diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/resources/watch-history.json b/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/resources/watch-history.json
index d158281c264..86a967fc14f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/resources/watch-history.json
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/resources/watch-history.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
   "index_patterns": [ ".watcher-history-${xpack.watcher.template.version}*" ],
   "order": 2147483647,
   "settings": {
-    "xpack.watcher.template.version": "${xpack.watcher.template.version}",
     "index.number_of_shards": 1,
     "index.number_of_replicas": 0,
     "index.auto_expand_replicas": "0-1",
@@ -10,6 +9,9 @@
   },
   "mappings": {
     "doc": {
+      "_meta": {
+        "watcher-history-version": "${xpack.watcher.template.version}"
+      },
       "dynamic_templates": [
         {
           "disabled_payload_fields": {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/Watcher.java b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/Watcher.java
index 9a18b6c857d..f7d51d328a7 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/Watcher.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/Watcher.java
@@ -196,6 +196,8 @@ import static java.util.Collections.emptyList;
 
 public class Watcher extends Plugin implements ActionPlugin, ScriptPlugin {
 
+    // This setting is only here for backward compatibility reasons as 6.x indices made use of it. It can be removed in 8.x.
+    @Deprecated
     public static final Setting<String> INDEX_WATCHER_TEMPLATE_VERSION_SETTING =
             new Setting<>("index.xpack.watcher.template.version", "", Function.identity(), Setting.Property.IndexScope);
     public static final Setting<Boolean> ENCRYPT_SENSITIVE_DATA_SETTING =