diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/import/check_conflicts.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/import/check_conflicts.ts
index f36bcf3a8a92..2c35ba147c5d 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/import/check_conflicts.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/import/check_conflicts.ts
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ export async function checkConflicts({
   });
   const checkConflictsResult = await savedObjectsClient.checkConflicts(objectsToCheck, {
     namespace,
-    workspaces,
+    ...(workspaces ? { workspaces } : {}),
   });
   const errorMap = checkConflictsResult.errors.reduce(
     (acc, { type, id, error }) => acc.set(`${type}:${id}`, error),
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/bulk_create.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/bulk_create.ts
index 056b1b795550..b8a020b4ea24 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/bulk_create.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/bulk_create.ts
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ export const registerBulkCreateRoute = (router: IRouter) => {
         : undefined;
       const result = await context.core.savedObjects.client.bulkCreate(req.body, {
         overwrite,
-        workspaces,
+        ...(workspaces ? { workspaces } : {}),
       });
       return res.ok({ body: result });
     })
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/create.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/create.ts
index 4d22bd244a03..2a7958aa9b78 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/create.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/create.ts
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ export const registerCreateRoute = (router: IRouter) => {
         migrationVersion,
         references,
         initialNamespaces,
-        workspaces,
+        ...(workspaces ? { workspaces } : {}),
       };
       const result = await context.core.savedObjects.client.create(type, attributes, options);
       return res.ok({ body: result });
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/export.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/export.ts
index 9325b632e40f..4d9d5b7e8ec3 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/export.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/export.ts
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ export const registerExportRoute = (router: IRouter, config: SavedObjectConfig)
         exportSizeLimit: maxImportExportSize,
         includeReferencesDeep,
         excludeExportDetails,
-        workspaces,
+        ...(workspaces ? { workspaces } : {}),
       });
 
       const docsToExport: string[] = await createPromiseFromStreams([
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/find.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/find.ts
index 36fa7c2cd9f5..42b47cf950fc 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/find.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/routes/find.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export const registerFindRoute = (router: IRouter) => {
         fields: typeof query.fields === 'string' ? [query.fields] : query.fields,
         filter: query.filter,
         namespaces,
-        workspaces,
+        ...(workspaces ? { workspaces } : {}),
       });
 
       return res.ok({ body: result });
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/saved_objects_client.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/saved_objects_client.ts
index e1c3d16a9258..1b268e033d97 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/saved_objects_client.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/saved_objects_client.ts
@@ -69,10 +69,6 @@ export interface SavedObjectsCreateOptions extends SavedObjectsBaseOptions {
    * Note: this can only be used for multi-namespace object types.
    */
   initialNamespaces?: string[];
-  /**
-   * workspaces the new created objects belong to
-   */
-  workspaces?: string[];
   /** permission control describe by ACL object */
   permissions?: Permissions;
 }
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/types.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/types.ts
index d21421dbe253..23170e0a1c47 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/types.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/types.ts
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ export interface SavedObjectsBaseOptions {
   /** Specify the namespace for this operation */
   namespace?: string;
   /** Specify the workspaces for this operation */
-  workspaces?: string[];
+  workspaces?: string[] | null;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.test.ts b/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.test.ts
index eb23e78b1756..fc5a55da0091 100644
--- a/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.test.ts
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ describe('uiSettings/createOrUpgradeSavedConfig', function () {
         },
         {
           id: version,
+          workspaces: null,
         }
       );
     });
@@ -133,6 +134,7 @@ describe('uiSettings/createOrUpgradeSavedConfig', function () {
         },
         {
           id: version,
+          workspaces: null,
         }
       );
     });
diff --git a/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.ts b/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.ts
index 10d33713c878..6ca3baeb7a9f 100644
--- a/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/ui_settings/create_or_upgrade_saved_config/create_or_upgrade_saved_config.ts
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ export async function createOrUpgradeSavedConfig(
     await savedObjectsClient.create('config', attributes, {
       id: version,
       // config is a global object that should not belong to any of the workspaces
-      // declare it as empty array to prevent it being created as a workspace object
-      workspaces: [],
+      // declare it as null to prevent it being created as a workspace object
+      workspaces: null,
     });
   } catch (error) {
     if (handleWriteErrors) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.test.ts b/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.test.ts
index 8715606da681..ea8445a4ccaf 100644
--- a/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.test.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ describe('WorkspaceIdConsumerWrapper', () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it(`Should use options.workspaces there is workspaces inside options`, async () => {
+    it(`Should use options.workspaces when there is no workspaces inside options`, async () => {
       await wrapperClient.create(
         'dashboard',
         {
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ describe('WorkspaceIdConsumerWrapper', () => {
         {
           id: 'dashboard:foo',
           overwrite: true,
-          workspaces: undefined,
+          workspaces: null,
         }
       );
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.ts b/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.ts
index d24496ed31ef..bcf6fe4d5e8c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/workspace/server/saved_objects/workspace_id_consumer_wrapper.ts
@@ -14,11 +14,7 @@ import {
   SavedObjectsFindOptions,
 } from '../../../../core/server';
 
-type WorkspaceOptions =
-  | {
-      workspaces?: string[];
-    }
-  | undefined;
+type WorkspaceOptions = Pick<SavedObjectsBaseOptions, 'workspaces'> | undefined;
 
 export class WorkspaceIdConsumerWrapper {
   private formatWorkspaceIdParams<T extends WorkspaceOptions>(
@@ -30,8 +26,8 @@ export class WorkspaceIdConsumerWrapper {
     const workspaceIdParsedFromRequest = workspaceState?.id;
     const workspaceIdsInUserOptions = options?.workspaces;
     let finalWorkspaces: string[] = [];
-    if (workspaceIdsInUserOptions) {
-      finalWorkspaces = workspaceIdsInUserOptions;
+    if (options?.hasOwnProperty('workspaces')) {
+      finalWorkspaces = workspaceIdsInUserOptions || [];
     } else if (workspaceIdParsedFromRequest) {
       finalWorkspaces = [workspaceIdParsedFromRequest];
     }