diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts
index 2dc87e4a61e0..07f4b7d9ac6d 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts
+++ b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 import { CoreSetup, PluginsSetup } from './shim';
 import { routes } from './routes';
 import { functions } from '../canvas_plugin_src/functions/server';
-import { registerCanvasUsageCollector } from './usage';
 import { loadSampleData } from './sample_data';
 
 export class Plugin {
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ export class Plugin {
       },
     });
 
-    registerCanvasUsageCollector(plugins.usageCollection, core);
     loadSampleData(
       plugins.home.sampleData.addSavedObjectsToSampleDataset,
       plugins.home.sampleData.addAppLinksToSampleDataset
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/kibana.json b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/kibana.json
index 87214f028705..f18e7fe0590b 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/kibana.json
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/kibana.json
@@ -5,6 +5,6 @@
     "configPath": ["xpack", "canvas"],
     "server": true,
     "ui": false,
-    "requiredPlugins": []
+    "requiredPlugins": [],
+    "optionalPlugins": ["usageCollection"]
   }
-  
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/collector.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/collector.ts
similarity index 84%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/collector.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/collector.ts
index ae009f926572..8e9e5ede2e7f 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/collector.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/collector.ts
@@ -6,12 +6,11 @@
 
 import { CallCluster } from 'src/legacy/core_plugins/elasticsearch';
 import { UsageCollectionSetup } from 'src/plugins/usage_collection/server';
-import { CoreSetup } from '../shim';
-// @ts-ignore missing local declaration
-import { CANVAS_USAGE_TYPE } from '../../common/lib/constants';
+import { CANVAS_USAGE_TYPE } from '../../../../legacy/plugins/canvas/common/lib/constants';
+import { TelemetryCollector } from '../../types';
+
 import { workpadCollector } from './workpad_collector';
 import { customElementCollector } from './custom_element_collector';
-import { TelemetryCollector } from '../../types';
 
 const collectors: TelemetryCollector[] = [workpadCollector, customElementCollector];
 
@@ -24,10 +23,13 @@ const collectors: TelemetryCollector[] = [workpadCollector, customElementCollect
   A usage collector function returns an object derived from current data in the ES Cluster.
 */
 export function registerCanvasUsageCollector(
-  usageCollection: UsageCollectionSetup,
-  core: CoreSetup
+  usageCollection: UsageCollectionSetup | undefined,
+  kibanaIndex: string
 ) {
-  const kibanaIndex = core.getServerConfig().get<string>('kibana.index');
+  if (!usageCollection) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   const canvasCollector = usageCollection.makeUsageCollector({
     type: CANVAS_USAGE_TYPE,
     isReady: () => true,
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/collector_helpers.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/collector_helpers.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/collector_helpers.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/collector_helpers.ts
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/custom_element_collector.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/custom_element_collector.test.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/custom_element_collector.test.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/custom_element_collector.test.ts
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/custom_element_collector.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/custom_element_collector.ts
similarity index 95%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/custom_element_collector.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/custom_element_collector.ts
index 218ac0fed08c..5f1944bea3ea 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/custom_element_collector.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/custom_element_collector.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,12 @@ import { SearchParams } from 'elasticsearch';
 import { get } from 'lodash';
 import { fromExpression } from '@kbn/interpreter/common';
 import { collectFns } from './collector_helpers';
-import { TelemetryCollector } from '../../types';
-import { ExpressionAST, TelemetryCustomElement, TelemetryCustomElementDocument } from '../../types';
+import {
+  ExpressionAST,
+  TelemetryCollector,
+  TelemetryCustomElement,
+  TelemetryCustomElementDocument,
+} from '../../types';
 
 const CUSTOM_ELEMENT_TYPE = 'canvas-element';
 interface CustomElementSearch {
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/index.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/index.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/index.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/index.ts
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/workpad_collector.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/workpad_collector.test.ts
similarity index 96%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/workpad_collector.test.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/workpad_collector.test.ts
index 420b785771bf..70bc074ff3df 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/workpad_collector.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/workpad_collector.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 import clonedeep from 'lodash.clonedeep';
 import { summarizeWorkpads } from './workpad_collector';
-import { workpads } from '../../__tests__/fixtures/workpads';
+import { workpads } from '../../../../legacy/plugins/canvas/__tests__/fixtures/workpads';
 
 describe('usage collector handle es response data', () => {
   it('should summarize workpads, pages, and elements', () => {
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/workpad_collector.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/workpad_collector.ts
similarity index 98%
rename from x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/workpad_collector.ts
rename to x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/workpad_collector.ts
index 5e6e2fa6dbd6..6c86b8b2c746 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/canvas/server/usage/workpad_collector.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/collectors/workpad_collector.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import { SearchParams } from 'elasticsearch';
 import { sum as arraySum, min as arrayMin, max as arrayMax, get } from 'lodash';
 import { fromExpression } from '@kbn/interpreter/common';
-import { CANVAS_TYPE } from '../../common/lib/constants';
+import { CANVAS_TYPE } from '../../../../legacy/plugins/canvas/common/lib/constants';
 import { collectFns } from './collector_helpers';
 import { ExpressionAST, TelemetryCollector, CanvasWorkpad } from '../../types';
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts
index 76b86c2ac39b..0f27c68903b3 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/server/plugin.ts
@@ -4,19 +4,32 @@
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
  */
 
+import { first } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { CoreSetup, PluginInitializerContext, Plugin, Logger } from 'src/core/server';
+import { UsageCollectionSetup } from 'src/plugins/usage_collection/server';
 import { initRoutes } from './routes';
+import { registerCanvasUsageCollector } from './collectors';
+
+interface PluginsSetup {
+  usageCollection?: UsageCollectionSetup;
+}
 
 export class CanvasPlugin implements Plugin {
   private readonly logger: Logger;
-  constructor(initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
+  constructor(public readonly initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
     this.logger = initializerContext.logger.get();
   }
 
-  public setup(coreSetup: CoreSetup): void {
+  public async setup(coreSetup: CoreSetup, plugins: PluginsSetup) {
     const canvasRouter = coreSetup.http.createRouter();
 
     initRoutes({ router: canvasRouter, logger: this.logger });
+
+    // we need the kibana index provided by global config for the Canvas usage collector
+    const globalConfig = await this.initializerContext.config.legacy.globalConfig$
+      .pipe(first())
+      .toPromise();
+    registerCanvasUsageCollector(plugins.usageCollection, globalConfig.kibana.index);
   }
 
   public start() {}
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/types/index.ts b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/types/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..014b203754a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/types/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
+ */
+
+export * from '../../../legacy/plugins/canvas/types';