diff --git a/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/index.ts b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/index.ts
index e2e94772880ea..07be7d905f774 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/index.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/index.ts
@@ -34,5 +34,6 @@ export default function apmApiIntegrationTests({
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./service_groups'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./diagnostics'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./service_nodes'));
+    loadTestFile(require.resolve('./span_links'));
   });
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/test/apm_api_integration/tests/span_links/data_generator.ts b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/data_generator.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from x-pack/test/apm_api_integration/tests/span_links/data_generator.ts
rename to x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/data_generator.ts
diff --git a/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/index.ts b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..e7772daa131af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License
+ * 2.0; you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License
+ * 2.0.
+ */
+
+import { DeploymentAgnosticFtrProviderContext } from '../../../../ftr_provider_context';
+
+export default function ({ loadTestFile }: DeploymentAgnosticFtrProviderContext) {
+  describe('span_links', () => {
+    loadTestFile(require.resolve('./span_links.spec.ts'));
+  });
+}
diff --git a/x-pack/test/apm_api_integration/tests/span_links/span_links.spec.ts b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/span_links.spec.ts
similarity index 97%
rename from x-pack/test/apm_api_integration/tests/span_links/span_links.spec.ts
rename to x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/span_links.spec.ts
index 871f44da4cdc1..5638d5d620d7b 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/apm_api_integration/tests/span_links/span_links.spec.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/api_integration/deployment_agnostic/apis/observability/apm/span_links/span_links.spec.ts
@@ -7,23 +7,24 @@
 import expect from '@kbn/expect';
 import { ProcessorEvent } from '@kbn/observability-plugin/common';
 import { Readable } from 'stream';
-import { FtrProviderContext } from '../../common/ftr_provider_context';
+import type { ApmSynthtraceEsClient } from '@kbn/apm-synthtrace';
+import type { DeploymentAgnosticFtrProviderContext } from '../../../../ftr_provider_context';
 import { generateSpanLinksData } from './data_generator';
 
-export default function ApiTest({ getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
-  const registry = getService('registry');
-  const apmApiClient = getService('apmApiClient');
-  const apmSynthtraceEsClient = getService('apmSynthtraceEsClient');
+export default function ApiTest({ getService }: DeploymentAgnosticFtrProviderContext) {
+  const apmApiClient = getService('apmApi');
+  const synthtrace = getService('synthtrace');
 
   const start = new Date('2022-01-01T00:00:00.000Z').getTime();
   const end = new Date('2022-01-01T00:15:00.000Z').getTime() - 1;
 
-  // FLAKY: https://github.com/elastic/kibana/issues/177520
-  registry.when('contains linked children', { config: 'basic', archives: [] }, () => {
+  describe('contains linked children', () => {
     let ids: ReturnType<typeof generateSpanLinksData>['ids'];
+    let apmSynthtraceEsClient: ApmSynthtraceEsClient;
 
     before(async () => {
       const spanLinksData = generateSpanLinksData();
+      apmSynthtraceEsClient = await synthtrace.createApmSynthtraceEsClient();
 
       ids = spanLinksData.ids;