diff --git a/muted-tests.yml b/muted-tests.yml
index b25b5185eb98a..7aa72f416a629 100644
--- a/muted-tests.yml
+++ b/muted-tests.yml
@@ -486,8 +486,6 @@ tests:
 - class: org.elasticsearch.xpack.esql.plugin.DataNodeRequestSenderIT
   method: testSearchWhileRelocating
   issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/128500
-- class: org.elasticsearch.xpack.esql.ccq.EsqlRestValidationIT
-  issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/128543
 - class: org.elasticsearch.xpack.ccr.index.engine.FollowingEngineTests
   method: testProcessOnceOnPrimary
   issue: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/128541
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationIT.java
index aed164f9e8873..e51eaca490310 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationIT.java
@@ -81,8 +81,29 @@ private RestClient remoteClusterClient() throws IOException {
         return remoteClient;
     }
 
+    protected boolean isSkipUnavailable() {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testAlias() throws IOException {
+        assumeFalse("expecting skip_unavailable to be false", isSkipUnavailable());
+        super.testAlias();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testExistentIndexWithoutWildcard() throws IOException {
+        assumeFalse("expecting skip_unavailable to be false", isSkipUnavailable());
+        super.testExistentIndexWithoutWildcard();
+    }
+
     @Before
     public void skipTestOnOldVersions() {
-        assumeTrue("skip on old versions", Clusters.localClusterVersion().equals(Version.V_8_19_0));
+        Version version = Clusters.localClusterVersion();
+        assumeTrue(
+            "skip on old versions",
+            version.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("9.1.0"))
+                || (version.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("8.19.0")) && version.before(Version.fromString("9.0.0")))
+        );
     }
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationSkipUnFalseIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationSkipUnFalseIT.java
index 4b9957f9f5cea..a79a0d40ab053 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationSkipUnFalseIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/EsqlRestValidationSkipUnFalseIT.java
@@ -27,4 +27,9 @@ public class EsqlRestValidationSkipUnFalseIT extends EsqlRestValidationIT {
     protected String getTestRestCluster() {
         return localCluster.getHttpAddresses();
     }
+
+    @Override
+    protected boolean isSkipUnavailable() {
+        return false;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/RequestIndexFilteringIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/RequestIndexFilteringIT.java
index 6f2535c864244..4b192b6aef948 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/RequestIndexFilteringIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/multi-clusters/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/ccq/RequestIndexFilteringIT.java
@@ -142,9 +142,8 @@ protected void assertQueryResult(Map<String, Object> result, Matcher<?> columnMa
     }
 
     private static boolean checkVersion(org.elasticsearch.Version version) {
-        return version.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("9.1.0"));
-        // TODO: enable this when ported to 8.x
-        // || (version.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("8.19.0")) && version.before(Version.fromString("9.0.0")));
+        return version.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("9.1.0"))
+            || (version.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("8.19.0")) && version.before(Version.fromString("9.0.0")));
     }
 
     // We need a separate test since remote missing indices and local missing indices now work differently