diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index e3a6d6cc4b2..274ed36f27a 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ subprojects {
     approvedLicenses = ['Elasticsearch Confidential', 'Generated']
     additionalLicense 'ESCON', 'Elasticsearch Confidential', 'ELASTICSEARCH CONFIDENTIAL'
   }
-  ext.projectSubstitutions += [ "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-api:${version}": xpackModule('core')]
   ext.projectSubstitutions += [ "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-core:${version}": xpackModule('core')]
   ext.projectSubstitutions += [ "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-deprecation:${version}": xpackModule('deprecation')]
   ext.projectSubstitutions += [ "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-graph:${version}": xpackModule('graph')]
diff --git a/plugin/build.gradle b/plugin/build.gradle
index 06e96e3d4ee..b7e907f1050 100644
--- a/plugin/build.gradle
+++ b/plugin/build.gradle
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.gradle.test.RunTask;
 
 apply plugin: 'elasticsearch.es-meta-plugin'
 
-archivesBaseName = 'x-pack' // for api jar
+archivesBaseName = 'x-pack'
 
 es_meta_plugin {
   name = 'x-pack'
diff --git a/plugin/core/build.gradle b/plugin/core/build.gradle
index 980ccb801d1..e1090e4d799 100644
--- a/plugin/core/build.gradle
+++ b/plugin/core/build.gradle
@@ -85,38 +85,6 @@ sourceSets.test.java {
     srcDir '../../license-tools/src/main/java'
 }
 
-// TODO: remove this jar once xpack extensions have been removed
-// assemble the API JAR for the transport-client and extension authors; this JAR is the core JAR by another name
-project.afterEvaluate {
-    task apiJar {
-        dependsOn('generatePomFileForApijarPublication', project.jar)
-        doFirst {
-            Path jarFile = project.jar.outputs.files.singleFile.toPath()
-            String apiFileName = jarFile.fileName.toString().replace("core-${project.version}", "api-${project.version}")
-            Files.copy(jarFile, jarFile.resolveSibling(apiFileName), StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING)
-
-            String pomFileName = jarFile.fileName.toString().replace('.jar', '.pom')
-            String apiPomFileName = apiFileName.replace('.jar', '.pom')
-            Files.copy(jarFile.resolveSibling(pomFileName), jarFile.resolveSibling(apiPomFileName),
-                    StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING)
-        }
-    }
-    assemble.dependsOn(apiJar)
-    project.publishing {
-        publications {
-            apijar(MavenPublication) {
-                from project.components.java
-                artifactId = 'x-pack-api'
-                pom.withXml { XmlProvider xml ->
-                    Node root = xml.asNode()
-                    root.appendNode('name', project.pluginProperties.extension.name)
-                    root.appendNode('description', project.pluginProperties.extension.description)
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 test {
     /*
      * We have to disable setting the number of available processors as tests in the same JVM randomize processors and will step on each
diff --git a/transport-client/build.gradle b/transport-client/build.gradle
index 92a786b6f31..31c05569274 100644
--- a/transport-client/build.gradle
+++ b/transport-client/build.gradle
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ archivesBaseName = 'x-pack-transport'
 dependencies {
     // this "api" dependency looks weird, but it is correct, as it contains
     // all of x-pack for now, and transport client will be going away in the future. 
-    compile "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-api:${version}"
+    compile "org.elasticsearch.plugin:x-pack-core:${version}"
     compile "org.elasticsearch.client:transport:${version}"
     testCompile "com.carrotsearch.randomizedtesting:randomizedtesting-runner:${versions.randomizedrunner}"
     testCompile "junit:junit:${versions.junit}"