diff --git a/pkg/testing/fixture.go b/pkg/testing/fixture.go
index 9e3afc7d536..6b75d2441a7 100644
--- a/pkg/testing/fixture.go
+++ b/pkg/testing/fixture.go
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/internal/pkg/agent/application/paths"
-	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/pkg/version"
-	agentVersion "github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/version"
 
 	"github.com/otiai10/copy"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
@@ -32,6 +30,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/pkg/control/v2/client"
 	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/pkg/control/v2/cproto"
 	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/pkg/core/process"
+	"github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/pkg/version"
+	agentVersion "github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/version"
 )
 
 // Fixture handles the setup and management of the Elastic Agent.
@@ -179,7 +179,71 @@ func (f *Fixture) Prepare(ctx context.Context, components ...UsableComponent) er
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	f.workDir = finalDir
+
+	err = decreasePackageVersionDuringFeatureFreeze(f, f.workDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// After feature freeze the agent has the version of the next minor but there is a few
+// days of lag until the snapshot is produced to test against. To get around this the
+// tests continue to provision the previous minor and the agent package version is replaced
+// to report the previous minor version as well. As of the time of writing fleet server
+// will consider versions greater than its own to be unsupported. This allows the newer
+// agent to enroll.
+//
+// This function is meant to be temporary. Fleet server should be modified to allow the next
+// minor version to connect to get around this in a more sustainable way.
+func decreasePackageVersionDuringFeatureFreeze(f *Fixture, workDir string) error {
+	installFS := os.DirFS(workDir)
+	var matches []string
+	err := fs.WalkDir(installFS, ".", func(path string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("my fs.WalkDir reveiced and error and aborted: %w",
+				err)
+		}
+
+		if d.Name() == agentVersion.PackageVersionFileName {
+			matches = append(matches, path)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	f.t.Logf("package version files found: %v\n", matches)
+
+	for _, m := range matches {
+		versionFile := filepath.Join(f.WorkDir(), m)
+
+		pv, err := version.ParseVersion(f.version)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("could not parse fixture version: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		if pv.Major() == 8 && pv.Minor() == 11 {
+			prev, err := pv.GetPreviousMinor()
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("8.11 cannot be used right now, "+
+					"failed getting previous minor: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			err = os.WriteFile(versionFile, []byte(prev.String()), 0666)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("could not write package-version file %q: %w",
+					versionFile, err)
+			}
+
+			f.t.Logf("Updated package version file from %s to %s", pv.String(), prev.String())
+		}
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -920,49 +984,3 @@ type AgentInspectOutput struct {
 		Data string `yaml:"data"`
 	} `yaml:"signed"`
 }
-
-func decreasePackageVersionFor8_11(f *Fixture) error {
-	installFS := os.DirFS(f.WorkDir())
-	var matches []string
-
-	fmt.Printf("decreasePackageVersionFor8_11: installFS: %q\n", installFS)
-	err := fs.WalkDir(installFS, ".", func(path string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("my fs.WalkDir reveiced and error and aborted: %w",
-				err)
-		}
-
-		if d.Name() == agentVersion.PackageVersionFileName {
-			matches = append(matches, path)
-		}
-		return nil
-	})
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	fmt.Printf("package version files found: %v\n", matches)
-
-	for _, m := range matches {
-		versionFile := filepath.Join(f.WorkDir(), m)
-		fmt.Printf("removing package version file %q\n", versionFile)
-
-		pv, err := version.ParseVersion(f.version)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("could not parse fixture version: %w", err)
-		}
-		if pv.Major() == 8 && pv.Minor() > 11 {
-			prev, err := pv.GetPreviousMinor()
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("8.11 cannot be used right now, "+
-					"failed getting previous minor: %w", err)
-			}
-
-			err = os.WriteFile(versionFile, []byte(prev.String()), 0666)
-			return fmt.Errorf("could not write package-version file %q: %w",
-				versionFile, err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/pkg/testing/fixture_install.go b/pkg/testing/fixture_install.go
index 0daa31d713c..14a4e265288 100644
--- a/pkg/testing/fixture_install.go
+++ b/pkg/testing/fixture_install.go
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ func (f *Fixture) Install(ctx context.Context, installOpts *InstallOpts, opts ..
 		}
 	})
 
-	return out, decreasePackageVersionFor8_11(f)
+	return out, nil
 }
 
 type UninstallOpts struct {