go.mod h1:cdWPpRnG4AhwMwsgIHip0KRBQjJy5kYEpYjJxpXp9iU=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.7.0/go.mod h1:7EAYxJLBy9rStEaz58O2t4Uvip6FSURkq8/ppBp95ak=
-go.uber.org/multierr v1.10.0 h1:S0h4aNzvfcFsC3dRF1jLoaov7oRaKqRGC/pUEJ2yvPQ=
-go.uber.org/multierr v1.10.0/go.mod h1:20+QtiLqy0Nd6FdQB9TLXag12DsQkrbs3htMFfDN80Y=
+go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 h1:blXXJkSxSSfBVBlC76pxqeO+LN3aDfLQo+309xJstO0=
+go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0/go.mod h1:20+QtiLqy0Nd6FdQB9TLXag12DsQkrbs3htMFfDN80Y=
 go.uber.org/tools v0.0.0-20190618225709-2cfd321de3ee/go.mod h1:vJERXedbb3MVM5f9Ejo0C68/HhF8uaILCdgjnY+goOA=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.9.1/go.mod h1:vwi/ZaCAaUcBkycHslxD9B2zi4UTXhF60s6SWpuDF0Q=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.10.0/go.mod h1:vwi/ZaCAaUcBkycHslxD9B2zi4UTXhF60s6SWpuDF0Q=
@@ -1968,8 +1968,8 @@ go.uber.org/zap v1.13.0/go.mod h1:zwrFLgMcdUuIBviXEYEH1YKNaOBnKXsx2IPda5bBwHM=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.14.0/go.mod h1:zwrFLgMcdUuIBviXEYEH1YKNaOBnKXsx2IPda5bBwHM=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.14.1/go.mod h1:Mb2vm2krFEG5DV0W9qcHBYFtp/Wku1cvYaqPsS/WYfc=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.21.0/go.mod h1:wjWOCqI0f2ZZrJF/UufIOkiC8ii6tm1iqIsLo76RfJw=
-go.uber.org/zap v1.24.0 h1:FiJd5l1UOLj0wCgbSE0rwwXHzEdAZS6hiiSnxJN/D60=
-go.uber.org/zap v1.24.0/go.mod h1:2kMP+WWQ8aoFoedH3T2sq6iJ2yDWpHbP0f6MQbS9Gkg=
+go.uber.org/zap v1.25.0 h1:4Hvk6GtkucQ790dqmj7l1eEnRdKm3k3ZUrUMS2d5+5c=
+go.uber.org/zap v1.25.0/go.mod h1:JIAUzQIH94IC4fOJQm7gMmBJP5k7wQfdcnYdPoEXJYk=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20171113213409-9f005a07e0d3/go.mod h1:6SG95UA2DQfeDnfUPMdvaQW0Q7yPrPDi9nlGo2tz2b4=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20180505025534-4ec37c66abab/go.mod h1:6SG95UA2DQfeDnfUPMdvaQW0Q7yPrPDi9nlGo2tz2b4=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20180904163835-0709b304e793/go.mod h1:6SG95UA2DQfeDnfUPMdvaQW0Q7yPrPDi9nlGo2tz2b4=
diff --git a/libbeat/cmd/instance/beat.go b/libbeat/cmd/instance/beat.go
index b881fc4bdee..8bd493e1777 100644
--- a/libbeat/cmd/instance/beat.go
+++ b/libbeat/cmd/instance/beat.go
@@ -651,6 +651,19 @@ func (b *Beat) Setup(settings Settings, bt beat.Creator, setup SetupSettings) er
 				return err
 			}
 
+			// other components know to skip ILM setup under serverless, this logic block just helps us print an error message
+			// in instances where ILM has been explicitly enabled
+			var ilmCfg struct {
+				Ilm *config.C `config:"setup.ilm"`
+			}
+			err = b.RawConfig.Unpack(&ilmCfg)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("error unpacking ILM config: %w", err)
+			}
+			if ilmCfg.Ilm.Enabled() && esClient.IsServerless() {
+				fmt.Println("WARNING: ILM is not supported in Serverless projects")
+			}
+
 			loadTemplate, loadILM := idxmgmt.LoadModeUnset, idxmgmt.LoadModeUnset
 			if setup.IndexManagement || setup.Template {
 				loadTemplate = idxmgmt.LoadModeOverwrite
diff --git a/libbeat/dashboards/get.go b/libbeat/dashboards/get.go
index 7319530ca7a..2da82ef4444 100644
--- a/libbeat/dashboards/get.go
+++ b/libbeat/dashboards/get.go
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@
 package dashboards
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent-libs/kibana"
@@ -38,32 +38,22 @@ func Get(client *kibana.Client, id string) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Kibana version must be at least " + MinimumRequiredVersionSavedObjects.String())
 	}
 
+	// add a special header for serverless, where saved_objects is "hidden"
+	headers := http.Header{}
+	if serverless, _ := client.KibanaIsServerless(); serverless {
+		headers.Add("x-elastic-internal-origin", "libbeat")
+	}
+
 	body := fmt.Sprintf(`{"objects": [{"type": "dashboard", "id": "%s" }], "includeReferencesDeep": true, "excludeExportDetails": true}`, id)
-	statusCode, response, err := client.Request("POST", "/api/saved_objects/_export", nil, nil, strings.NewReader(body))
+	statusCode, response, err := client.Request("POST", "/api/saved_objects/_export", nil, headers, strings.NewReader(body))
 	if err != nil || statusCode >= 300 {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error exporting dashboard: %+v, code: %d", err, statusCode)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error exporting dashboard: %w, code: %d", err, statusCode)
 	}
 
 	result, err := RemoveIndexPattern(response)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error removing index pattern: %+v", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error removing index pattern: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	return result, nil
 }
-
-// truncateString returns a truncated string if the length is greater than 250
-// runes. If the string is truncated "... (truncated)" is appended. Newlines are
-// replaced by spaces in the returned string.
-//
-// This function is useful for logging raw HTTP responses with errors when those
-// responses can be very large (such as an HTML page with CSS content).
-func truncateString(b []byte) string {
-	const maxLength = 250
-	runes := bytes.Runes(b)
-	if len(runes) > maxLength {
-		runes = append(runes[:maxLength], []rune("... (truncated)")...)
-	}
-
-	return strings.Replace(string(runes), "\n", " ", -1)
-}
diff --git a/libbeat/dashboards/kibana_loader.go b/libbeat/dashboards/kibana_loader.go
index e13a56ca4b6..5e67c7576bd 100644
--- a/libbeat/dashboards/kibana_loader.go
+++ b/libbeat/dashboards/kibana_loader.go
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ var (
 	// developers migrate their dashboards we are more lenient.
 	minimumRequiredVersionSavedObjects = version.MustNew("7.14.0")
 
+	// the base path of the saved objects API
+	// On serverless, you must add an x-elastic-internal-header to reach this API
 	importAPI = "/api/saved_objects/_import"
 )
 
@@ -58,14 +60,13 @@ type KibanaLoader struct {
 
 // NewKibanaLoader creates a new loader to load Kibana files
 func NewKibanaLoader(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.C, dashboardsConfig *Config, hostname string, msgOutputter MessageOutputter, beatname string) (*KibanaLoader, error) {
-
 	if cfg == nil || !cfg.Enabled() {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Kibana is not configured or enabled")
 	}
 
 	client, err := getKibanaClient(ctx, cfg, dashboardsConfig.Retry, 0, beatname)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error creating Kibana client: %v", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error creating Kibana client: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	loader := KibanaLoader{
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ func getKibanaClient(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.C, retryCfg *Retry, retryA
 				return getKibanaClient(ctx, cfg, retryCfg, retryAttempt+1, beatname)
 			}
 		}
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error creating Kibana client: %v", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error creating Kibana client: %w", err)
 	}
 	return client, nil
 }
@@ -111,13 +112,13 @@ func (loader KibanaLoader) ImportIndexFile(file string) error {
 	// read json file
 	reader, err := ioutil.ReadFile(file)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("fail to read index-pattern from file %s: %v", file, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("fail to read index-pattern from file %s: %w", file, err)
 	}
 
 	var indexContent mapstr.M
 	err = json.Unmarshal(reader, &indexContent)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("fail to unmarshal the index content from file %s: %v", file, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("fail to unmarshal the index content from file %s: %w", file, err)
 	}
 
 	return loader.ImportIndex(indexContent)
@@ -138,7 +139,8 @@ func (loader KibanaLoader) ImportIndex(pattern mapstr.M) error {
 		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("error setting index '%s' in index pattern: %w", loader.config.Index, err))
 	}
 
-	if err := loader.client.ImportMultiPartFormFile(importAPI, params, "index-template.ndjson", pattern.String()); err != nil {
+	err := loader.client.ImportMultiPartFormFile(importAPI, params, "index-template.ndjson", pattern.String())
+	if err != nil {
 		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("error loading index pattern: %w", err))
 	}
 	return errs.Err()
@@ -158,18 +160,18 @@ func (loader KibanaLoader) ImportDashboard(file string) error {
 	// read json file
 	content, err := ioutil.ReadFile(file)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("fail to read dashboard from file %s: %v", file, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("fail to read dashboard from file %s: %w", file, err)
 	}
 
 	content = loader.formatDashboardAssets(content)
 
 	dashboardWithReferences, err := loader.addReferences(file, content)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error getting references of dashboard: %+v", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("error getting references of dashboard: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	if err := loader.client.ImportMultiPartFormFile(importAPI, params, correctExtension(file), dashboardWithReferences); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error dashboard asset: %+v", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("error dashboard asset: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	loader.loadedAssets[file] = true
@@ -188,7 +190,7 @@ func (loader KibanaLoader) addReferences(path string, dashboard []byte) (string,
 	var d dashboardObj
 	err := json.Unmarshal(dashboard, &d)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to parse dashboard references: %+v", err)
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to parse dashboard references: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	base := filepath.Dir(path)
@@ -203,12 +205,12 @@ func (loader KibanaLoader) addReferences(path string, dashboard []byte) (string,
 		}
 		refContents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(referencePath)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("fail to read referenced asset from file %s: %v", referencePath, err)
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("fail to read referenced asset from file %s: %w", referencePath, err)
 		}
 		refContents = loader.formatDashboardAssets(refContents)
 		refContentsWithReferences, err := loader.addReferences(referencePath, refContents)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get references of %s: %+v", referencePath, err)
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get references of %s: %w", referencePath, err)
 		}
 
 		result += refContentsWithReferences
@@ -218,7 +220,7 @@ func (loader KibanaLoader) addReferences(path string, dashboard []byte) (string,
 	var res mapstr.M
 	err = json.Unmarshal(dashboard, &res)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to convert asset: %+v", err)
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to convert asset: %w", err)
 	}
 	result += res.String() + "\n"
 
diff --git a/libbeat/esleg/eslegclient/connection.go b/libbeat/esleg/eslegclient/connection.go
index f12dbefbc4a..9736af191fd 100644
--- a/libbeat/esleg/eslegclient/connection.go
+++ b/libbeat/esleg/eslegclient/connection.go
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ type Connection struct {
 	version          libversion.V
 	log              *logp.Logger
 	responseBuffer   *bytes.Buffer
+
+	isServerless bool
 }
 
 // ConnectionSettings are the settings needed for a Connection
@@ -86,6 +88,16 @@ type ConnectionSettings struct {
 	Transport httpcommon.HTTPTransportSettings
 }
 
+type ESPingData struct {
+	Version ESVersionData `json:"version"`
+	Name    string        `json:"name"`
+}
+
+type ESVersionData struct {
+	Number      string `json:"number"`
+	BuildFlavor string `json:"build_flavor"`
+}
+
 // NewConnection returns a new Elasticsearch client
 func NewConnection(s ConnectionSettings) (*Connection, error) {
 	logger := logp.NewLogger("esclientleg")
@@ -268,33 +280,29 @@ func (conn *Connection) Connect() error {
 }
 
 // Ping sends a GET request to the Elasticsearch.
-func (conn *Connection) Ping() (string, error) {
+func (conn *Connection) Ping() (ESPingData, error) {
 	conn.log.Debugf("ES Ping(url=%v)", conn.URL)
 
 	status, body, err := conn.execRequest("GET", conn.URL, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		conn.log.Debugf("Ping request failed with: %v", err)
-		return "", err
+		return ESPingData{}, err
 	}
 
 	if status >= 300 {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("non 2xx response code: %d", status)
+		return ESPingData{}, fmt.Errorf("non 2xx response code: %d", status)
 	}
 
-	var response struct {
-		Version struct {
-			Number string
-		}
-	}
+	response := ESPingData{}
 
 	err = json.Unmarshal(body, &response)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to parse JSON response: %w", err)
+		return ESPingData{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse JSON response: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	conn.log.Debugf("Ping status code: %v", status)
-	conn.log.Infof("Attempting to connect to Elasticsearch version %s", response.Version.Number)
-	return response.Version.Number, nil
+	conn.log.Infof("Attempting to connect to Elasticsearch version %s (%s)", response.Version.Number, response.Version.BuildFlavor)
+	return response, nil
 }
 
 // Close closes a connection.
@@ -394,19 +402,35 @@ func (conn *Connection) GetVersion() libversion.V {
 	return conn.version
 }
 
+// IsServerless returns true if we're connected to a serverless ES instance
+func (conn *Connection) IsServerless() bool {
+	// make sure we've initialized the version state first
+	_ = conn.GetVersion()
+	return conn.isServerless
+}
+
 func (conn *Connection) getVersion() error {
-	versionString, err := conn.Ping()
+	versionData, err := conn.Ping()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if v, err := libversion.New(versionString); err != nil {
-		conn.log.Errorf("Invalid version from Elasticsearch: %v", versionString)
+	if v, err := libversion.New(versionData.Version.Number); err != nil {
+		conn.log.Errorf("Invalid version from Elasticsearch: %v", versionData.Version.Number)
 		conn.version = libversion.V{}
 	} else {
 		conn.version = *v
 	}
 
+	if versionData.Version.BuildFlavor == "serverless" {
+		conn.isServerless = true
+	} else if versionData.Version.BuildFlavor == "default" {
+		conn.isServerless = false
+		// not sure if this is even possible, just being defensive
+	} else {
+		conn.log.Infof("Got unexpected build flavor '%s'", versionData.Version.BuildFlavor)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/libbeat/idxmgmt/client_handler.go b/libbeat/idxmgmt/client_handler.go
index c478643c192..9347cdb27cd 100644
--- a/libbeat/idxmgmt/client_handler.go
+++ b/libbeat/idxmgmt/client_handler.go
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ type clientHandler struct {
 type ESClient interface {
 	Request(method, path string, pipeline string, params map[string]string, body interface{}) (int, []byte, error)
 	GetVersion() version.V
+	IsServerless() bool
 }
 
 // FileClient defines the minimal interface required for the Loader to
diff --git a/libbeat/idxmgmt/ilm/client_handler.go b/libbeat/idxmgmt/ilm/client_handler.go
index 65a04bb573f..1f7d6f278e3 100644
--- a/libbeat/idxmgmt/ilm/client_handler.go
+++ b/libbeat/idxmgmt/ilm/client_handler.go
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ type VersionCheckerClient interface {
 // prepare a policy.
 type ESClient interface {
 	VersionCheckerClient
+	IsServerless() bool
 	Request(
 		method, path string,
 		pipeline string,
@@ -107,6 +108,7 @@ func (h *ESClientHandler) HasILMPolicy(name string) (bool, error) {
 }
 
 // CheckILMEnabled indicates whether or not ILM is supported for the configured mode and client version.
+// If the connected ES instance is serverless, this will return false
 func (h *FileClientHandler) CheckILMEnabled(enabled bool) (bool, error) {
 	return checkILMEnabled(enabled, h.client)
 }
@@ -116,6 +118,12 @@ func checkILMEnabled(enabled bool, c VersionCheckerClient) (bool, error) {
 		return false, nil
 	}
 
+	if esClient, ok := c.(ESClient); ok {
+		if esClient.IsServerless() {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+	}
+
 	ver := c.GetVersion()
 	if ver.LessThan(esMinDefaultILMVersion) {
 		return false, errf(ErrESVersionNotSupported, "Elasticsearch %v does not support ILM", ver.String())
@@ -127,7 +135,7 @@ func checkILMEnabled(enabled bool, c VersionCheckerClient) (bool, error) {
 func (h *FileClientHandler) CreateILMPolicy(policy Policy) error {
 	str := fmt.Sprintf("%s\n", policy.Body.StringToPrint())
 	if err := h.client.Write("policy", policy.Name, str); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error printing policy : %v", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("error printing policy : %w", err)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/libbeat/idxmgmt/std.go b/libbeat/idxmgmt/std.go
index 7bade9efada..f8169dcdf89 100644
--- a/libbeat/idxmgmt/std.go
+++ b/libbeat/idxmgmt/std.go
@@ -69,11 +69,14 @@ const (
 	componentILM                           //ilm
 )
 
+// feature determines what an index management feature is, and how it should be handled during setup
 type feature struct {
 	component                componentType
 	enabled, overwrite, load bool
 }
 
+// newFeature creates a feature config object from a list of settings,
+// returning a central object we use to determine how to perform setup for the feature
 func newFeature(c componentType, enabled, overwrite bool, mode LoadMode) feature {
 	if mode == LoadModeUnset && !enabled {
 		mode = LoadModeDisabled
@@ -88,6 +91,7 @@ func newFeature(c componentType, enabled, overwrite bool, mode LoadMode) feature
 	return feature{component: c, enabled: enabled, overwrite: overwrite, load: load}
 }
 
+// creates a supporter that can perform setup and management actions for index support features such as ILM, index templates, etc
 func newIndexSupport(
 	log *logp.Logger,
 	info beat.Info,
@@ -120,10 +124,12 @@ func newIndexSupport(
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// Enabled returns true if some configured index management features are enabled
 func (s *indexSupport) Enabled() bool {
 	return s.enabled(componentTemplate) || s.enabled(componentILM)
 }
 
+// enabled checks if the given component is enabled in the config
 func (s *indexSupport) enabled(c componentType) bool {
 	switch c {
 	case componentTemplate:
@@ -134,6 +140,8 @@ func (s *indexSupport) enabled(c componentType) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+// Manager returns an indexManager object that
+// can be used to perform the actual setup functions for the provided index management features
 func (s *indexSupport) Manager(
 	clientHandler ClientHandler,
 	assets Asseter,
@@ -146,6 +154,7 @@ func (s *indexSupport) Manager(
 	}
 }
 
+// BuildSelector creates an index selector
 func (s *indexSupport) BuildSelector(cfg *config.C) (outputs.IndexSelector, error) {
 	var err error
 	// we construct our own configuration object based on the available settings
@@ -155,16 +164,19 @@ func (s *indexSupport) BuildSelector(cfg *config.C) (outputs.IndexSelector, erro
 	if cfg.HasField("indices") {
 		sub, err := cfg.Child("indices", -1)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting child value 'indices' in config: %w", err)
+		}
+		err = selCfg.SetChild("indices", -1, sub)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error setting child 'indices': %w", err)
 		}
-		selCfg.SetChild("indices", -1, sub)
 	}
 
 	var indexName string
 	if cfg.HasField("index") {
 		indexName, err = cfg.String("index", -1)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting config string 'index': %w", err)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -174,7 +186,10 @@ func (s *indexSupport) BuildSelector(cfg *config.C) (outputs.IndexSelector, erro
 		indexName = s.defaultIndex
 	}
 
-	selCfg.SetString("index", -1, indexName)
+	err = selCfg.SetString("index", -1, indexName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error setting 'index' in selector cfg: %w", err)
+	}
 	buildSettings := outil.Settings{
 		Key:              "index",
 		MultiKey:         "indices",
@@ -191,6 +206,7 @@ func (s *indexSupport) BuildSelector(cfg *config.C) (outputs.IndexSelector, erro
 	return indexSelector{indexSel, s.info}, nil
 }
 
+// VerifySetup verifies the given feature setup, will return an error string if it detects something suspect
 func (m *indexManager) VerifySetup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) (bool, string) {
 	ilmComponent := newFeature(componentILM, m.support.enabled(componentILM), m.support.ilm.Overwrite(), loadILM)
 
@@ -219,6 +235,7 @@ func (m *indexManager) VerifySetup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) (bool, string
 	return warn == "", warn
 }
 
+// Setup performs ILM/DSL and index template setup
 func (m *indexManager) Setup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) error {
 	log := m.support.log
 
@@ -230,6 +247,7 @@ func (m *indexManager) Setup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) error {
 		log.Info("Auto ILM enable success.")
 	}
 
+	// create feature objects for ILM and template setup
 	ilmComponent := newFeature(componentILM, withILM, m.support.ilm.Overwrite(), loadILM)
 	templateComponent := newFeature(componentTemplate, m.support.enabled(componentTemplate),
 		m.support.templateCfg.Overwrite, loadTemplate)
@@ -238,7 +256,7 @@ func (m *indexManager) Setup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) error {
 		// install ilm policy
 		policyCreated, err := m.ilm.EnsurePolicy(ilmComponent.overwrite)
 		if err != nil {
-			return err
+			return fmt.Errorf("EnsurePolicy failed during ILM setup: %w", err)
 		}
 
 		// The template should be updated if a new policy is created.
@@ -252,15 +270,15 @@ func (m *indexManager) Setup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) error {
 		tmplCfg.Overwrite, tmplCfg.Enabled = templateComponent.overwrite, templateComponent.enabled
 
 		if ilmComponent.enabled {
-			tmplCfg, err = applyILMSettings(log, tmplCfg, m.support.ilm.Policy())
+			tmplCfg, err = applyILMSettingsToTemplate(log, tmplCfg, m.support.ilm.Policy())
 			if err != nil {
-				return err
+				return fmt.Errorf("error applying ILM settings: %w", err)
 			}
 		}
 		fields := m.assets.Fields(m.support.info.Beat)
 		err = m.clientHandler.Load(tmplCfg, m.support.info, fields, m.support.migration)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("error loading template: %v", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("error loading template: %w", err)
 		}
 
 		log.Info("Loaded index template.")
@@ -269,6 +287,8 @@ func (m *indexManager) Setup(loadTemplate, loadILM LoadMode) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// setupWithILM returns true if setup with ILM is expected
+// will return false if we're currently talking to a serverless ES instance
 func (m *indexManager) setupWithILM() (bool, error) {
 	var err error
 	withILM := m.support.st.withILM.Load()
@@ -321,7 +341,8 @@ func unpackTemplateConfig(info beat.Info, cfg *config.C) (config template.Templa
 	return config, err
 }
 
-func applyILMSettings(
+// applies the specified ILM policy to the provided template, returns a struct of the template config
+func applyILMSettingsToTemplate(
 	log *logp.Logger,
 	tmpl template.TemplateConfig,
 	policy ilm.Policy,